Tag: taxes

If This Is True, the DNC Has a Moral Earthquake Coming

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem testified that the Biden administration funneled cash to sponsors who trafficked and abused unaccompanied migrant children. 

Federal dollars poured through the Department of Health and Human Services right into the pockets of adults escaping screening, meaning many of those people ended up as outright predators.

The Office of Refugee Resettlement dumped kids into homes without solid background checks, skipped consistent DNA testing, and ignored follow-ups that could’ve kept them safe. Nearly 450,000 kids cycled through the system, many of whom disappeared after sloppy placements.

If Noem slams down documented proof linking this mess straight to federal blunders, the Democratic National Committee can’t spin its way out of a disaster this horrible.

You know they’ll try with help from their MSM friends. But finding evil like child trafficking with taxpayer money? That’s not just incompetence; it’s downright wicked.

The Biden crew ditched widespread DNA testing at the border, which used to confirm if adults were really family. They watered down background checks as millions flooded in.

Sponsors snagged multiple kids from a single address, no questions asked. Federal contracts ballooned, including fat no-bid deals worth hundreds of millions to groups handling migrant youth.

Andrew Lorenzen-Strait, former Biden transition official and senior advisor in immigration ops, helped craft those deals. Billions in grants zipped through DHS while checks lagged.

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Calif. taxpayers funding multi-city, int’l security detail for Harris’ book tour

Unbeknownst to many Golden State residents, California taxpayers are reportedly covering the costs of a multi-city and international security detail for former Vice President Kamala Harris as she promotes her memoir, “107 Days.”

Since September 2025 — following the revocation of her extended federal Secret Service protection — dozens of California Highway Patrol (CHP) officers have accompanied Harris on nationwide tour stops and international travel, including visits to London and Toronto, with expenses like travel, overtime, and logistics funded by California taxpayers.

This arrangement, coordinated with input from Governor Gavin Newsom’s (D-Calif.) office and local authorities, has since drawn scrutiny amid the state’s budget challenges and questions about precedent for providing such extensive state resources to a private citizen during a commercial book tour.

In late August 2025, President Donald Trump issued an executive memorandum revoking the Secret Service protection for Harris. While standard law provides six months of protection, which ended in July 2025, former President Joe Biden had extended her detail via executive order.

Trump rescinded this extension effective September 1, 2025. However, following the federal withdrawal, Newsom and Los Angeles Democrat Mayor Karen Bass coordinated to provide security through the CHP and the LAPD.

Since these are state and local officers, the costs for salaries, travel, and overtime are being underwritten by California taxpayers.

Meanwhile, the discovery has since sparked a heated debate over the use of state resources for a private citizen’s “commercial venture” during a period of significant state budget deficits.

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Degraded Schools

Many students are chronically absent or have dropped out of school.

Nat Malkus, a senior fellow in education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, oversees the Return to Learn Tracker, which monitors chronic absenteeism in U.S. schools. His latest report, released in early February, includes data from 39 states and Washington, D.C.

He states that after reaching a high of 29 percent in the 2021–22 school year, the chronic absenteeism rate—missing 10 percent or more of school days in an academic year—fell by 2.6 percentage points the following school year and by 2.2 percentage points the following school year. This progress was encouraging, but it stalled last school year, with rates falling by just over one percentage point on average. This leaves the average chronic absenteeism rate for most of the country at 23 percent, roughly 50 percent higher than the pre-pandemic baseline.

This chronic absence problem is especially egregious in our large urban areas. In Los Angeles, more than 32 percent of students were chronically absent during the 2023–24 school year. Thirty-four elementary schools have fewer than 200 students, and 29 use less than half of their buildings. Chicago is even worse, with a chronic absentee rate of 41 percent.

Malkus concludes that these patterns suggest that shifts in attitudes and behavior are largely driving the across-the-board increases in post-pandemic absenteeism. Six years into the pandemic, students and their parents are placing less value on attending school each day.

One realistic way to address chronic absenteeism—and save taxpayer dollars—would be to close ineffective schools. But government educrats and teacher union bosses refuse to allow that to happen. In fact, school closures have slowed over time.

An analysis by the IZA Institute of Labor Economics shows that in 2014–15, the closure rate—the share of schools nationwide that were open one year and closed the next—was 1.3 percent, but in 2023–24, the rate was just 0.8 percent.

Another way to alleviate the problem would be to reduce the number of teachers by eliminating the lowest performers, but that will not happen. Teacher union-mandated permanence clauses make it nearly impossible to fire an incompetent teacher. In California, a 2012 court case revealed that, on average, only 2.2 of California’s 275,000 teachers (0.0008 percent) were dismissed each year for unprofessional conduct or unsatisfactory performance.

