Commentary
I have often written about President Trump’s energy, seemingly boundless, as he deals with domestic and foreign issues 24/7 and still has time to work in a round of golf. And a day doesn’t pass that he doesn’t spend time answering questions by the media.
While reporting on his energy, the media usually focuses on his apparent need for few hours of sleep, fellow blogger, Francis Menton, led into a piece on the president’s first seven months with reference to Federalist Number 70 and Alexander Hamilton’s pitch for a strong unitary executive. Although Menton commented that this is often-cited, I had not read it before.
“Energy in the Executive is a leading character in the definition of good government. It is essential to the protection of the community against foreign attacks; it is not less essential to the steady administration of the laws; to the protection of property against those irregular and high-handed combinations which sometimes interrupt the ordinary course of justice; to the security of liberty against the enterprises and assaults of ambition, of faction and of anarchy.”
Menton chose to comment on his selection of the three “best” undertakings in Trump’s first seven months.
The three “best” actions were reversing the suppression of American energy production, closing the Southern border, and the defunding of the left.
“At the very top of my list is the remarkable total reversal of the Obama/Biden policies of suppression of energy production, referencing their “path of suicide in service to the insane climate cult.”
Citing Biden and HHS Secretary Mayorkas’ repeated claim that they were doing everything in their power to restrict illegal crossings, Menton said there were some 153,000 illegal crossings a month under Biden.
Lastly, Menton included Trump’s shutting down USAID and grants to various climate-related projects in the so-called Inflation Reduction Act, referencing a laundering scheme to use taxpayer funds and turning them over to a network of left-wing NGOs for political advocacy.
Draining the Swamp
Rasmussen Reports noted that two thirds of voters still favor Trump’s call to “drain the swamp.” Not to be confused with his concurrent effort to clean up the Nation’s Capital and to rid it of crime, it’s the infested bureaucracy, where those who oppose Trump’s policies block his efforts,
While 62 percent told Rasmussen “It’s time,” half of those “strongly agree.”
Trump’s energy has no doubt played a role in motivating those around him. While Attorney General Bondi and Defense Secretary Hegseth have relieved bad actors from the DOJ and DOD, two other cabinet members have gotten the message and responded with significant moves.
Intelligence
On Wednesday, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced plans to overhaul her office, cutting hundreds of staff and consolidating teams focused on countering malign influence and cyber threats.
Gabbard has already eliminated 500 staff and reduced the office’s size by 30 percent since she was sworn in to the role in February. The new plan would boost that number to over 40 percent and save more than $700 million annually.
She justified the changes as “the start of a new era” for the nation’s intelligence community, pushing to ultimately scale down personnel and costs across all 18 intelligence community agencies by $1.3 billion annually.
“Over the last 20 years, ODNI has become bloated and inefficient, and the intelligence community is rife with abuse of power, unauthorized leaks of classified intelligence, and politicized weaponization of intelligence,” Gabbard said,
Environmental Protection
Regular readers may recall my obsession over the power of unelected bureaucrats. Their actions in the EPA affect taxpayers more than those in most agencies.
In March, Administrator Zeldin announced “Today is the greatest day of deregulation our nation has seen. We are driving a dagger straight into the heart of the climate change religion to drive down cost of living for American families, unleash American energy, bring auto jobs back to the U.S. and more.
“We are living up to our promises to unleash American energy, lower costs for Americans, revitalize the American auto industry, and work hand-in-hand with our state partners to advance our shared mission.”
Taxpayers find it difficult to understand how cutting regulations and hidden taxes will help them, but it will be more affordable to purchase a car, heat homes, and operate a business. It will be more affordable to bring manufacturing into local communities while individuals widely benefit from the tangible economic impacts.
Deep State individuals, civil servants and appointees left over from previous administrations opposed to Trump and his policies, are closely observed, while several former key players in intelligence – Comey, McCabe, Brennan and Clapper are under investigation and have lost their security clearances. I expect the new investigation of John Bolton will result in the same.
Some call this retribution. I call it accountability.
May God continue to bless the United States of America.
