quote:

I'm sick and tired of the Libertarian guys chirping from the sidelines, trying to somehow imply that any of the mess we're in at this moment is POTUS 47's fault. Sure, maybe 45, but what about the 4 years of 46?

There's plenty of blame to go around. I don't think anyone is saying it's POTUS 47's fault.
However, DJT did say that if Massie didn't vote for this he would "lead the charge against him" in a primary challenge.

Thomas Massie has been consistently against the HUGE omnibus bills. If that's "chirping from the sidelines", then we need more chirping.

quote:

Get stuff funded for a few months and then start using Congress to cut everything back. With a chainsaw.

I hope so.

I say shut the government down including the paychecks of the elected officials. And no back pay for anybody when it is settled .
Maybe when that happens a few times both sides will grow up and get the stuff in order on time.

quote:

Originally posted by thumperfbc:
Because the bill being proposed has zero pork and now new spending (as I understand), and because I trust Trump, and because his admin seems to be making good progress and keeping promises, I’d give it this one pass.

Do you think there was pork in Bid3n's FY2024 budget?

If you do, do you understand this CR continues those programs until FY2026?

I’m not sure how I feel about the CR, but I also don’t want to see the DOGE momentum curbed. I think what they’re uncovering will have a greater lasting impact long term than another signed CR. The bureaucracy has to be burned to the ground for this country to survive in a form I will accept. We’ve never had an opportunity like we have now to change course or a person as capable as Elon to unravel it. Maybe I’ll be proven wrong but a shutdown that causes a loss of the MAGA momentum would be catastrophic.

GOP: run on fiscal responsibility cutting size, scope, and cost of government.

Also GOP: get elected and continue to pass budgets increasing size, scope, and cost of government.

Doesn’t matter who sits in the White House. It’s been the same story for decades. The beast feeds itself. The one party establishment just doesn’t care. Pelosi said the budget had to be passed and then read after the fact. The GOP just said fund Biden’s budget for six months and trust us that we’ll fix it in September. If you believe that I have a bridge for sale.

If DOGE taking a chainsaw to the bureaucracy where a scalpel is needed is such a great thing why the fuck are the same folks cheering turning around to fund that very bureaucracy? Disconnect much?

Congress has abdicated its responsibilities for decades in the name of empowering the executive so their guy can have more power when their guy wins the presidency. Both parties are complicit. An imperial presidency is great when it’s your president and not so great when it isn’t but livable because you’ll get your turn.

US Deficit Hits Record $1.1 Trillion In First 5 Months Of 2025 As February Taxes Failed To Cover Even Half Of Spending

First the good news: Elon Musk's DOGE is going through government spending with a fine-toothed comb, slashing a million here, a billion there.

The bad news: at the rate it is going, DOGE will need a few hundred years to make a tangible impact, because as the Treasury just reported, in February the US government spent a staggering $603 billion, a 6% increase from the $567 billion a year ago...

... while it collected just $296 billion in tax revenues...

... which resulted in a $307 billion budget deficit for the month, which means that all tax revenues collected by the US government in February were less than the deficit! Said otherwise, the US spent more than twice what it collected in February.

Which in turn, means this February's deficit was just shy of the highest on record, and only the post-covid shock of 2021 was greater...

This is a problem because as shown in the next chart, the cumulative budget deficit for the first 5 months of fiscal 2025 is the highest on record, surpassing even the fiscal shock from the depths of the post-covid response!

And the punchline is that no matter what Musk does, the USS Titanic remain fully on autopilot because while a few billion in discretionary spending here and there can be cut, neither entitlements (Social Security, Medicare) nor interest on the debt can be - without a default (it can however be inflated away... and it will be) - and in February, gross interest on the Federal debt hit a record $1.177 trillion in the past twelve months thanks to another $86 billion in interest spending.

https://www.zerohedge.com/mark...fail-cover-even-half

But... we don't spend ENOUGH for Chuck U. Schumer and the Democrats:

Schumer Shutdown: Senate Refuses To Pass Continuing Resolution After Democrats Melt Down

Update (2130ET): Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) completely nuked any prospect of passing the House-passed continuing resolution on Wednesday, after he announced that most Democrats in the upper chamber will not support the bill, all but ensuring a government shutdown on Friday at 11:59 p.m.

