Amid the chaos and confusion that is Washington these days the country and world are trying to adjust to the rollercoaster politics of the Musk/Trump White House. Insiders say that that was their plan from the get-go.
Lost in the craziness are some signals and warnings that raise questions. Here are a few examples:
- As a heart-healthy warning, you may want to avoid looking at your investment statements for a while. The stock market is whip lashing most every day like one of those inflated greeting sign figures at a secondhand store.
- During the campaign Donald Trump repeatedly promised to reduce the cost of groceries, particularly the price of eggs. Prices are still rising but his new Agriculture Secretary, Brooke Rollins, has come up with a creative solution: “maybe I could get a chicken in my backyard.” Aside of such questions like, don’t I need a permit for that?, there are issues of cost — $500 and up for the coup plus the cost of the hens, food, etc.; plus dealing with the mess and smell. But you can’t say that the Ag Secretary isn’t trying to help you.
- The administration isn’t saying it but if you are looking for a federal tax refund this year you had better hurry and file your return. About 7,000 IRS employees have already been laid off. CNN recently reported that the agency plans to cut as much as half of their 90,000 people workforce. That will affect answering your calls and processing your returns.
- The plus side of things is that there will be far fewer IRS people around to audit returns. The flip side of that will be less revenue for the government.
- If you are a veteran who has used Veterans Administration services you may want to check out some alternative health care options. The VA, which is already stressed in locations including Buffalo, will be cutting 20 percent of its workforce, representing about 80,000 people. As an added kicker, about 30 percent of the federal workforce are veterans, many disabled, so the chainsaw job chopping will also hurt them directly.
- If the very angry Canadians follow through with reciprocal tariffs the price of gasoline will go up. Maybe the answer for Western New Yorkers will be to drive to Canada to buy the gasoline there if you don’t mind the longer lines at the Customs booth. “Anything to declare?”
- Trump promised to leave Social Security alone, but then why are 7,000 employees of the Social Security Administration being shown the door?
- Trump and Republican members of Congress have also pledged not to cut Medicare. That’s very unlikely when they are aiming to cut $2 trillion to pay for a portion of the planned tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires. Medicare spending represents 12 percent of the total annual federal budget. Seniors, be on guard.
- Medicaid and CHIP, which accounts for about 8 percent of the federal budget, are in an even more precarious situation. Twenty-three percent of Americans depend on that insurance coverage, with higher percentages in many Republican dominated states. In Kentucky, for example, more than 30 percent are covered. In West Virginia its about 29 percent. Cuts will hit children and seniors in nursing facilities particularly hard.
- Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy is taking early steps to continue his anti-vaccination crusade. That flies in the face of measles outbreaks that are occurring in the country. The disease was declared eradicated in the United States in 2000 but Kennedy and his followers spread false information about the success of MMR vaccines and created resistance to the lifesaving medicines. You might want to stay clear of Texas, New Mexico, and a few other hotspots at the moment; measles is highly contagious.
For Donald Trump everything in life is transactional. There is no moral compass. The MO is the same for Elon Musk and Trump’s political cronies who just do what he says, no matter the consequences.
The real message from Washington to all of us is, you better watch out. The issues noted here are probably just the beginning.
While the administration may not want to talk about it, their on/off/on/off policy gyrations seem to be a reaction to what they are hearing from Republican members of Congress. The representatives and senators have been getting an earful and are now being told by their leadership to avoid public town hall meetings.
If any of these issues concern you I am sure Representatives Nick Langworthy (202-225-3161) and Claudia Tenney (202-225-3665) would love to hear from you.
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