Tag: taxes

Report: Illegal Immigrants Collected $7 BILLION in Medicaid Payments

Washington is once again at a standstill, but this shutdown is not about budget math or routine partisan squabbles.

At its core, the fight centers on one question that should be obvious: Should Medicaid, a safety-net program designed for low-income Americans, be stretched to cover illegal immigrants? 

Democrats have answered yes, Republicans no—and the standoff has left taxpayers caught in the middle.

The fight began with the passage of the Big Beautiful Bill earlier this year. One of its most important provisions closed a Medicaid loophole that allowed states to pass the cost of illegal immigrant health care onto federal taxpayers. 

That reform required states to fund those services themselves instead of exporting the bill nationwide. 

Democrats are now demanding that this provision be undone, and their refusal to compromise has kept the shutdown going.

California illustrates how large the abuse has become. 

In 2023, the state set aside $3.9 billion in Medicaid funds for medical services for illegal immigrants. 

Because the federal government typically reimburses around 70% of Medicaid spending, taxpayers across the country ended up footing most of that bill. 

To squeeze even more money from Washington, California raised provider taxes on hospitals and nursing homes, then cycled the revenue back through inflated Medicaid payments. 

On paper, the state appeared to spend billions more. In reality, it was a budgetary trick designed to capture federal dollars and shift costs to the rest of the country.

New York followed the same playbook, allocating $2.4 billion in 2024 to extend full Medicaid benefits to illegal immigrants under 65. 

Illinois expanded coverage to noncitizens over 42. 

The strategy is consistent: inflate Medicaid spending, collect federal reimbursements, and redirect money to people who are not legally eligible. 

Keep reading

New Complaint Calls for Investigation Into Southern Poverty Law Center’s Tax Exempt Status

Calls to investigate the tax-exempt status of the far-left extremists at the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) are increasing with a new complaint filed with federal authorities. The complaint calls for a full review of the organization’s status as a “charitable” organization.  The charitable designation offers significant tax benefits to the organization.

The Federalist reports that the Center to Advance Security in America (CASA) submitted a complaint to Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Acting Commissioner Scott Bessent, requesting a full review in light of the SPLC’s “hyper-partisan political activity.”

CASA Director James Fitzpatrick told The Federalist, “American taxpayers should not be expected to subsidize an organization that engages in daily attacks on Republicans, compares those who hold mainstream conservative beliefs to the KKK, and who consistently labels conservatives as engaging in ‘hate’ without any reference to any other political parties or ideologies.”

“We believe the American people are entitled to a full investigation into this urgent matter.”

Per The Federalist:

Addressed to Treasury Secretary and Acting IRS Commissioner Scott Bessent, the legal complaint obtained by The Federalist requests that the federal agency launch an investigation into the SPLC over “several serious concerns about [its] compliance with federal law regarding tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) including but not limited to it no longer fulfilling a charitable purpose and its partisan political activity.”

As described by the nonprofit watchdog InfluenceWatch, the SPLC is a “controversial left-of-center advocacy group that claims to be a watchdog of extremist groups.” The organization “has been criticized for its financial practices and for characterizing non-violent conventional conservative organizations as equivalent to violent extremists.”

As further noted by Fitzpatrick in CASA’s complaint to the IRS, the SPLC “liken[s] normal, mainstream, conservative beliefs, to that of the KKK” and labels “political candidates and government officials, only Republicans, on their hate lists or hate watch articles.” The leftist group notably characterized Turning Point USA — the organization founded by the recently assassinated Charlie Kirk — as a “hard right” group that embraces “white nationalist” conspiracies.

****

Fitzpatrick went on to note that the SPLC’s status as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt “charitable” organization allows it to “raise money or financing while avoiding state and federal income taxes, unemployment taxes, and in some cases property or other state taxes.” This also means that donors’ financial contributions to the group can be tax deductible.

A few months before Charlie Kirk’s political assassination, SPLC’s “Year in Hate and Extremism” report, named Turning Point USA (TPUSA) a “hate group.”

Keep reading

LA to Vegas high speed train now predicted to cost $21 BILLION, as critics warn final sum will be far higher

The price tag for the much-anticipated high-speed train between Southern California and Las Vegas has soared to $21.5 billion with warnings the number could keep rising. 

The 218-mile railway will take passengers from Las Vegas to Southern California in just two hours, with a Metrolink connecting them to Los Angeles Union Station.

At speeds of up to 200 mph, Brightline West hopes that its project will promote a ‘car-free, care-free lifestyle’.

Earlier this year, Brightline West reported that the railway’s construction would cost $16 billion, double the initially projection. 