"Funding the government should be a bipartisan effort, but Republicans chose a partisan path, drafting their [continuing resolution] without any input — any input — from congressional Democrats," Schumer said on the floor of the Senate late Wednesday.

"Because of that, Republicans do not have the votes in the Senate to invoke cloture on the House CR. Our caucus is unified on a clean [CR through April 11] that will keep the government open and give Congress time to negotiate bipartisan legislation that can pass."

https://www.zerohedge.com/poli...riday-deadline-looms

quote:

Originally posted by chellim1:
...Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) completely nuked any prospect of passing the House-passed continuing resolution on Wednesday...

Awesome.

Shut the whole shitshow down.
Saves a boatload of money... like $7T annually.

Massie Donations Pour In - Jewish Group Vows To Help Trump Oust Him

President Trump's social-media tirade against hard-line deficit-hawk Thomas Massie has had a big effect -- but not exactly the one Trump wanted. Since Trump's late-night tantrum in which he called for the Republican congressman to be ousted via a primary challenge, the Kentucky congressman has raked in more than $200,000 in donations. That huge and growing windfall comes as the Republican Jewish Coalition promised to help make Trump's dream of a Congress without Massie come true.

Massie provoked Trump's wrath on Sunday, when he vowed to vote against a continuing resolution (CR) that would fund the government through Sept 30 -- but without spending cuts. "Why would I vote to continue the waste fraud and abuse DOGE has found?" wrote Massie on X. "We were told the CR in December would get us to March when we would fight. Here we are in March, punting again!"

https://x.com/RepThomasMassie/...-help-trump-oust-him



On Monday evening Trump used his Truth Social account to lash out at the libertarian-minded Massie:

"HE SHOULD BE PRIMARIED, and I will lead the charge against him. He's just another GRANDSTANDER, who's too much trouble and not worth the fight. He reminds me of Liz Cheney before her historic, record breaking fall (loss!). The people of Kentucky won't stand for it, just watch. DO I HAVE ANY TAKERS??"

Eventually, the CR passed 217-213; but thanks to Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, it's currently dead in the Senate. However, the follow-on effects of Trump's political attack on Massie have continued -- mostly in ways that add up to a big net-positive for Massie.

"I've received an amazing outpouring of support since I was attacked for voting No on the Biden-$-level CR. In fact, we just hit $205,000 from 2500 grassroots donors!" Massie wrote using his campaign's X account late Thursday afternoon, urging like-minded people to help keep the trend going. Earlier he'd noted that the influx pushed the balance of his campaign coffer over $1 million for the first time.

https://www.zerohedge.com/poli...-help-trump-oust-him

Unleash The Vought
Erick-Woods Erickson
Mar 13

Thanks to Democrats in the Senate who have decided to shut down the government instead of provoking a fight with their progressive base, the United States is about to come as close to having Ron Swanson in charge as it is possible in reality.

Under a government shutdown, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget oversees the government and the procedures of a shutdown. That would be my friend Russell T. Vought — outstanding patriot, hater of the federal government, and contributor to Project 2025.

Democrats fell into the trap perfectly.

If they agreed to fund the government, they’d fund deportations and DOGE. By refusing to fund the government, they are putting Russ Vought in charge of a shutdown government.

Magic Mike Johnson created a brilliant trap — fund Elon Musk or unleash Russ Vought. Either way the Democrats lose. If they fund Musk and DOGE, they will see a progressive uprising against them. If they shutdown the government, they can be seen as fighters while Russ Vought cripples their governmental constituencies.

Right now, Chuck Schumer and the Democrats seem inclined to unleash Russ Vought on the government — a fully empowered Director of the Office of Personnel and Management who will leave open the monuments the tourists see and shutter all the parts of government Democrats love.

So be it.

Democrats got into this mess by covering for a dementia patient until they couldn’t and then replacing him with a walking word salad. They have no good options because of their own election strategy last year.

So unleash the Vought.

Or fund deportations and DOGE.

