@ForeignAffairs Finally, the Biden administration emphasized “predistribution”. In theory I support it too but need to recognize how little it has accomplished and not make a virtue of the failure to legislate any permanent changes to the social safety net--while unionization fell.

NIH cuts could affect hundreds of medical studies at the Mayo Clinic and University of Minnesota

The story of the penny shows how futile it is to rely on Congress for spending cuts. That leaves two terrible options: either the president disregards existing laws and the Constitution or gives up on cutting spending. Nixon’s admin proposed eliminating the penny in 1976. However, the Constitution is very clear: “The Congress shall have power ... to coin money [and] regulate the value thereof.” Congress has to act. Reagan, Bush and Obama all favored eliminating the penny to save money but waited on Congressional action that never came. Bills were introduced in '89, '01, '06, '11, and '13. They never got any momentum. A NYT story last year had a good account of the hurdles the effort has faced. The legislative branch is the most democratic of the 3. It is closest to the people. Members of Congress also represent subsets of the population. As such, any spending cut affects at least some members' districts while the benefits (lower govt debt) are more vague. Voters haven’t prioritized deficit reduction, so ignoring spending cuts— even on wasteful things like the penny—is the path of least resistance. And here we are: Wait for Congress, and nothing happens. Act unilaterally, and break the system of checks and balances. I do think we need to prioritize spending cuts. I do not think the President should ignore the Constitution or existing laws. Congress must do the work, though that's easier said than done.

Is Trump trying to Make America Vegan Again?? Arizonans aren’t doing “plant based eggs.” We need action now @POTUS

Cutting Medicaid to pay for extending tax cuts and lifting the SALT cap sounds like a humorously unpopular thing to do

Kevin Hassett, Trump's top economic adviser, has ludicrous ideas about economics. On CNBC, he claimed that increasing the labor supply while cutting spending would lower the inflation rate. And of course no one asked about tariffs/deportations, both of which will raise prices.

WHITE HOUSE ECONOMIC ADVISER HASSETT: TRUMP WANTS TO FIGHT INFLATION BY INCREASING LABOR SUPPLY AND LOWERING AGGREGATE DEMAND -CNBC INTERVIEW

Rampant drug use among elites is a real problem but no one wants to be the square who complains.

Obviously not dispositive, but in case you expected Dems to roundly refuse to "help" Trump.

Everybody’s interests count for something, but in a democracy elected officials need to make immigration policy choices that serve the interests of citizens. That doesn’t mean no immigration!