United Districts of America (UDA)
There Are No States
Update: Other fluff in the Federal budget: https://thefederalist.com/2025/01/30/the-dirty-dozen-here-are-wasteful-federal-grants-youre-paying-for/
The Federal Government is supposed to be limited to the Enumerated Powers in Article 1, Section 8 of the US Constitution (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enumerated_powers_(United_States)). Yet over the decades the Federal Government has crept out of its Constitutional cage by bribing states with money and by doing so, expanding government power at all levels. Freedom and prosperity erode. The States slowly rescind power to the Federal government and become administrative districts.
Some Presidents have tried to push back on the growth but Congress pushed back and created the Impoundment Control Act of 1974 (https://www.gao.gov/products/095406). Presidents for decades have accepted the restraint until now. President Trump is pushing back as the Federal debt is now at 36 trillion dollars. His actions may result in a Supreme Court case declaring the Impoundment Act unconstitutional.
Oh, with Trump’s actions, all hell broke loose (https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/01/28/dc/trump-administration-memo-announces-abrupt-freeze-on-broad-swath-of-federal-payments/)! You could hear all kids start to cry as Daddy is home and is not happy! The full order is at https://icma.org/documents/m-25-13-temporary-pause-review-agency-financial-assistance-programs In addition, some clarifications have been made (https://thenationaldesk.com/news/politics/white-house-clarifies-scope-of-trumps-federal-aid-pause-excludes-key-social-programs-office-of-management-and-budget?sfmc_id=12189869&utm_guid=e5f75658dfe13750d7f79dce29500f4e12059b2715c916cc541457ae859a5ba0).
Usually, I would have to cite US Senator Rand Paul’s Festivus Report (https://www.paul.senate.gov/wastereport/) to expose just how bad Federal spending is. But this time, I merely read an email from Nebraska’s local progressive OpenSky Institute (https://www.openskypolicy.org/opensky-policy-institute-statement-on-january-28-2025-executive-order/) and cite below. Notice, these should not be funded at the Federal level.
“On Monday night, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order directing the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to pause all federal grant programs by the end of business Tuesday. Yesterday morning, many of our nonprofit partners were unable to access funding portals used to draw down previously granted federal funds. We were also informed of widespread outages in Medicaid programs in Nebraska and across the country.
“The OMB has directed more than 2,600 programs to submit additional information to ensure alignment to a loosely-defined set of criteria that reflect administration priorities, causing widespread confusion and chaos. These programs range from housing for homeless veterans to school meal programs to grants for precision agriculture investments, to name a few. Subsequent attempts by OMB to provide clarity only added more confusion. A federal judge has now granted a temporary injunction halting the program on the basis of constitutional concerns about executive power to intervene in funds already appropriated by Congress.
“There is still a lot we don’t know about next steps and the implications of this order and others that may be forthcoming. What we do know is this: Nebraska’s budget is dependent on federal funding. We receive 34% of our total revenue from the federal government, and in light of our current $432 million budget shortfall, the Legislature will need to maximize federal funds to meet their obligation to pass a balanced budget. We cannot afford uncertainty as legislators construct the budget, and we cannot afford to absorb significant cuts or the elimination of programs that offer a lifeline to Nebraskans and sustain our state. Just a few examples:
Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which offers health care coverage to children whose families don’t qualify for Medicaid, but cannot afford private health insurance. This program received $97 million in federal funding last year.
Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), a utility assistance program that ensures Nebraskans don’t go without heat in the cold winter months or air conditioning in the record-breaking heat of recent summers. This program received $36 million in federal funding last year.
Surface Transportation Block Grants used to cover maintenance of interstate highways, bridges and dams, as well as infrastructure related to pedestrian safety. These programs reflect the high need for Nebraska’s roadways to remain safe for interstate transportation of goods and services needed across the country, and received $107 million in federal funds last year.
Foster Care programs that receive federal funding, ensuring children in the foster care system have access to supportive families and the services they need to thrive. These programs received about $26 million in federal funding last year.
“We stand shoulder to shoulder with Nebraska’s non-profit community to provide analysis and support to our neighbors and communities. We will keep bringing you important, accurate and timely information as it becomes available.”
They were screaming and yelling and carrying on--and they're still fussing, even though it was clearly explained that this particular executive order DID NOT APPLY to MEDICAID or these other programs.