Trump Appealing ‘License to Bully’ Pushback
- We’re watching for the administration to follow through on appealing a judge’s order to keep the head of an independent agency on the job even though President Donald Trump wants him out of there.
Over the weekend, US District Judge Amy Berman Jackson entered judgment in favor of Hampton Dellinger, who leads an agency that protects government whistleblowers. She issued a permanent injunction barring his dismissal or recognition of any attempted replacement.
Her written opinion said that giving a president the power to end that employment without cause would amount to “a constitutional license to bully officials in the executive branch into doing his will.”
The Justice Department already filed a notice of appeal. Dellinger’s targeting is part of a wider push to control watchdogs; Trump has also tried to fire inspectors general, members of the National Labor Relations Board, and the head of the
Merit Systems Protection Board. Read More
On Capitol Hill, today’s most significant activity will happen where we can’t watch. Both parties working on their next budget moves and trying to avoid a government shutdown.
In this morning’s Congress Tracker, Jonathan Tamari explains that speaker Mike Johnson is ready to dare Democrats to vote against a “clean” funding bill that doesn’t try to bake in the many program and department cuts ordered in the new administration’s first weeks.
Johnson (R-La.) told Fox News the goal is to keep the government running past the March 14 deadline and then for fiscal 2026, “it’s going to be a totally different ballgame.”
And pull up another chair in the Cabinet Room. Linda McMahon is on track to be confirmed to lead the Education Department by the end of the day.
He’s Surprised CFPB Staff Afraid to Work
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the National Treasury Employees Union are due in court today for a hearing over allegations the Trump administration improperly attempted to shut the agency down.
Evan Weinberger scooped that ahead of that court appearance, CFPB Chief Operating Officer Adam Martinez sent out a memo yesterday expressing surprise that mandatory duties now aren’t being performed. “Employees should be preforming work that is required by law and do not need to seek prior approval to do so,” he wrote.
That’s after the Trump administration ordered the agency’s Washington headquarters closed, canceled contracts, dismissed enforcement cases, and set up a tipline seeking evidence of CFPB staff responding to consumer complaints “in violation of Acting Director Russ Vought’s stand down order.”
The case is before Judge Amy Berman Jackson of the US District Court for the District of Columbia — the same judge who ruled that Trump improperly fired Hampton Dellinger — and there’s a CFPB case in another federal court, as well. Catch up on both cases:
- CFPB Wanted Employees to Work Despite Vought’s Order
- Judge Extends Order Barring Vought from Depleting CFPB Funds
Exclusive: Tracking the Trump 2.0 Litigation
Judges appointed by every president since Ronald Reagan are handling the tsunami of lawsuits challenging Trump’s early executive orders and actions. Our new tool tracks every case. Bookmark This
Court Scrutinizes DOGE
What’s Elon Musk doing and is it constitutional? The judge who asked a lot of questions about that said he was “highly suspicious” of the Trump administration’s incomplete explanation of the billionaire’s actual role.
Now we’re waiting for a ruling on a request to bar Musk and DOGE-affiliated employees from accessing records at the US Agency for International Development or making decisions about agency personnel or spending.
Read about that hearing, about how a lawsuit filed during the Biden administration actually was built to help his successor, and more administration-focused court action:
- Judge Calls DOJ Answers About Musk DOGE Role ‘Highly Suspicious’
- Suits Over Biden Rules Pave Way for Trump
- Federal Workers Score Early Wins to Counter Trump Mass Firings
- Trump’s ‘Illegal’ DEI Orders Hit Due Process Questions in Court
How Well Do You Know Washington?
This week’s question will help you get ready for the most theatrical night in Congress.
President Donald Trump outlined his priorities in his inauguration speech. So why is he addressing a joint session of Congress tomorrow night?
Scroll down to see the answer.
Look for Budget-Cutters to Target the Army
After Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth identified the military spending to be spared from anticipated spending cuts, BGOV contracting analyst Paul Murphy looked for clues about what might get dinged — and he found plenty.
The European and Central military commands didn’t get a Hegseth exclusion. That plus other data — including an undersecretary nominee who favors moving a lot more resources into the Indo-Pacific region — point to Army systems as potentially vulnerable.
Our team will be watching what happens with multibillion-dollar Army programs such as General Dynamics Corp. ‘s M-1 tank modernization, Boeing ‘s AH-64 Apache attack helicopter, and Bell Textron’s Future Long-Range Attack Aircraft.
Read More
Did You Ace the Quiz?
The answer to this week’s question has a few layers. You got it right if you said the Constitution is the reason for tomorrow’s event — an address to a joint session of Congress, not a State of the Union address since Trump 2.0 is so new.
Article II, Section 3, Clause 1 says the president “shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.”
Presidents have interpreted “from time to time” as annually. Doing it this time of year is a tradition, not a requirement. Delivering the speech in person also is a tradition, not a requirement. Thomas Jefferson and all of his 19th Century successors did their annual messages to Congress in writing. Of course that was back when ink on paper was mass communication.
The last time Trump was a freshly sworn-in president, in 2017, he framed his speech a special message on the economy, following the 1981 lead of Ronald Reagan and every new president after him.
Join the Conversation About the Future of AI
AI thought leaders in government affairs, law, tax, and accounting are convening in Washington to delve into the future legislative and regulatory landscape around generative AI.
Join Bloomberg Industry Group on Thursday, March 6 at Hotel Washington for breakfast and discussion with keynote speakers Reps. Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.) and Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), whose bipartisan task force released a key AI report last year.
Register here for the event and view the full agenda.
Before You Go
There’s a new justify-yourself email to federal workers, a familiar name is back as both protagonist and target, and consider how unusual it is to see senators retire in their 60s:
- New Musk-Inspired Email to Federal Workers Seeks Weekly Reports
- Cuomo Subpoenaed by US House Panel on New York Covid Response
- Cuomo Jolts New York’s Mayoral Race (NY Times)
- Senate Rewards Longevity, But Some Are Stepping Aside Anyway
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