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lisad.bsky.social
Correspondent for PBS NewsHour. Lover of Chester Arthur. Lucky mom, sister, wife and former SC state fair baking contest first place winner.
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NEW: Trump says that EPA Secretary Lee Zeldin plans to cut 65% of the workforce there. The EPA has roughly 16,000 employeees. Cutting 65% would be more than 10,000 positions.

submitted 1 day ago • 18 comments

BREAKING: House passes budget bill outlining $4.5 Trillion in tax cuts, $2 trillion in spending cuts and a two year lift of the debt ceiling. Final vote: 217-215. Republicans could not afford to lose a single other vote.

submitted 2 days ago • 22 comments

House Republicans have the votes to pass their budget bill, with 217 yesses. One Republican, Thomas Massie, voted no. We are waiting for the vote to close with two Democrats still to vote.

submitted 2 days ago • 2 comments

BREAKING: Burchett votes yes. This House budget plan is poised to pass.

submitted 2 days ago • 8 comments

NEW: Spartz has flipped to yes. Now it's up to Burchett. If he votes no, the bill is sunk. He can vote present or yes and it passes.

submitted 2 days ago • 6 comments

Massie is a No. For this bill to survive, Burchett and Spartz must both vote yes. (Unless GOP tries to gave out before Dems all can get in their votes.)

submitted 2 days ago • 0 comments

Burchett, Massie and Spartz have not voted yet. Johnson needs two of the three to be yes for this to pass.

submitted 2 days ago • 0 comments

With Davidson as a yes. And Massie seeming a no. This is up to Rep. Victoria Spartz and Rep. Tim Burchett. Both must be yes for this to pass. Neither has voted yet.

submitted 2 days ago • 3 comments

NEW MATH on this budget bill: Total voting: 432 Majority: 217 Rs can lose just one. (Massie.) Vote happening now

submitted 2 days ago • 2 comments

BREAKING: House is voting now on the budget bill after all. Rep. Davidson, one of the R holdouts is a yes. And Dem Rep. Mullin just walked in! On a walker.

submitted 2 days ago • 2 comments

NEWS: Republicans are leaving the chamber en masse, assuming the budget bill is being pulled. Clearly the wider Trump agenda push is far from over, but this is a big stumble before leaving the gate. (It is a narrow gate, but still.)

submitted 2 days ago • 3 comments

House Rs are at least delaying the critical vote on their budget resolution - making it clear it does not have the support to pass right now. They are skipping ahead to another bill - as they scramble to flip a no vote. The question: We will see if they pull the bill or not.

submitted 2 days ago • 1 comment

House has closed that vote. We will see what happens next.

submitted 2 days ago • 0 comments

Dramatic update! Rep. Brittany Pettersen, D-CO, is on the House floor, returning for this vote from maternity leave. As a friend wrote, #momscandoanything (Not commenting on the politics, just the showing-upness.)

submitted 2 days ago • 1 comment

House update: someone turned on the AC. But that is the only action in past ten minutes or so. This moment is not what a speaker wants this moment to look like. (If they have the votes, you would think they would move to the vote. But we will see.)

submitted 2 days ago • 2 comments

Dems now shouting for Republicans to close this vote. But not happening yet.

submitted 2 days ago • 0 comments

Mills has now voted. Unclear what we are waiting for and if this goes much longer it will feel like there is a real problem here. (For the next and key vote.)

submitted 2 days ago • 0 comments

IF all Rs are present and 3 Dems absent: Total Members present = 430 Majority = 216 Rs can spare two no votes. Massie plus one. (Assuming Jeffries was right and all Dems are no.)

submitted 2 days ago • 3 comments

The math here. Looks like 3 Dems are absent: Grijalva, Peterson, Mullin. Frederica Wilson is here.

submitted 2 days ago • 4 comments

Can confirm a few things about this House vote: - This feels very close - The vote is set to happen in next few minutes - It is hotter in here than any vote I've experienced. Hotter than most state of union nights (when the place is brimming). Do I know why? I do not.

submitted 2 days ago • 3 comments

Greetings from the House chamber where we await this critical test for @SpeakerJohnson and the Trump agenda. Rs need a majority to pass their budget framework and unlock reconciliation - the means to pass the Trump agenda w/ 50 (not 60) Senate votes.

