Trump loyalist Kash Patel is confirmed as FBI director by the Senate despite deep Democratic doubts

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate on Thursday narrowly voted to confirm Kash Patel as director of the FBI, moving to place him atop the nation’s premier federal law enforcement agency despite doubts from Democrats about his qualifications and concerns he will do Donald Trump’s bidding and go after the Republican president’s adversaries. “I cannot imagine a worse choice,” Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., told colleagues before the 51-49 vote by the GOP-controlled Senate. Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska were the lone Republican holdouts. A Trump loyalist…

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The Great Resegregation

The nostalgia behind the slogan “Make America great again” has always provoked the obvious questions of just when America was great, and for whom. Early in the second Trump administration, we are getting the answer. In August, speaking with someone he believed to be a sympathetic donor, one of the Project 2025 architects, Russell Vought, said that a goal of the next Trump administration would be to “get us off of multiculturalism” in America. Now Vought is running Donald Trump’s Office of Management and Budget, and the plan to end…

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The Sneaky Way Government Unions Rake in Taxpayer Money, and How Congress Can Fight It in Reconciliation

While public-sector unions file lawsuits to block President Donald Trump’s reforms to the bureaucracy, federal government workers are getting paid by the taxpayer for time they spend doing work for those very same unions. The little-known practice of “official time” allows bureaucrats to bill the taxpayer for hours they spend doing work for the union. Members of Congress have filed bills to ban the practice, but a budget expert suggests that taxing the practice instead might pose a smaller hurdle for getting it through Congress. While most bills face a…

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Trump and Republicans Are Eyeing Cuts to Medicaid: What its Is and How it Impacts Millions of Americans

Millions of Americans rely on Medicaid to live – and Trump, Musk, and Republicans in Congress want to cut it to fund tax cuts for billionaires. What is Medicaid? Medicaid is a state and federal program that funds health care for more than 70 million Americans. That’s 1 in 5 Americans. This includes disabled people, older adults, children living in poverty, and families caring for loved ones. Medicaid makes people healthier and saves lives. It is a lifeline for aging and disability care in homes and nursing facilities. It pays…

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DOGE shows the receipts to rebuff its Democratic opponents

The Department of Government Efficiency recently blew the whistle on the federal government’s plans to spend taxpayer dollars on male circumcisions in Mozambique, housing illegal immigrants in New York hotels, and grants to environmental activists promising “climate justice travels through a Free Palestine.” The Washington Times stories: White House

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A big to do list for Congress as it finishes the first month with a new administration

Congress has a lot to do as it finishes off its first month with a new administration. The branch itself has not impeded any of the White House’s agenda so far. It has its own policy initiatives to consider and there is the matter of funding for the government, which runs out in less than a month. Loren Duggan, deputy news director for Bloomberg Government, joined the Federal Drive with Tom Temin to break down what’s going on. Interview transcript: Eric White: So, yeah, let’s cover those nominations first. We…

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