But rising costs due to labor shortages, material cost inflation, and competition from other infrastructure projects has driven the cost up even further, according to Desert Sun. 

To make up for the difference, the company has requested a $6 billion federal loan through the US Department of Transportation.

The company issued $2.5 billion in private activity bonds in February, which requires it to secure the necessary loan by November. 

But if they can’t secure it, they may end up paying even more and be forced to repay investors early. 

Initially, the railway was supposed to open in 2027, in time for the Summer Olympics in LA the following year, but the date has been pushed back to 2029. 

Brightline West ceremonially broke ground on the project in April 2024 and preliminary construction has begun. 

The all-electric trains will be built along the Interstate 15 median with new stations in Apple Valley and Hesperia.

The final stop in Rancho Cucamonga, California will connect passengers to LA on a pre-existing Metro line. 

Brightline West claims taking the high-speed rail will be two times faster than the driving time which can take up to five hours. 

They also boast that they will create more than 10,000 job during construction and 800 permanent operations and maintenance jobs.

It’s also environmentally friendly and is projected to save 325,000 metric tons of CO2 each year.

According to their website: ‘Brightline is the only private provider of modern, eco-friendly, intercity passenger rail service in America.’

Keep reading

Senate passes $925 billion NDAA bill for military, national security

The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026, a $925 billion bill setting funding levels for America’s national defense spending, passed in the Senate Thursday night and included more than a dozen amendment votes. 

The legislation authorizes roughly $879 billion for the Pentagon and about $35 billion for national security programs in the Department of Energy. It also sets aside nearly $11 billion for other defense activities.

“We’re ready to show on both sides of the aisle that the Senate can act in the interest of national security and get something done on a bipartisan basis,” Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., told lawmakers Thursday.

“We have a great product before us,” Wicker added. “It makes huge changes, significant changes, and we need to send the signal that we can do this, get it then coordinated with the House version, which has already been passed, and move it to the President of the United States for his early signature.”

Multiple new offices, groups, and positions within the DOD would be established under the bill, including those focused on cybersecurity; nuclear security, deterrence, and energy; and AI innovation and oversight.

Hundreds of billions of dollars for munitions stocking and defense infrastructure are included, as well as billions for American defense activities in the Indo-Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East.

The bill also includes significant accountability reforms to how the DOD contracts with third parties and how it fulfills statutory reporting requirements. Additionally, it requires the Pentagon, which has failed seven consecutive audits, to report on current audit progress as the 2028 statutory deadline approaches.

Military members would receive a 3.8% pay raise, and education services for their children would receive a $50 million boost.

Senators will begin voting on dozens of amendments to the 1,454-page bill Thursday evening. Given the current government shutdown, lawmakers may have to delay a vote on passage. Once the bill passes, the Senate must conference with the House to ensure the lower chamber’s version of the NDAA matches their own.

Keep reading

‘Trojan Horse For Partisan Media’: Seattle Mayoral Frontrunner Wants To Force Taxpayers To Subsidize Biased News Outlets

With left-leaning news outlets in serious decline thanks to a decade of TDS-fueled propaganda, Seattle Mayoral frontrunner Katie Wilson wants to use taxpayer money to fund vouchers that can be used for “local news outlets” of choice. 

The plan to pass out the $100 vouchers would be funded through “a small property tax levy, a capital gains tax, or a digital ad tax,” journalist Jason Rantz reports.

In a recent interview on the Mostly Economics podcast, Wilson framed her proposal as a response to what she calls the “crisis in the journalism industry.” She lamented that “we do not have a sustainable financial model for supporting local news outlets” and suggested that taxpayers pick up the tab through “a small property tax levy, a capital gains tax, or a digital ad tax.” On The Jason Rantz Show on Seattle Red 770 AM, she admitted that it’s not necessarily a fully developed plan and that it’s intended to help smaller media outlets, like websites, and possibly radio.

Keep reading

Bessent Taps New “CEO of IRS” Amid Rising Fears of Data-Surveillance State

The Treasury Department startled observers this week by creating a new executive position inside the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Frank Bisignano, the current Commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA), will now also serve as the IRS’s first Chief Executive Officer.

Treasury Secretary and Acting IRS Commissioner Scott Bessent announced the appointment Monday, describing Bisignano as “a businessman with an exceptional track record of driving growth and efficiency in the private and now public sector.” Bessent added that at the SSA, Bisignano “has already made important and substantial progress.” His expertise, Bessent said, would help sharpen the IRS’s “focus on collections, privacy, and customer service.”

