Tag: taxes

Catholics fight government surveillance in confession after wins against abortion mandate, tax

Catholic physicians and social service workers won over the Trump administration and Supreme Court, respectively, last week against their compelled participation in emergency room abortions and a state unemployment compensation program that costs more than their own church’s.

Bishops hope to make it a trifecta against a Washington state law that violates the seal of confession, threatening priests with imprisonment and fines if they don’t report suspected child abuse or neglect when “penitents” confess, but not lawyers who learn the same from clients.

Diocesan leaders filed a motion for preliminary injunction Thursday against Democratic Gov. Bob Ferguson, Attorney General Nicholas Brown and county prosecutors in federal court in Tacoma to block SB 5375 at least 10 days before it takes effect July 27.

The Justice Department also quickly opened a civil rights investigation into the law as a prima facie First Amendment violation after Ferguson signed it, expanding the category of mandatory reporter to “member of the clergy,” defined as any regularly licensed, accredited or ordained minister, priest, rabbi, imam, elder, or similarly positioned religious or spiritual leader.

Denial of an injunction would likely fast-track the case to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and, if also rejected by the historically most liberal appeals court, to SCOTUS, which has rarely struggled to reach lopsided rulings upholding religious liberty.

The high court Thursday unanimously overturned the Wisconsin Supreme Court‘s ruling that found that a local Catholic Charities bureau’s work is primarily secular and hence it can’t get a religious exemption from paying into the state unemployment compensation system.

Justices unanimously ruled for Gerald Groff two years ago after the U.S. Postal Service threatened to fire the evangelical Christian for refusing to work Sundays under an Amazon delivery agreement, junking the “de minimis cost” standard that let employers easily deny religious exemptions but only appeared in a footnote in a 1977 ruling.

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Top U.S. General in Africa Paints Grim Picture of U.S. Military Failures in Africa

President George W. Bush created a new command to oversee all military operations in Africa 18 years ago. U.S. Africa Command was meant to help “bring peace and security to the people of Africa.”

The Trump administration now has AFRICOM on the chopping block as part of its sweeping reorganization of the military. According to the general leading the command, its mission is far from accomplished.

Gen. Michael Langley, the head of AFRICOM, offered a grim assessment of security on the African continent during a recent press conference. The West African Sahel, he said last Friday, was now the “epicenter of terrorism” and the gravest terrorist threats to the U.S. homeland were “unfortunately right here on the African continent.”

The embattled four-star general — who noted his days were numbered as AFRICOM’s chief — was speaking from a conference of African defense chiefs in Kenya, where he had been imploring ministers and heads of state to help save his faltering command. “I said: ‘OK, if we’re that important to [you], you need to communicate that,’” he explained, asking them to have their U.S. ambassadors make entreaties on behalf of AFRICOM.

Current and former defense officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide candid assessments, were divided on whether Langley deserves a measure of blame for the dire straits the command finds itself in.

One former defense official spoke highly of Langley, calling him “an effective and transformational leader” who “rapidly grew into the job and developed strong, fruitful relationships with members of Congress.”

A current official, however, said almost the opposite, calling the four-star general a “marble mouth” who did a poor job of making a case for his command, “fumbled” relations with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and diminished AFRICOM’s standing with legislators. Asked by messaging app if the latter assessment was accurate, a former Africa Command official sent a laughing emoji and replied “no comment” followed by “but yes.” (The official said he could be quoted as such.)

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The 5 Worst Green Energy Projects Funded by Biden

Despite the Department of Government Efficiency’s failures to cut spending and the president’s support for a bill that will add $2.4 trillion to the federal deficit over the next 10 years, some wasteful government projects have been cut under the Trump administration. 

Energy Secretary Chris Wright recently canceled 24 grants approved by the Energy Department under former President Joe Biden. The action netted over $3 billion in savings. Earlier in May, Wright axed an additional $7 billion of green energy loans approved by Biden. 

Unfortunately for taxpayers, the savings that Wright has identified are only a drop in the bucket of the wasteful spending that the Biden Energy Department approved. Here are five of the most egregious examples:

1. $10 Billion for Ford’s Electric Vehicle Push and Eminent Domain Abuses 

In December 2024, the Energy Department’s Loan Programs Office (LPO) closed a $9.63 billion direct loan to BlueOval SK LLC, a joint venture between Ford and South Korean conglomerate SK On. The loan was approved to fund “the construction of three manufacturing plants, to produce batteries for Ford Motor Company’s future Ford and Lincoln electric vehicles [E.V.s],” according to the award announcement. 

