The Donald Trump F**k Up Watch

"The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand"

I’m Michael A. Cohen, and this is Truth and Consequences: A no-holds-barred look at the absurdities, hypocrisies, and surreality of American politics. If you were sent this email or are a free subscriber and would like to become a paid subscriber, you can sign up here.

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If you’re a member of non-MAGA America and if you pine for good government that isn’t corrupt and cruel, there is one saving grace for what is coming over the next four years. Take it away, Hal Holbrook!

The defining feature of Trump’s first four years in office was rank, almost astonishing incompetence.

It’s back.

On Monday, the Trump administration released a memo calling for a freeze on all government spending.

There are two things about this paragraph that, for me, really stand out. The first is the reference to activities related to the “green new deal” (the document mentions it twice). The Green New Deal was a liberal environmental initiative that a) never became law and, as a result, does not exist. Yet, here we have a memo from the Office of Management & Budget that mentions it directly. This kind of thing happens when you go through life believing that the stuff you see on Fox News is reality.

The second point that stands out is the breadth of the administration’s proposed spending pause. “All activities related to obligation or disbursement of all federal assistance” … “must temporarily pause.”

Did this mean programs like Head Start, Meals on Wheels, or the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) were on hold? What about Medicaid payments, which are disbursed by the states but rely on federal funding? Even temporary interruptions in funding could have a significant impact, such as delaying essential government services and forcing layoffs and cutbacks from service providers who work with the federal government.

The problem for the White House is that no one seemed to know the answer to these questions. And if you’re threatening to turn off a federal spigot that distributes billions of dollars in government spending, people will want answers — and quickly. Not surprisingly, confusion ran rampant as non-profits, schools, and even state officials were caught off guard.

So, on Tuesday, the OMB put out a set of FAQs to clarify things.

Let’s ignore that this answer again refers to the Green New Deal, which doesn’t exist. This paragraph directly contradicts the memo put out on Monday. That document said the funding pause would apply to all federal activities (thus, it’s “across the board”). Moreover, the answer above says the pause is “expressly limited” to a few programs, while the first memo says it is “including., but not limited to” these spending targets. It also bears noting that the original OMB memo said nothing in the document “should be construed to impact Medicare and Social Security,” though notably, it doesn’t mention Medicaid.

That’s a long way of saying that the OMB’s Clean Up On Aisle 9 didn’t go well. People were still confused, and the White House still didn’t have a good explanation for what was happening.

The incompetence would be astonishing if not for the fact that we’re talking about the Trump administration.

On Tuesday afternoon, minutes before the spending pause was to go into effect, a federal judge mercifully blocked it. Then, on Wednesday afternoon, the OMB rescinded the memo.

However, there is still a great deal of confusion as to what spending is currently frozen.

This tweet hasn’t helped.

I suspect that Leavitt is saying the FAQ language below is now operative …

… but honestly, who the hell knows?

One More Thing

The irony of all this is that the funds in question — which the OMB memo said included money “to advance Marxist equity, transgenderism, and green new deal social engineering policies” — were authorized and appropriated by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives! Indeed, the current funding was passed in the House by a vote of 366-34 and in the Senate 85-11. If the White House is to be believed, congressional Republicans overwhelmingly voted for a budget that was a hodgepodge of woke, liberal initiatives.

How is it possible we’re only nine days in, and I’m already exhausted?

The F**k Up Watch

The reason I’ve included this under the rubric of the Donald Trump F**k Up Watch is fourfold.

First, this funding freeze situation is quite obviously a massive fuck up.

Second, most Americans aren’t going to care if you fire Justice Department prosecutors or take away the security details for Dr. Anthony Fauci and others. But they will care if you turn off the federal spending spigot. This is a significant unforced error likely to alarm more than a few Americans who voted for Trump.

Third, congressional Democrats are already taking to social media to declare victory after the announcement that the OMB rescinded the freeze memo—a victory they played no role in causing. But after three months of nothing but bad news, I suppose this gives them a shot in the arm and likely emboldens them to confront Trump more aggressively. Maybe. We’ll see on this one.

Fourth, generally speaking, it’s best to avoid politically shooting yourself in the genitals nine days into a new presidency. It’s not the end of the world for the White House, but perhaps it sets the wrong tone. Don’t get me wrong, Trump will continue to do terrible things, and he’ll get away with most of them, but getting off on the wrong foot — in such an egregious manner — is never a good idea.

Musical Interlude

And a belated tribute to Garth Hudson … Wait for the sax solo.