5 ms·

Impeachment speedrun. First the inspectors general firing, and now this - which seems to be illegal impoundment?

deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
lupusreal 2y ago
Not giving money to researchers is hardly a criminal matter. Of course some congressmen could propose impeachment anyway, pretty sure some already have, but they don't have the numbers to kick him out of office so it's just posturing for their constituents.
- TrackerFF 2y ago
  Well, at this rate, and by his actions, Trump is basically telling congress to get f'ed.
  - rbanffy 2y ago
    His disregard with what Congress already signed into law is troubling, but he might find sympathy from members who were not in Congress before, as well as members who didn't sign the legislation he's overriding.
    - matthewdgreen 2y ago
      Then those new members can pass a law ratifying these cuts and doing so legally. This is just crime.
- Tadpole9181 2y ago
  Executive impoundment is explicitly illegal and unconstitutional, actually. The president does not have the power of the purse, that's congress.
  - franktankbank 2y ago
    Arguably this is only temporary. I don't think Congress sets the timeline do they?
    - dllthomas 2y ago
      It's not immediately clear to me how we should read the Constitution on that question, but the Impoundment Control Act seems to explicitly include "delay" alongside "withholding" in things that it might be forbidding.
  - imperial_march 2y ago
    [flagged]
ActionHank 2y ago
Who will enforce the law against him?
- dmix 2y ago
  There's a long list of EOs that have been overturned by courts.
  - bagels 2y ago
    There is a long list of unpunished Trump crime.
  - ActionHank 2y ago
    For now. How long until these get pushed up to the constitutional courts where the judges can be legally bribed?
klingonAI 2y ago
[dead]
rbanffy 2y ago
JD Vance might be his insurance policy. I can easily imagine him being even worse.
- dllthomas 2y ago
  Absent context, I think there's a reasonable argument to be made. Remember, though, that we're comparing a JD Vance who was recently impressed with the importance of following the rules with a Trump recently impressed by the opposite.
throw0101d 2y ago
> Impeachment speedrun. An impeachment of a GOP president, by a GOP House and GOP Senate? With one of the GOP reps trying to give him a third term: * https://ogles.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-ogles-proposes-amending-22nd-amendment-allow-trump-serve-third-term https://ogles.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-ogles-propo... * https://www.cnbc.com/2025/01/23/trump-third-term-amendment-constitution-ogles.html https://www.cnbc.com/2025/01/23/trump-third-term-amendment-c... Sure. The GOP are now basically accomplices.
- rbanffy 2y ago
  I am sure at least some of them know right from wrong. It'd be a tragedy if representatives were loyal to a president over the country.
  - jounker 2y ago
    It’s almost like you haven’t been watching US politics for the last eight years.
    - rbanffy 2y ago
      I should have said I'm hopeful. I'm always hopeful people can behave like adults and see the long term consequences of their action (and inaction) over others as well as themselves.
      - DrDeadCrash 2y ago
        This is like being hopeful of staying dry in the rain
  - throw0101d 2y ago
    > I am sure at least some of them know right from wrong. They also know which way the crowd/mob leans, and they know if they want to achieve their goals/agenda * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_2025 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_2025 they need to have power * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Realpolitik https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Realpolitik If you don't have power you can't do shit. Just ask Harris/Biden/Clinton. “The first duty of a revolutionary is to get away with it.” ― Abbie Hoffman, Steal This Book At this point, at least in the US, ideals are for suckers and losers. You can have ideals once you're in, but being effective is more important before that.
nerdjon 2y ago
Since it isn’t clear what exactly will be stopped here. Some of these could hurt the districts with republican representation the most. Like food stamps, unemployment, and similar. So maybe something this stupid will wake people up? A lot of other policies could be twisted so trump isn’t directly blamed. This is… pretty cut and dry if you suddenly stop getting money you rely on. So maybe it’s actually possible? One can hope.
- Loughla 2y ago
  I have zero faith. Republicans in those districts will find a way to spin this, and the people will eat it up. Maybe I'm just too cynical anymore but I have almost no faith in the American electorate.
  - nerdjon 2y ago
    I mean. You’re not wrong. I think the only way I am going to be sane over the next 2 or 4 years is to hold out some sliver of hope…
silverquiet 2y ago
Donald Trump could do truly terrible things that I will not list because I would be accused of hysteria and the GOP would not impeach, let along convict him. The only sin I can imagine they would not forgive is to raise taxes on the wealthy. It's going to be a long, strange four years, and perhaps more.
xtracto 2y ago
So, I'm not American and have just seen all the Trump circus from afar in the las 10 years. But... hasn't Donald Trump ready been impeached, trialed, found guilty of several crimes, several times with total impunity? Like, at.this point from here it seems he can do as he pleases. He could very well shoot someone and he will get away with it. The only hope for the US as a country is some kind of natural disaster (heart attack , stroke or similar).
Eddy_Viscosity2 2y ago
Even if he was impeached (he won't be), then its DJ Vance, who will just continue the playbook. Looking at the next 6 people in the presidential line of succession, everyone on of them would be fully onboard with keeping this up.
rsanek 2y ago
nothing new. Reagan fired 15 IGs too soon after his 1981 inauguration
ahmeneeroe-v2 2y ago
Nope. Congress destroyed the power of the impeachment in Trump's first term.
adrianmonk 2y ago
He promised months back that he would challenge the impoundment law. He claims it's unconstitutional. See: https://www.npr.org/2024/11/26/nx-s1-5195528/trump-impoundment-government-cuts https://www.npr.org/2024/11/26/nx-s1-5195528/trump-impoundme... So presumably he wants this to go to the Supreme Court. If the court rule against him, then Congress's authority is preserved, so I doubt they will impeach him. If the court rules in his favor, then I doubt they'd impeach him over something the court agrees with him on.
bagels 2y ago
It doesn't matter, they won't vote to remove. Even actual treason wasn't enough last time.
kobalsky 2y ago
> Impeachment speedrun. do you think Trump is playing this by ear? this term is unique because he has an experienced team that has already served one term, they are aware of what comes after leaving office, they had 4 years to plan ahead, and they can blame the previous administration for a lot of stuff. if Trump was going to serve two terms anyway, this is the worst-case scenario for democrats.