BlueOval has begun or completed construction for these facilities—one in western Tennessee called BlueOval City—and two in Hardin County, Kentucky, known as Kentucky 1 and 2. 

In addition to allocating millions of dollars in tax credits for the rights to house BlueOval City, the Tennessee Legislature also created the Megasite Authority of West Tennessee, reports Reason‘s Joe Lancaster. The board was granted the authority to execute contracts on behalf of development, which includes the power to seize private property through eminent domain. In most cases, the board lowballed local property owners, including Ray Jones, who was offered “a measly $8,165” for his acre of land, even though the going rate was $200,000 per acre. There is no set date for when the plant will open. 

Kentucky 1 has faced numerous occupational safety and health complaints from its workers. A review from The Courier-Journal found “dozens of workplace injuries; hospitalizations related to respiratory issues; unshakeable mold contamination; a bat-infested training facility; blocked emergency exit doors; and chemical exposure risks.” The state has opened investigations into the plant, which is scheduled to begin production later this year. Kentucky 2’s opening has been indefinitely delayed. Michael Adams, CEO of BlueOval SK, recently told WDRB, that the plant’s opening date will be a market decision, but “the market is telling us that Kentucky 2 is not ready.”

2. Facility Upgrades for ExxonMobil

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed in 2021 created a new office within the Energy Department called the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED), whose goal is to finance first-of-a-kind clean energy projects through private-public partnerships. One of the largest beneficiaries of the program has been Exxon Mobil. 

The oil major was awarded a $332 million grant from OCED to “enable the use of hydrogen in place of natural gas” at a textile and plastics facility in Baytown, Texas. At the time of the announcement, the Biden administration said the project would prevent 2.7 million metric tons of carbon emissions per year. While an interesting technology, the project did not need taxpayer support. In the same year that Exxon received this disbursement (2024), the company reported annual earnings of $33.7 billion. The project’s funding was canceled on May 30 by Wright. 

3. Reducing the Carbon Footprint of Ketchup 

No industry was spared from corporate welfare under the Biden administration, including condiments. In October 2024, Kraft Heinz was awarded a grant of up to $170.9 million from OCED. The award was intended to fund energy efficiency upgrades, the installation of heat pumps and electric boilers, and renewable energy technologies at 10 of the company’s facilities. 

The grant was also rescinded on May 30. Kraft Heinz says it will continue to invest in upgrading 30 of its manufacturing facilities and will invest $3 billion over the next five years “to modernize” its domestic supply chain infrastructure.

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California Speaker: I Will Consider Withholding Federal Taxes from The Trump Administration If They Slash Federal Funding from My State

One of the most powerful Democrats in California is shooting his mouth off about breaking federal law after learning the Trump Administration might be about to drop the hammer on his state.

Multiple sources told CNN that the Trump administration is preparing to cancel a large portion of federal funding for California, which might begin as soon as today.

According to the outlet, Team Trump is specifically looking at entirely cutting off federal grant funding for the University of California and California State University systems.

As TGP readers know, President Trump has been rightfully livid over California’s open defiance of federal law, particularly over transgender issues.

President Trump issued an executive order in February, which was supposed to ensure that biological men could not compete in women’s sports. But California and other blue states have decided to defy Trump’s order and continue to allow men to compete against women.

White House spokesman Kush Desai released the following statement Friday afternoon, slamming California but adding that no final decision has been made.

“No taxpayer should be forced to fund the demise of our country. “No final decisions, however, on any potential future action by the Administration have been made, and any discussion suggesting otherwise should be considered pure speculation.”

Upon reading this, the speaker of the California State Assembly, Robert Rivas, erupted in anger and threatened various responses, including withholding federal taxes from the federal government.

“This is unconstitutional and vindictive,” Rivas wrote on BlueSky. “We’re the nation’s economic engine and the largest donor state, and deserve our fair share.”

“I’ll use every legal and constitutional tool available to defend CA — we must look at every option, including withholding federal taxes.”