submitted 2 days ago • 0 comments

WATCH NOW. Woman to GOP Rep. Alford, "You cannot cut my job without hearing from me!!" Another, "I made $30,000 (hard to hear) last year!!" Another spoke passionately about how hard she works to care for veterans. This is worth watching folks. See link. www.facebook.com/watch/live/?...

submitted 3 days ago • 3 comments

Here is a stream - I am not sure whose FB page this is, disclosure. www.facebook.com/watch/live/?...

submitted 3 days ago • 0 comments

NOW: Rep. Mark Alford, R-Mo. is dealing with a HOT town hall. On firings, on immigration. He just asked "do you know who Stephen Miller is?" Crowd "yes, boooo" Alford just now said he has a problem with the idea that people should rat out their neighbors.

submitted 3 days ago • 1 comment

USAID more. It could be that ppl with badges can still get in - not clear yet.

submitted 24 days ago • 3 comments

USAID HQ CLOSED TO WORKERS. Overnight, USAID employees were sent an email that the USAID headquarters in Washington will be closed "to personnel" today and those working there should work remotely today.

submitted 24 days ago • 1 comment

At the exact moment Musk is saying that more transparency is needed, he has moved to shut down an independent government agency with no transparency until now. He has not disclosed the plans or actions to the public or to the agency. But instead mentioned it now on X.

submitted 25 days ago • 5 comments

Musk on USAID, said he spoke with @POTUS. "I went over it with him in detail and he agreed we should shut it down."

submitted 25 days ago • 3 comments

Musk: We're in the process of shutting down USAID.

submitted 25 days ago • 5 comments

US AID has been an independent agency. That may have just changed. On the web it has now been moved into the State Department. This is w/out notice from the Trump administration as to how it is operating the agency, nor its legal ability to do this. www.state.gov/policy-issue...

submitted 26 days ago • 4 comments

NEW: The USAID.gov website is down. Not returning as a valid website.

submitted 26 days ago • 15 comments

Anyone with thoughts or information about USAID or other federal workforce issues at the moment, please reach out on LinkedIn. Thank you!

submitted 26 days ago • 1 comment

I am tracking a good deal of efforts happening behind the scenes, on Signal, etc. This is one example that I have vetted. usaidstopwork.com This is not a Trump administration false site but one by people attempting to get hands around *what* is happening.

submitted 26 days ago • 1 comment

Instead, I am focusing on this b/c a major policy decision - potentially shutting off a massive lever of US influence and human aid in the world - is happening without notice or discussion. I'll keep on this.

submitted 26 days ago • 5 comments

There is a real policy debate to be had over the size of government and role of foreign aid, of course. And some sources within USAID have in the past told me - yes, it is an agency in need of reform. That is not the issue or what I am reporting on here.

submitted 26 days ago • 0 comments

There is expectation for far more layoffs at USAID. One CEO of a contracting company in the space said he expects layoffs to jump to as much 3000 ultimately. www.devex.com/news/exclusi...

submitted 26 days ago • 5 comments

"USAID" signs have been taken down at agency HQ. Those in and who follow the agency closely believe - rumors widely circulating - the agency may be folded into the State Department. There are understandable fears that the aim here is to shutter USAID entirely.

submitted 26 days ago • 3 comments

Per sources experiencing this, hundreds of contractors have been laid off this past week. Estimates range from 700 to 1000. So far. We do not know b/c there has been no public notice. This has been done quickly and in the dark. This is unprecedented, I am told.

submitted 26 days ago • 4 comments

Good morning all. I've been spending days reporting on what is happening within the federal workforce, and will spend the weekend on it. There is a lot to say. But I want to start with a few posts about USAID.

submitted 26 days ago • 4 comments

Trump on the debt ceiling - bookmark this one: "all I want to see is no default ... I just want to see an extension."

submitted 51 days ago • 4 comments

J6 Pardons: Trump was asked if he is considering pardoning J6 defendants who committed violent acts and says "we are looking at it", "we are looking at the whole thing".

submitted 51 days ago • 7 comments

Trump: We are going to change the name of the "Gulf of Mexico" to the "Gulf of America"

submitted 51 days ago • 11 comments

Johnson says "no one is coming in with the intention of cutting" Medicare or Social Security but "we have to look at all spending". Said Trump has made it clear those programs must be preserved.

submitted 51 days ago • 2 comments

Now - @SpeakerJohnson on the debt ceiling: the intention is to handle it in the reconciliation process. (Meaning it could be negotiated by only Republicans.) He repeated they will have white-board sessions with members to try to figure it out.

submitted 51 days ago • 1 comment