An art deco design with the word "The Coup" in the middle.

March 3rd – this is still a coup

Trump Celebrates After Killing Anti-Money-Laundering Law

Donald Trump is excited about one of the Treasury Department’s most sinister moves yet.
By Hafiz Rashid for The New Republic, 3-3-2025

Interesting choice of name that’s hard not to read as a play on New Venture Fund, a major center-left nonprofit that (among other things) fiscally sponsors a whole lot of reproductive rights and justice organizations

[image or embed]

— Garnet Henderson (@garnethenderson.com) March 3, 2025 at 6:11 PM

The mass firing of federal tech workers at 18F is one of DOGE's most extreme political acts yet

The federal digital services team 18F had a diverse workforce and openly inclusive policies. That’s why DOGE killed it.
By Brian Merchant for Blood in the Machine, 3-3-2025

SCOOP: Now that Linda McMahon is confirmed/sworn in as secretary, Trump will be imminently issuing an executive order eliminating the Department of Education. I’ve obtained a draft of an email that McMahon will be sending to staff re: the EO and the department’s “final mission”. Here is a portion:

[image or embed]

— Marisa Kabas (@marisakabas.bsky.social) March 3, 2025 at 6:04 PM

Elon Musk’s $1 Spending Limit Is Paralyzing Federal Agencies

The DOGE-mandated credit card freeze is delaying shipments of critical supplies, stalling travel, and stopping employees from doing their jobs.
By Emily Mullin and Zoe Schiffer for Wired, 3-3-2025

We'll say it again because certain people need to hear it: pay for federal workers accounts for just 4.3% of the budget. If the federal government were to fire every single worker, it would only reduce government spending by less than 5%. What DOGE is doing is just cruelty.

[image or embed]

— Federal Workers United (@fedworkersunited.bsky.social) March 3, 2025 at 4:53 PM

DOGE wants to charge one federal agency millions of dollars for its work to make government more efficient

The Office of Personnel Management was asked to pay for 20 full-time positions in Musk’s department for work between January 20 and July 4, 2026, according to the draft agreement obtained by CNN sent from the executive office of the president to OPM leadership for review. The total bill could end up topping $4 million.
By Rene Marsh and Eric Bradner for CNN, 3-3-2025