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Snarky Democrat Rep’s Interrogation of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick Backfires When She Makes an Embarrassing Blunder While Discussing Bananas 

A Democratic member of Congress earlier this week made such an embarrassing mistake regarding one of the world’s most famous fruits that one could justify an IQ test for certain members of Congress.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick was testifying before the House Appropriations Committee on Thursday to defend Trump’s tariff policy when a snarky Rep. Madeline Dean (D-PA) decided to try to entrap him with a question about tariffs on bananas while holding the fruit.

After Lutnick calmly stated the answer (10%), Dean fired back and said Walmart had already increased the tariffs. Unbothered, Lutnick pointed out that there is no tariff for people who manufacture in America.

Immediately following Lutnick’s remark, Dean face-planted with a comment that is news to people in several states, including Hawaii and Florida.

TRANSCRIPT:

DEAN: What’s the tariff on bananas? Americans, by the way, LOVE bananas… What’s the tariff on bananas?

LUTNICK: The tariff on bananas would be representative of the countries that produce them.

DEAN: And what’s that tariff?

LUTNICK: Generally 10%.

DEAN: Walmart has already increased the cost of bananas by 8%.

LUTNICK: If countries do deals with us, that tariff will go to zero…

DEAN: But the cost is on the American consumer now…Mr. Secretary, I believe you know better. I believe you recognize that a trade deficit is nothing to fear…I wish you would show that truth to this administration.

LUTNICK: There’s no uncertainty if you build in America…There will be no tariff.

DEAN: We can’t produce bananas in America…We cannot build bananas in America.

The truth is that bananas have been grown in America for decades, with the first banana farm established in 1876 in Florida, near Silver Lake.

Today, bananas are grown in several states, with Hawaii producing the most. Florida ranks second.

Other states, such as California, Texas, Louisiana, and Arizona, produce bananas as well, albeit nowhere near the scale of Hawaii and Florida due to their climate.

Florida is also a major exporter of bananas, particularly specialty ones such as Thai and cooking bananas.

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Lawyer Who Bulletproofed Biden Bucks Now Fighting Trump Admin To Keep Gravy Train Rolling

A former Biden administration official who made it more difficult for agencies to terminate certain grants is now backing several legal efforts to ensure money awarded before President Donald Trump took office keeps flowing to left-wing organizations.

Daniel Jacobson, who was previously general counsel of Biden’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB), is opposing the Trump administration in cases that seek to restore billions in Biden administration grants from the Department of Education (ED), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). He also filed a lawsuit against OMB. 

Jacobson’s involvement “raises many questions,” Michael Chamberlain, director of Protect the Public’s Trust, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. He noted that former government lawyers have “obligations regarding what legal matters they can work on after leaving government service, under both federal ethics law and under professional rules of conduct, particularly as those rules have been adopted by the DC Bar, where Mr. Jacobson is a member.”

“If a government lawyer were to learn client confidences or secrets during his representation of an agency and use such information in litigation against that very same agency, it could very well implicate these ethics obligations,” Chamberlain said. “Although it’s not clear that has happened here, on the face of it, the situation raises many questions.”

Jacobson did not respond to requests for comment.

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Report: Biden Gave ‘Millions’ In Tax Dollars To ‘Soros-Backed NGO,’ Group Pushing Men In Women’s Prisons

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, released a report “exposing the disastrous consequences” of Biden’s Department of Justice (DOJ) awarding millions in taxpayer-funded grants to two non-governmental organizations with “radical” agendas.

The report showcases how, as Grassley noted in a statement, the tax dollars Biden’s DOJ gave to the Vera Institute of Justice (Vera) and Impact Justice funded “left-leaning agendas that ultimately put lives at risk.”

“This is just a small sampling of the grant programs scrutinized by the Justice Department, but an inspection of these recipients suggests potentially a much bigger problem in how the Justice Department historically has awarded its grant funds,” Grassley said in his introduction to the report.

According to the group’s website, Vera’s mission is to create programs to “end the criminalization and mass incarceration of people of color, immigrants, and people experiencing poverty.”

Vera “reportedly received $6.75 million in contracts from the Biden Administration’s Department of Justice” between 2022-2023, Grassley’s report reads, citing InfluenceWatch. In April, the Trump DOJ said it was terminating $5 million dollars worth of grants to the organization on the basis that its activity “no longer effectuate[s] the program goals or agency priorities,” Vera reported.

