Seth McLaughlin
Articles by Seth McLaughlin
Speaker Johnson says tax cuts will be offset with spending cuts
House Speaker Mike Johnson said Sunday that Republicans will find spending cuts to offset President Trump's push for tax cuts, which a nonpartisan budget analysis estimates will cost at least $5 trillion over 10 years. Published February 9, 2025
Democrats take to the streets in fight to derail Musk’s DOGE revolution
Democrats, who voters relegated to the sidelines for at least the next two years, are scrambling to slow down the Elon Musk freight train that is crashing through Washington bureaucracy and exposing its wild spending. Published February 6, 2025
Trump administration axes $8 million in Politico subscriptions paid by taxpayers
The White House said Wednesday it was canceling Politico subscriptions that the U.S. Agency for International Development had purchased with millions of taxpayer dollars. Published February 5, 2025
Sen. Joni Ernst applauds Secretary of State Rubio’s push to overhaul USAID and review its spending
Sen. Joni Ernst is looking to keep the focus on the lack of transparency and accountability at the U.S. Agency for International Development, following up on the Trump administration's crackdown on the agency's operations. Published February 5, 2025
Wes Moore tells Marylanders to brace for budget tightening, higher taxes on wealthy
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said Wednesday in his third State of the State address that the "easy decisions are done" in confronting the state's budget woes and "confusion and chaos" of the Trump administration. Published February 5, 2025
Elon Musk calls for ‘wholesale removal’ of federal regulations
Elon Musk wants to nuke federal regulations now and ask questions later. Published February 4, 2025
Peter Navarro: ‘Drug cartels are rapidly expanding in Canada’
Peter Navarro, a senior trade aide to President Trump, on Tuesday said the rise of drug cartels in Canada played into the administration's threat to slap tariffs on America's neighbor to the north. Published February 4, 2025
USAID’s humanitarian aid, programs invite onslaught of scrutiny and overtures to action under Trump
President Trump has turned his attention to the "radical lunatics" at the U.S. Agency for International Development in his pursuit of wasteful federal spending. Published February 3, 2025
Democrats dismiss Musk-led push to shut down USAID as ‘plainly illegal’
Democrats lawmakers threw cold water Monday on Elon Musk's push to get President Trump to shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development. Published February 3, 2025
Secretary of State Marco Rubio takes the role of acting director of USAID
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday he is serving as acting director of the U.S. Agency for International Development, taking the lead at the foreign aid agency a day after President Trump criticized the leaders there as "radical lunatics." Published February 3, 2025
Elon Musk: Trump ‘agreed’ to shutter USAID
Elon Musk has set his sights on shutting down the U.S. Agency for International Development and said President Trump is fully on board with the move. Published February 3, 2025
Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem downplays prospect of indefinite detentions at Guantanamo
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Sunday that President Trump does not plan to hold illegal immigrants indefinitely at the U.S. military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Published February 2, 2025
‘Old way of doing business is over’: Lindsey Graham backs Trump’s tariffs
Sen. Lindsey Graham said President Trump's imposition of tariffs against the nation's biggest trading partners "is designed to get these countries to change their behavior." Published February 2, 2025
Lindsey Graham: U.S. must support Israel if it strikes Iran’s nuclear program
Sen. Lindsey Graham said Sunday the United States must support Israel if it decides to strike Iran's nuclear program. Published February 2, 2025
‘We are back on mission’: Transportation chief vows to hire ‘best and brightest’ after plane crash
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Sunday that his agency had lost its way under former President Joseph R. Biden and now is "back on mission." Published February 2, 2025
Trump tariffs spark retaliation from Canada, Mexico and China
President Trump's tariffs are meeting stiff retaliation from the nation's two largest trading partners, which are imposing tariffs on U.S. goods in a trade war that threatens to raise prices on all sides. Published February 2, 2025
DOGE navigates choppy waters from the start
The Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency is dealing with some growing pains. Published January 31, 2025
Democrats look to turn the page with DNC chair vote
Ken Martin worked the hallways Thursday at the Democratic National Committee's winter meeting at National Harbor just outside Washington, delivering his closing message to party insiders who will elect the next party chairman. Published January 30, 2025
Underdog O’Malley says he is in it to win ahead of DNC chair vote
Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley is shooting down the idea that he could throw his support behind one of his rivals in the race to become Democratic National Committee chair, saying he sees a viable path to victory in the eight-person race. Published January 29, 2025
Sen. Warren offers Musk $2 trillion savings blueprint for DOGE
Sen. Elizabeth Warren sent Elon Musk a liberal wish list of possible spending cuts and tax increases on the wealthy, which she says would let the Department of Government Efficiency identify trillions of dollars in taxpayer savings over the next decade. Published January 28, 2025