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

Not giving money to researchers is hardly a criminal matter. Of course some congressmen could propose impeachment anyway, pretty sure some already have, but they don't have the numbers to kick him out of office so it's just posturing for their constituents.

TrackerFF 2y ago
Well, at this rate, and by his actions, Trump is basically telling congress to get f'ed.
- rbanffy 2y ago
  His disregard with what Congress already signed into law is troubling, but he might find sympathy from members who were not in Congress before, as well as members who didn't sign the legislation he's overriding.
  - matthewdgreen 2y ago
    Then those new members can pass a law ratifying these cuts and doing so legally. This is just crime.
Tadpole9181 2y ago
Executive impoundment is explicitly illegal and unconstitutional, actually. The president does not have the power of the purse, that's congress.
- franktankbank 2y ago
  Arguably this is only temporary. I don't think Congress sets the timeline do they?
  - dllthomas 2y ago
    It's not immediately clear to me how we should read the Constitution on that question, but the Impoundment Control Act seems to explicitly include "delay" alongside "withholding" in things that it might be forbidding.
- imperial_march 2y ago
  [flagged]

ActionHank 2y ago

Who will enforce the law against him?

dmix 2y ago
There's a long list of EOs that have been overturned by courts.
- bagels 2y ago
  There is a long list of unpunished Trump crime.
- ActionHank 2y ago
  For now. How long until these get pushed up to the constitutional courts where the judges can be legally bribed?

klingonAI 2y ago

[dead]

rbanffy 2y ago

JD Vance might be his insurance policy. I can easily imagine him being even worse.

dllthomas 2y ago
Absent context, I think there's a reasonable argument to be made. Remember, though, that we're comparing a JD Vance who was recently impressed with the importance of following the rules with a Trump recently impressed by the opposite.