Later that month, Vera launched an “Emergency Justice Fund,” asking people to give them money directly.

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Gavin Newsom Threatens to Block California Tax Payments to Federal Government

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) threatened Friday that his state would stop tax payments to the federal government, after news reports suggested President Donald Trump was thinking of cutting funds to the state.

As Breitbart News noted earlier in the day, reports emerged suggesting that the Trump White House was considering cutting federal funding to California due to its challenges to, and defiance of, federal policy.

Breitbart News reported:

President Donald Trump is reportedly considering ways to pull more federal funding from the State of California, as Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) continues to defy White House policies, despite needing money.

California is suffering a large budget deficit for the second year in a row, with the state’s Medicaid program borrowing money to stay afloat. Newsom has also asked the federal government for $40 billion in fire relief.

But Newsom is also enthusiastically suing the Trump administration over many of its policies, often seeking the kinds of nationwide injunctions that would stop those policies everywhere, not just in California.

…

Trump had already threatened California’s federal sports funding after the state defied a federal transgender policy that bars biological males from competing in girls’ sports. And this week, the U.S. Department of Transportation suggested the administration could claw back billions of dollars in federal spending wasted on the state’s troubled high-speed rail project.

But Democrats have argued that California should be allowed to oppose federal policies while benefiting from federal spending, especially given the state’s large contributions to federal revenues. And they have pushed back against the idea of conditioning fire aid on policy changes.

It is not clear what constitutional authority Newsom has to withhold federal taxes on behalf of individuals, businesses, and other entities within the state. Trump’s authority to withhold funding is far clearer.

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Supreme Court Sides With Catholic Charities in Case About Tax Exemptions for Religious Organizations

The Supreme Court unanimously sided with Catholic Charities Bureau on Thursday, ruling that Wisconsin discriminated against the organization by denying tax exempt status and violated the First Amendment’s protection for religion. 

Wisconsin has a law, similar to most states and the federal government, that exempts certain religious organizations from paying unemployment compensation taxes. The statute exempts nonprofit organizations “operated primarily for religious purposes” and “operated, supervised, controlled, or principally supported by a church or convention or association of churches.” Catholic Charities Bureau and four of its sub-entities tried to obtain the exemption in 2016 as an organization controlled by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Superior, Wisconsin.

After years of litigation, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ultimately denied the exemption, ruling that Catholic Charities Bureau was not “operated primarily for religious purposes” because they do not engage in proselytization or limit their charitable services to Catholics. However, Catholic Charities Bureau argued that Catholic teachings do not permit “misus[ing] works of charity for purposes of proselytism.”

“There may be hard calls to make in policing that rule, but this is not one,” Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote for the court. 

“When the government distinguishes among religions based on theological differences in their provision of services, it imposes a denominational preference that must satisfy the highest level of judicial scrutiny,” she continued. “Because Wisconsin has transgressed that principle without the tailoring necessary to survive such scrutiny, the judgment of the Wisconsin Supreme Court is reversed, and the case is remanded for further proceedings not inconsistent with this opinion.”

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Student Suspended For Saying ‘Illegal Aliens’ Will Receive Cash, Public Apology

The perceived overreach of administrators at one North Carolina high school sparked a nationwide conversation about whether students should be kicked out of school for using terms some others might find offensive.

At the heart of the case is Christian McGhee, who was 16 when he received a three-day suspension for uttering the words “illegal aliens” during a class lesson.

He insisted he was only trying to clarify the assignment, but the supposed violation was nevertheless deemed severe enough to warrant a suspension.

The ensuing backlash has resulted vindication for the student, as the New York Post reported:

McGhee’s mother, Leah, had filed a lawsuit in which she accused the school and the Davidson County Board of Education of violating her son’s First Amendment rights.

However, McGhee’s family and the school board settled on Wednesday after a year-long battle in the courts, according to court documents.

The board has agreed to remove all references to racial bias in McGhee’s school record and issue a public apology “for the mischaracterization of racial bias” in his record, documents show.

The board will also provide him with $20,000 in compensation to help his family with the costs of tuition at his new private school, to which he was forced to transfer after being suspended.

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