Senators Murkowski and Collins, as well as Mr. Thune and Congressman Zack Nunn are all trying to find a way around the various Executive Orders that may injure their States or Districts. How long will Trump put up with that?
In an article in the Wall Street Journal entitled “Does President Trump understand money?” The editorial says, “Not money as in cash, but the supply of money, the price of money is measured by interest rates, and their impact on inflation.” Clearly, the answer is he does not, or, if he does, he doesn’t care because it doesn’t spark the kind of reaction in his fan base that he wants. This is just another example of how Mr. Trump manipulates his followers who, in the main, have a lesser understanding than he does of these concepts.
Now we can turn to Republicans who are feeling issues at home with the slash and burn of Mr. Trump and Mr. Musk who are complaining, even if they do it softly. We have House Agriculture Committee Chair, Glenn Thompson of Pennsylvania introducing legislation to save the Food for Peace Program by transferring it to the Department of Agriculture. Why is he so interested, because his constituents sell to that program. We also heard from Republican Tracey Mann that his constituents sent their commodities to feed malnourished and starving populations around the world, which appears to be referring to USA ID, which Mr. Trump and Mr. Musk have condemned. The Thompson legislation was supported by Reps Crawford, Newhouse, Rouzer and Senators Jerry Moran and John Hoeven, all from deeply red states who now realize that their support of Mr. Trump is going to hurt their constituents, and obviously, their reelection bids. On another front, Senator Grassley opposed the tariffs being imposed on Canadian imports into the United States and seeks an exemption for fertilizer for his constitutes. Mr. Trump is blaming Mr. Biden for his uninformed actions.
The US shockingly refuses to agree to labeling Russia as the aggressor in the Ukraine War. The Trump administration again eschews facts to suit their version of reality.
The Perkins Institute published a piece entitled, “Assessing the Risks and Cost of the Rising US Federal Debt.” This is ground that has been turned over so many times as to make it laughable that someone else is trying to lend some level of credibility to this important issue. Neither party has been willing to be honest with the American public, nor offer realistic solutions in either the long or the short term. First, lowering expenditures, and second, raising taxes. I can see a reasonable position being taken by wealthy individuals that they would pay more if the funds were dedicated to pay down the debt.
As we all know, Mr. Trump has threatened across the board tariffs on steel and aluminum and keeps hinting at other tariffs. He fails to recognize who is paying the bill, which is the American consumer, although he got the first taste when he saw the rise in inflation, which is due in part, to anticipating the tariffs and their impact.
The most striking event in my mind of the last several weeks has been the attempt by Mr. Musk to gain access to private and confidential information held both by the Social Security Administration and the Internal Revenue Service. Mr. Musk, as has been stated by Mr. Trump, is not an employee of the United States government, nor does he have a security clearance. The fact that Mr. Trump is allowing this to happen is incredibly dangerous, and although I understand the tasks that Mr. Musk is performing, and irrespective of what I may think of it substantively, he does not need personal information on any individuals. He may need gross data, but this brings us back to Mr. Nixon, and all the problems he caused.
The Chairmen of several German political parties are reacting as they should and objecting strenuously to Mr. Vance’s statements that they should be accepting of their far-right parties. Mr. Vance probably doesn’t know the history of the German far-right, its association with the Nazi Party, and with the death camps.
Retail sales plunged 1% in January, likely somewhat impacted by the strong sales in November and December of 24, and that has been further reflected in a 20% reduction in car sales in January of 2025. If these trends persist it is not a healthy place for the US economy to be.
A couple of shorts.
Mr. Trump fired 6700 IRS agents as the tax season begins. He also fired the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, the CINC of the Navy, the CINC of the Coast Guard, as well as a number of other Senior Officers. See a pattern in this list? Gas prices are up, egg prices are up, Ukraine still going, no more Gaza resort as Jordan and Egypt say no, deportation officials fired because of poor results...
And a final thought, the media should stop covering Mr. Trump for 1 day. The public should stop following the news on that same day. Mr. Trump thrives on coverage, so take it away.
Bill Owens is a former member of Congress representing the New York 21st, a partner in Stafford, Owens, Piller, Murnane, Kelleher and Trombley in Plattsburgh, NY and a Strategic Advisor at Dentons to Washington, DC.
The views expressed by commentators are solely those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views of this station or its management.