Chronic absenteeism rates would also improve if students felt a sense of purpose in going to school. Currently, many kids lack interest in showing up. A 2024 report from Gallup and the Walton Family Foundation surveyed over 1,000 Gen Z students aged 12 to 18 and found that only 48 percent of those enrolled in middle or high school felt motivated to show up. Only half said they do something interesting in school every day. Similarly, a 2024 EdChoice survey indicated that 64 percent of teens said school is boring, and 30 percent view it as a waste of time.

In addition to the problem of chronically absent students, families are removing their children, especially if they are high achievers, from government-run schools in large numbers.

Joshua Goodman, an associate professor of education and economics at Boston University, authored a study that found that nationally, white and Asian parents are far more likely to withdraw their children from public schools than Hispanics and blacks.

“The question that worries me is whether this means that public schools have now cemented a reputation as not being the place where high-achieving students attend. If you’re a family that’s looking for a challenging curriculum, and you have a talented student, you’re no longer seeing public schools in quite that light,” Goodman said.

Perhaps the leader in the public school exodus is Chicago, whose numbers are particularly grim. Dwindling enrollment has left about 150 Windy City schools half-empty, while 47 operate at less than one-third capacity, leading to high costs and limited course offerings.

Worth noting is that Chicago spends about $18,700 per student. At small schools that have been losing students, per-pupil costs are double or triple that. At one 28-student school, the cost per student is $93,000. (For the sake of perspective, the Latin School of Chicago, among the city’s most expensive private schools, costs about $47,000 per year.)

Not surprisingly, as the number of students declines, school district insolvency is on the rise. Education finance experts say more districts are grappling with this problem, especially those that spent pandemic federal aid on recurring expenses or didn’t scale back their budgets in anticipation of the aid’s end.

As a result, districts are facing increased involvement from their counties and states, ranging from financial monitoring to takeovers. In rarer cases, districts may even declare bankruptcy or consider merging with other districts.

While public schools are bleeding students, school choice of all types continues to grow. Overall, there are now 75 private school choice programs in 34 states, serving more than 1.5 million students.

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HHS finds Minnesota child care agency failed to verify attendance records and ‘pursue fraud tips’

The US Department of Health and Human Services found Minnesota’s child care agency failed to adequately verify attendance records or “pursue fraud tips” following an oversight visit in late January, according to a letter obtained by The Post.

HHS’ Administration for Children and Families informed Minnesota officials that its handling of the distribution of federal taxpayer dollars for child care in the state had “not established adequate controls to verify the accuracy of county-issued provider payments based on attendance of children.”

As a result, child care centers could get funding from counties — and counties could then bill the state and the federal government by extension — “without reconciling billed hours against attendance records, even periodically.”

Minnesota’s Department of Children, Youth and Families also had “[l]imited staff and resources … to adequately pursue fraud tips and conduct proactive investigations,” Laurie Todd-Smith, HHS ACF deputy assistant secretary for early childhood development, wrote in the letter.

Just four investigators are working for Minnesota’s Child Care Assistance Program to address all potential fraud.

Additionally, Todd-Smith said, “Minnesota did not demonstrate that they are currently implementing required program integrity training for providers across the state,” meaning all child care center operators have to do is affirm they’ve read requirements to receive funding.

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Nancy Mace lashes out as $1.9 million Capitol Hill home scandal implodes

Congresswoman Nancy Mace is under investigation for allegedly overcharging a taxpayer-funded program meant to provide out-of-town lawmakers for housing, meals, and travel expenses.

The House Ethics Committee is looking into whether Mace, a Republican from South Carolina, ‘engaged in improper reimbursement practices’ for her former $1.98 million Capitol Hill home she shared with her ex-fiancé.

Mace and Patrick Bryant, who broke off their 18-month engagement in 2023, were co-owners of a DC townhouse until 2024. That DC property is at the center of the new probe. 

Members of Congress are allowed to be reimbursed for housing expenses if they maintain a residence in their home district and Washington, DC.

But the program, launched in 2023, has drawn scrutiny because the reimbursement process does not require a detailed expenditures list for lawmakers to get their money back.

A new report by the Office of Congressional Conduct (OCC), a nonpartisan group that investigates misconduct on Capitol Hill, claims that Mace was overpaid $9,500 for her housing costs.

‘Information available to and reviewed by the OCC suggests that Rep. Mace was reimbursed more than the true costs for the property during several months in 2023 and 2024,’ the OCC report alleges. 

Mace did not speak with the OCC during their investigation, the report says. 

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Virginia Democrats Are Now Trying to TRIPLE Their Own Pay – After Abigail Spanberger Ran on Affordability

Virginia’s new governor, Abigail Spanberger, ran on a campaign focused on affordability, so did other Virginia Democrats.