The announcement also sought to justify the unusual dual appointment, claiming,

The IRS and SSA — two of the most public-facing and broadly impactful federal agencies — also share many of the same technological and customer service goals. This makes Mr. Bisignano a natural choice for this role.

Bisignano’s résumé is extensive. As chairman and CEO of Fiserv and First Data, he oversaw massive financial networks handling trillions in daily transactions and led one of the largest technology mergers in corporate history. Earlier, he held top executive roles at J.P. Morgan Chase and Citigroup, where he managed global transaction systems and large-scale digital integrations. The official record portrays a career defined by efficiency and digital optimization — principles now being imported into government.

But the consolidation of authority across Treasury, the IRS, and the SSA signals more than a bureaucratic reshuffle. It represents a structural shift that quietly places vast amounts of taxpayerdata under a single executive hierarchy. In the name of efficiency, the administration has effectively merged two of the nation’s most data-heavy agencies — one inside Treasury (IRS) and one historically independent (SSA) — under Treasury’s command, giving one unelected appointee extraordinary reach over both.

Keep reading

Furry fury at government wasting $250,000 on creepy mascots… as families face bankruptcy amid brutal shutdown

Costumed government mascots that have cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars would be sent packing under one GOP senator’s plan to slash spending amid the government shutdown.

Iowa Senator Joni Ernst is taking aim at characters including Franklin the Fair Market Fox, from the Department of Housing, and Puddles the Blue Goose, from the Fish and Wildlife Service, as she appeals to Trump’s budget chief to cut costs.

Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, said in a memo issued before the shutdown that ‘Reduction in Force (RIF) notices for all employees’ working in programs that are ‘not consistent with the President’s priorities’ should be sent by individual agencies.

Ernst, who chairman of the Senate DOGE caucus, plans to ask during a floor speech on Friday that riff-raff like government mascots and other ‘do-nothing bureaucrats’ be fired immediately.

A single outfit for a mascot at the US Embassy in Singapore cost taxpayers a whopping $22,000 in February, and the government spent a jaw-dropping $250,000 at a costume company in Ohio in 2019, according to Ernst’s office.

Ernst told the Daily Mail last week that keeping 750,00 non-essential workers on the government payroll costs $400 million every working day. 

The total cost of keeping these workers has crossed $2.8 billion since the government shutdown began, she said.

Ernst’s other potential cost-cutting measures include eliminating the positions of federal employees and contractors who were not even working before the shutdown, and others who have said that they get paid to take naps and watch Netflix.

Keep reading

How Much U.S. Has Given Israel and How Much U.S. Military Has Spent to Protect It, Since the Gaza War Began

Since the Gaza war began on October 7, 2023, the United States has poured massive financial and military support into Israel, marking one of the largest aid efforts in modern U.S. history. According to recent studies, Washington has provided an estimated $21.7 billion in military assistance to Israel over the past two years — about $17.9 billion during the first year of fighting and roughly $3.8 billion in the following months. These figures represent a combination of direct arms transfers, financial aid, and replenishment of Israel’s missile defense systems such as Iron Dome and David’s Sling.

Much of this funding came from emergency appropriations and presidential drawdowns, which allowed the U.S. to deliver weapons and ammunition directly from its own stockpiles without waiting for new contracts to be approved. Within weeks of the October 2023 attacks, U.S. aircraft were flying shipments of artillery shells, precision-guided bombs, and interceptors to Israeli bases. Congress later formalized these actions through a $14.1 billion supplemental package in early 2024 that reimbursed the Pentagon and expanded Israel’s access to advanced defense systems. In early 2025, the U.S. approved another $8 billion in arms sales, ensuring a steady flow of weaponry in the years ahead.

But beyond financial aid, the U.S. has spent billions more on its own military operations in the Middle East to shield Israel from regional threats. Analysts at Brown University’s Costs of War project estimate that between October 2023 and September 2025, American military operations related to the Gaza war cost between $9.6 and $12 billion. These expenses cover the deployment of aircraft carriers, fighter jets, missile-defense batteries, and surveillance assets in the eastern Mediterranean and Red Sea. The U.S. Navy maintained carrier strike groups, such as the USS Gerald R. Ford and USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, near Israel’s coast for months, acting as a visible deterrent to Iran-backed militias and providing rapid-response capabilities if the conflict spread.

American forces also launched limited air and missile strikes on groups like the Houthis in Yemen, who had been targeting Red Sea shipping routes in protest of the Gaza war. These actions, while not directly part of Israel’s operations, were considered essential to protect Israel and maintain regional stability, according to U.S. defense officials. Together with increased patrols, intelligence flights, and logistics costs, they formed a significant share of Washington’s wartime spending.

