this post was submitted on 17 Feb 2025
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politics

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Summary

Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s drastic federal budget cuts and regulatory rollbacks have sparked legal and political backlash.

Musk has gutted agencies while Trump fired 17 inspectors general without legal notice.

Critics liken the firings to “firing cops before you rob the bank,” accusing Trump of dismantling oversight to benefit donors and special interests.

Judges have blocked some moves, prompting Trump and Musk to attack the judiciary and threaten impeachment.

Lawsuits are challenging their actions, warning of constitutional violations and unchecked executive power.

top 24 comments
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[–] TheDemonBuer@lemmy.world 124 points 5 days ago (2 children)

This is a coup

Yeah, we know.

[–] OutlierBlue@lemmy.ca 57 points 5 days ago (1 children)

But most other people don't. This needs to be shouted loud and clear over and over again until everyone knows what's happening.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 18 points 5 days ago

But most other people don’t.

People who lived through 2000 and 2004 and 2016 can do barely more than shrug, because it's just more of the same.

Republicans were allowed to rig the democratic process in their favor, run the board on multiple branches of government, and suffer no meaningful consequences... again.

Most people aren't responding to this because it's been normalized. Republicans stepping into office and crushing minorities, gouging federal bureaucrats, and shredding constitutional principles is just the Reagan Era standard.

[–] disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world 16 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

At least domestic media is finally coming around to directness. For the past month, I’ve been feeling like a Jew in Nazi Germany listening to the BBC. Granted, it’s far easier to get international news these days, but it would be nice if the passively informed had some no-nonsense truth shoved in their faces.

[–] WolfmanEightySix@piefed.social 8 points 5 days ago (1 children)

The BBC are also lying gits.

[–] disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world 17 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

They were the most accessible international news radio station in 1930s Germany. It’s far easier to get a more whole picture from diversifying international media sources today. Relying on a single source nowadays amounts to willful ignorance.

[–] Sterile_Technique@lemmy.world 41 points 5 days ago

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_of_the_Long_Knives

One of the many parallels we're taking to the original Nazis rise to power. We're basically a single mustache short of it being a direct copy-paste of history.

[–] burgersc12@mander.xyz 31 points 5 days ago (1 children)
[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 17 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

Elon inherited a government whose primary purpose was to stake the deck in his favor. He's throwing the cards in the trash because Aces and Queens are too Woke.

[–] burgersc12@mander.xyz 6 points 5 days ago

~~Inherited~~ paid for

[–] someguy3@lemmy.world 31 points 5 days ago

"Replace them with our people."

They said they were going to do it.

[–] compostgoblin@slrpnk.net 20 points 5 days ago (1 children)

I am very aware. What’s fun and good, though, is my complete inability to do anything about it.

[–] henfredemars@infosec.pub 4 points 5 days ago

I feel very similar about this subject as I do about climate change.

I recycle. I don't use plastic bags, straws, or cups. I vote. Still the earth warms.

[–] barnaclebutt@lemmy.world 14 points 5 days ago (2 children)

How did a massive dork and a Nigerian prince go into the white house? I mean how short does your penis have to be to cheat at diablo, and then blame the problems on social workers? Unfortunately, we know how short the Trump penis is because of stormy Daniels who should definitely turn it into a meme coin.

[–] casmael@lemm.ee 4 points 5 days ago

Blump: short pork confirmed - small if true

[–] Doomsider@lemmy.world 1 points 5 days ago

Strange after complaining about voter fraud and cheating in elections for almost a decade suddenly radio silence from Aotus about this topic. I guess it was not really important after all.

[–] conditional_soup@lemm.ee 12 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (2 children)

Tbh, I think that dismantling the federal government this aggressively and this scattershot is going to destroy the legitimacy (in the sense of whether people accept the government as legitimate) of the federal government at the same time as it destroys its capacity to govern. It might shamble on for a while like that unless they do something real fucking stupid like try to invade Canada, at which point I think you'll finally see a bunch of states say enough and declare independence as regional nations.

It'll probably be a good thing on the whole, imo. I imagine it'll open the door for quite a few changes that have been prevented by an unresponsive federal government.

[–] littlewonder@lemmy.world 7 points 5 days ago (1 children)

That's been their plan this whole time: slowly break the system by defunding important services like USPS and education, etc., and then point to those poorly funded programs and give hot takes about how the government sucks and we need to privatize it.

[–] Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works 4 points 5 days ago

USPS isn't funded in the first place, the only funding to clawback is the electric vehicle grant.

It's only a possible good thing if we survive it, and that's extremely questionable

[–] MunkyNutts@lemmy.world 10 points 5 days ago (1 children)

It's like watching Jan 6th all over again but in slow motion.

[–] GuyFawkes@sh.itjust.works 2 points 5 days ago

And more widespread.

[–] ZILtoid1991@lemmy.world 4 points 4 days ago

It never was about the costs.

[–] T00l_shed@lemmy.world 0 points 5 days ago