throw0101d 2y ago

> Impeachment speedrun. An impeachment of a GOP president, by a GOP House and GOP Senate? With one of the GOP reps trying to give him a third term: * https://ogles.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-ogles-proposes-amending-22nd-amendment-allow-trump-serve-third-term https://ogles.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-ogles-propo... * https://www.cnbc.com/2025/01/23/trump-third-term-amendment-constitution-ogles.html https://www.cnbc.com/2025/01/23/trump-third-term-amendment-c... Sure. The GOP are now basically accomplices.

rbanffy 2y ago
I am sure at least some of them know right from wrong. It'd be a tragedy if representatives were loyal to a president over the country.
- jounker 2y ago
  It’s almost like you haven’t been watching US politics for the last eight years.
  - rbanffy 2y ago
    I should have said I'm hopeful. I'm always hopeful people can behave like adults and see the long term consequences of their action (and inaction) over others as well as themselves.
    - DrDeadCrash 2y ago
      This is like being hopeful of staying dry in the rain
- throw0101d 2y ago
  > I am sure at least some of them know right from wrong. They also know which way the crowd/mob leans, and they know if they want to achieve their goals/agenda * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_2025 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_2025 they need to have power * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Realpolitik https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Realpolitik If you don't have power you can't do shit. Just ask Harris/Biden/Clinton. “The first duty of a revolutionary is to get away with it.” ― Abbie Hoffman, Steal This Book At this point, at least in the US, ideals are for suckers and losers. You can have ideals once you're in, but being effective is more important before that.

nerdjon 2y ago

Since it isn’t clear what exactly will be stopped here. Some of these could hurt the districts with republican representation the most. Like food stamps, unemployment, and similar. So maybe something this stupid will wake people up? A lot of other policies could be twisted so trump isn’t directly blamed. This is… pretty cut and dry if you suddenly stop getting money you rely on. So maybe it’s actually possible? One can hope.

Loughla 2y ago
I have zero faith. Republicans in those districts will find a way to spin this, and the people will eat it up. Maybe I'm just too cynical anymore but I have almost no faith in the American electorate.
- nerdjon 2y ago
  I mean. You’re not wrong. I think the only way I am going to be sane over the next 2 or 4 years is to hold out some sliver of hope…

silverquiet 2y ago

Donald Trump could do truly terrible things that I will not list because I would be accused of hysteria and the GOP would not impeach, let along convict him. The only sin I can imagine they would not forgive is to raise taxes on the wealthy. It's going to be a long, strange four years, and perhaps more.

xtracto 2y ago

So, I'm not American and have just seen all the Trump circus from afar in the las 10 years. But... hasn't Donald Trump ready been impeached, trialed, found guilty of several crimes, several times with total impunity? Like, at.this point from here it seems he can do as he pleases. He could very well shoot someone and he will get away with it. The only hope for the US as a country is some kind of natural disaster (heart attack , stroke or similar).

Eddy_Viscosity2 2y ago

Even if he was impeached (he won't be), then its DJ Vance, who will just continue the playbook. Looking at the next 6 people in the presidential line of succession, everyone on of them would be fully onboard with keeping this up.

rsanek 2y ago

nothing new. Reagan fired 15 IGs too soon after his 1981 inauguration

ahmeneeroe-v2 2y ago

Nope. Congress destroyed the power of the impeachment in Trump's first term.

adrianmonk 2y ago

He promised months back that he would challenge the impoundment law. He claims it's unconstitutional. See: https://www.npr.org/2024/11/26/nx-s1-5195528/trump-impoundment-government-cuts https://www.npr.org/2024/11/26/nx-s1-5195528/trump-impoundme... So presumably he wants this to go to the Supreme Court. If the court rule against him, then Congress's authority is preserved, so I doubt they will impeach him. If the court rules in his favor, then I doubt they'd impeach him over something the court agrees with him on.

bagels 2y ago

It doesn't matter, they won't vote to remove. Even actual treason wasn't enough last time.

kobalsky 2y ago

> Impeachment speedrun. do you think Trump is playing this by ear? this term is unique because he has an experienced team that has already served one term, they are aware of what comes after leaving office, they had 4 years to plan ahead, and they can blame the previous administration for a lot of stuff. if Trump was going to serve two terms anyway, this is the worst-case scenario for democrats.