The overall U.S. investment — both in aid to Israel and in its own regional missions — now totals between $30 billion and $35 billion since the start of the conflict. This figure represents not only direct support for Israel’s military campaign but also the cost of sustaining America’s wider strategic presence in the Middle East. Officials argue that such support is necessary to deter Iran and maintain the balance of power, while critics point out that it deepens U.S. involvement in a war that has caused widespread civilian suffering in Gaza and strained Washington’s global image.

Even as the fighting enters its third year, shipments of U.S. arms and funds continue, and naval assets remain stationed near the conflict zone. The financial and operational commitment underscores the depth of Washington’s alliance with Israel — one that now extends far beyond arms sales, involving continuous military engagement, strategic cover, and billions in taxpayer dollars to sustain a war that shows few signs of ending soon.

Keep reading

Bombshell: Antifa Is Funded by Taxpayers Through Nonprofits

Jonathan Choe, an investigative reporter for TPUSA and a senior journalist fellow for Discovery Institute, explained to President Trump today during a roundtable on Antifa that Antifa is heavily embedded in the homeless and housing nonprofit sector.

“Hot off the presses,” Choe began, “what I wanted to bring to your attention today is a report from a Capital Research Center here in DC, in conjunction with Discovery Institute. They just put out this study right now. And what it shows is that Antifa is heavily embedded in the homeless and housing nonprofit sector. In many cases, the homeless industrial complex is running cover for Antifa.

“Antifa is benefiting from American tax dollars, and they’re essentially being used as the muscle. Let me give you an example. There’s a group called Stop the Sweeps in many US cities right now. They get in front of encampment sweeps. What they’re doing, quietly is they’re bringing in Antifa militants to manufacture a crisis, to make the police look bad.

“Another group right now that is behind Antifa and working with Antifa very closely, based on the research that we have right now that we’re going to give to you and your team, are the democratic socialists of America, also known as DSA. Again, these far left progressive groups tend to be aligning themselves with Antifa.

“So finally, in closing… is that a few months ago, earlier this year, you put out an executive order on homelessness and the drug addiction crisis in America, and that’s sent the entire homeless industrial complex on the run. You have absolutely moved the needle and changed the game. But what’s also come out again is that there is a connection, a deeply embedded connection, with the homeless housing nonprofit game in America, connected to Antifa and the far left activists.

Keep reading

The Sun Is Setting on Solar Scamming As A Real End to 47 Years of Taxpayer Subsidies Is Finally on the Horizon

“Solar construction firm Blue Ridge Power issues mass worker layoff in North Carolina,” read the article in pv magazine. “The utility-scale solar engineering, procurement and construction firm filed a WARN act with the state, cutting over 500 jobs.”

Much of the rooftop solar industry is in liquidation mode, and now the central station “utility scale” solar industry is in trouble. Expect more of the same in the next months as solar subsidies and local opposition (the environmental grassroots) grows. The delayed end of the Investment Tax Credit (30 percent credit) and the Production Tax Credit (2.8 cents/kWh) will cause a rush to the exits before the credits expire at the end of 2027 (with credits at risk for projects not started by July 4, 2026).

Blue Ridge is a primary industrial solar installer in South and North Carolina, with 8,000 MW installed and 1,200 MW under construction in 14 states. Some quotations from Ryan Kennedy‘s September 23, 2025, recap:

“Blue Ridge Power has experienced market headwinds similar to those impacting the entire renewable energy industry, requiring Pine Gate Renewables to dedicate significant resources to support the organization. After reviewing numerous options to find a path forward, Pine Gate made the difficult decision to conduct an orderly wind-down of Blue Ridge Power,” said Pine Gate Renewables in a statement.

And on the macro situation:

E2 research shows that since January 2025, businesses cancelled more than $22 billion of planned clean energy factories and projects that were expected to create 16,500 jobs. Analysis by Energy Innovation suggests that more than 830,000 jobs could be lost due to policy rollbacks created by the Trump Administration’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

The U.S. clean energy workforce now stands at 3.56 million. In 2024, 7% of all new jobs in the United States were in clean energy, and clean energy represented 82% of all new energy sector jobs. However, approximately 50,000 fewer jobs were created in 2024 as compared to 2023.

“What these numbers show is that this was one of the hottest and most promising job sectors in the country at the end of 2024,” said Bob Keefe, E2’s executive director. “Now, clean energy job growth is at serious risk – and with it, our overall economy.”

Keep reading