We watch as President Joe Biden moves like a fine racehorse, first out of the gate, racing toward a win. He has signed one executive order after another during his first 10 days in office. But his actions speak to a larger issue, undoing the most egregious acts of the Donald Trump administration. It will be a negative miracle if 45 is not tried for crimes against humanity.
During his last week in office, the president of Mar-a-Lago moved, to freeze $27.4 billion in federal funding. His advisors discovered a budget technique called “rescission.” In a letter, Biden wrote:
‘I am withdrawing 73 proposed rescissions previously transmitted to the Congress.’
Trump’s 73 budget reductions cross nearly every Cabinet-level position. Basically, installed the cuts to domestic program spending. These would have been in the 2021 federal budget had Congress not rejected them. But it did, The Washington Post reported.
The woebegone ex-president used the Under the 1974 Budget and Impoundment Control Act to sneak his cuts through to fruition. A president can tell Congress to rescind, which is a budget rewind, authority over specific programs. Congress looks at a president’s request, and then it can freeze the designated programs for 45 days. After that time period, should Congress do nothing, the request expires., according to Foreign Policy
Trump sent a letter to congressional leaders in the House and Senate requesting that they freeze specific monies designated to programs. These cuts also included slashing the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities, the Peace Corps, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and many others, Lexology.com
The former president signed the $2.3 omnibus spending bill in December. But at that time he had said he would have specific cuts for “wasteful items” added.
The spending bill included aid to coronavirus actions and the direly-needed $600 stimulus checks to Americans. He said:
‘I will sign the Omnibus and Covid package with a strong message that makes clear to Congress that wasteful items need to be removed.’
‘I will send back to Congress a redlined version, item by item, accompanied by the formal rescission request to Congress insisting that those funds be removed from the bill.’
Congressional Democrats and Biden were quick to reject the ex-president’s proposal Thursday, according to the White House.
House Appropriations Chair Rosa DeLauro (D-CN) said that cuts attack aid to international food and vaccine help, renewable energy, and small banks:
‘President Trump’s proposed rescissions attack a broad swath of critical programs that help make life better for Americans and sustain our leadership around the world. Can you think of anything more immoral?’
Chair of the House Budget Committee Representative John Yarmuth (D-KY), said this was just another attempt by Trump to leave as much destruction behind him as possible:
‘These rescissions are filled with damaging and irrational cuts to programs critical in the fight against COVID-19, climate change, and strengthening America’s global leadership.’
The Mueller Report Adventures: In Bite-Sizes on this Facebook page. These quick, two-minute reads interpret the report in normal English for busy people. Mueller Bite-Sizes uncovers what is essentially a compelling spy mystery. Interestingly enough, Mueller Bite-Sizes can be read in any order.