Have at it, Democrats. The Republicans are fine being thrown into the briar patch of a government shutdown.


https://ewerickson.substack.com/p/unleash-the-vought

quote:

Originally posted by chellim1:
.. it always just results in a free, tax-payer funded vacation for those not deemed "essential" with full back pay once resolved….

Only if the President signs a budget that provides for such largess.

quote:

Originally posted by BigSwede:

So unleash the Vought…

Or fund deportations and DOGE…

Or do both, simultaneously and truly screw the Democrats.

https://www.breitbart.com/poli...tm_campaign=20250313

Report: Chuck Schumer Prepares to Cave on Government Funding, Only Talked Tough ‘to Save Face’

Senate Democrats have boxed themselves into a corner, and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is trying to slip out.

Schumer announced Wednesday afternoon that Democrats would reject a House-passed government plan to keep the government funded past the Friday deadline through the end of the fiscal year, September 30.

President Donald Trump and his administration went all-in to ensure the bill received majority support in the House Tuesday, the first major test this Congress for Trump and his legislative team.

But in the Senate, although Republicans hold a majority with 53 seats, Majority Leader John Thune (R-SC) needs 60 votes to advance the legislation.

“Funding the government should be a bipartisan effort, but Republicans chose a partisan path, drafting their continuing resolution without any input — any input — from congressional Democrats,” Schumer said on the Senate floor. “Because of that, Republicans do not have the votes in the Senate to invoke cloture on the House CR.”

However, only one day before government funding lapses, Schumer is relenting to reality — Trump and Republicans hold all the cards, and Democrats have a lot to lose by gambling with shutdown politics.

cont...

Congressional Democrats are in full revolt after Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) folded like a wet paper napkin and agreed to vote 'yes' on the House-passed government funding measure that effectively ends the shutdown fight as long as six more Democrats join Schumer and Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) who's a 'yes' as well.

Civil War Breaks Out Among Democrats After Schumer Folds On GOP Funding Bill
https://www.zerohedge.com/poli...humer-folds-gop-bill

Seriously?

Schumer and Mike Johnson already had a deal. Schumer was always a 'yes' vote. The Uni-party does put on quite a show.

This continues the Biden spendapalooza for at least another 6 months. None of them want to cut spending and save the country... except Massie and Rand Paul.

It's all an act...

Rep. Thomas Massie says it's all an act... a "fake fight" in the House that "will become obvious when the Senate Democrats vote for this stinker."

https://x.com/RepThomasMassie/...humer-folds-gop-bill

Thomas Massie, and his counterpart Rand Paul are the only two sitting members of congress who I trust fully.

I do wonder how this will pan out. Massie and Elon align in policy positions, and fiscal policy.

I would vote yes. Give Trump a chance to make things happen. If he doesn't, we will get pounded during midterms. He's already using EO's to enact temporary savings. He hasn't steered us wrong yet.

quote:

Originally posted by SIG4EVA:
I would vote yes. Give Trump a chance to make things happen. If he doesn't, we will get pounded during midterms. He's already using EO's to enact temporary savings. He hasn't steered us wrong yet.

We do support President Trump, don't we? We do have faith in his decisions, right? Let's stay behind him now.

Thumbs up to your comment 6guns. Let President Trump execute his plan.

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/...mail#google_vignette

BREAKING: Dems Suffer Total Defeat As Senate Advances Spending Bill

The first cloture vote didn’t clinch 60, so the House GOP’s continuing resolution, which was passed on a party-line vote, remained in legislative limbo. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) delivered his ‘Republicans don’t have the votes’ bit, only to cave less than 36 hours later. After another drawn-out process that engulfed the Hill in chaos, he voted for cloture this afternoon—the Democrats are a total mess.

Republicans needed eight votes to limit debate to advance the legislation, and they got them. Sens. Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Gary Peters (D-MI) got us over the top. Sen. John Fetterman was another early ‘aye’ vote when Schumer walked away from the shutdown theater. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand also voted for cloture.

The final vote was 62-38.

Weird that President Trump campaigned against this spending as being reckless and part of the reason the inflation is so bad, and now that he is back in office he has to have more of it.

And people seem to be brainwashed into thinking that in six months things will be different.

And a solid conservative, a solid 2A voice and supporter needs to be “primaried” for a more get along type like McConnell.

Weird times we live in.