It is now becoming increasingly apparent that this was a lie.

These people have been in office for just a matter of weeks and they are already trying to triple their own pay. Things will certainly be more affordable for them if they get away with this.

FOX News reports:

Virginia Democrats talk affordability — and vote to nearly triple their own pay

The Virginia State Senate and its Democratic majority may have voted to nearly triple their pay if a provision inserted into their final budget survives the House reconciliation process and reaches Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s desk.

The development comes as Spanberger has centered her campaign on “affordability,” with Richmond Democrats echoing that they are working to improve their constituents’ personal finances.

Virginia’s legislature itself was founded as a part-time, gentleman’s chamber, where lawmakers would return to their day jobs when Richmond wasn’t holding session.

Proponents of raising the current 1988-established salary of $18,000 for senators and $17,640 for delegates say the structure restricts who can afford to serve as a lawmaker today. Lawmakers also qualify for a $237 per diem, mileage reimbursements, and coverage of office, meeting and other expenses.

Senators’ new salary would be $50,000.

Republicans were quick to criticize the final budget, with the Virginia Senate Minority Caucus saying in a statement that “teachers got a 3% raise, but Democrats give themselves 300%.” The actual increase would be closer to 178%, though one could say the new salary would be 300% of the original.

Law professor Jonathan Turley points out that these Democrats are going to need a salary increase in order to afford all of the new taxes they are proposing.

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Defense giants cash in as Iran conflict escalates

Defense contractors are winning on Wall Street, as the uncertainty of a war with Iran and increased tension in the Middle East continue to fuel substantial gains in the stock market. 

While oil prices surged the highest Monday, jumping more than 6% over fears of a global supply shortage, companies that build military equipment weren’t far behind — Lockheed Martin and RTX, formerly known as Raytheon, gained 3.3% and 4.7% respectively.

Shares of Northrop Grumman jumped the highest, ending the day up about 6%. 

As the DOW Jones Industrial Average fell 0.2% and the S&P 500 finished flat, all three of the world’s largest defense contractors hit new 52-week highs, according to Barron’s. 

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Joe Biden’s DOJ Caught Wiring $2 Million ‘Gift Grant’ Straight to Fani Willis While She Persecuted Trump

Investigative journalist John Solomon said newly obtained documents indicate that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis coordinated with federal officials while pursuing charges against President Donald Trump and his allies in Georgia.

“Today we told you that new documents we got showed that Fannie Willis was recording, was working secretly behind the scenes with the Biden Justice Department, the Biden White House and the j6 Democrats to create a double jeopardy, double drain on Donald Trump’s supporters by creating a similar indictment to Jack Smith, but in Georgia to move resources and lawyers and attention span and divide it,” Solomon said.

He argued that the collaboration resulted in parallel prosecutions that placed additional legal and financial strain on Trump and those charged alongside him.

“We have we’re supposed to have a justice system that avoids double jeopardy,” Solomon said. “But in this case, you can see the plot being created by these lawyers and by the collaboration.”

Solomon also referenced concerns previously raised by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan regarding funding tied to Willis’ office.

“Today, we raise a question, or we provide some evidence to a question that Jim Jordan raised about a year ago, the House Judiciary Committee chairman, he believed that Fani Willis’s prosecution of Trump was being underwritten by the Justice Department because he saw a stream of funding,” Solomon said.

According to Solomon, documents show that the Justice Department offered Willis a grant during the period when she was building her case against Trump and 18 co-defendants in Georgia on conspiracy and racketeering charges.

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Snow Shovelers Answered the Mayor’s Call, But Payday May Not Arrive Until Spring

New Yorkers flocked to sanitation garages this week to answer the call for emergency snow shovelers. But those winter laborers may not have realized that they likely won’t get paid for that work until spring.

Several emergency snow shovelers who worked during January’s big storm have not been paid a month afterwards, they told THE CITY. And others who worked this week said payment information was unclear or not discussed.

Dan Bennette, a 38-year-old lifelong Queens resident from South Ozone Park who began working as a snow shoveler on Jan. 26, told THE CITY that he has not yet been paid.

“They just informed us that at the end of the season, when everything is finished, that’s when they’ll cut us a check,” Benette said. “Some people have the assumption that we would be paid weekly or bi-weekly.”

Joshua Goodman, a spokesperson for the sanitation department, said people who responded to the call for shovelers and worked this week may be paid in two weeks, but this is not guaranteed. Last year, it took between four and six weeks to pay workers, he said. On the city’s 311’s website, information about emergency snow shoveling work says payment could take up to 12 weeks. 

For Bennette, he’s staying patient. The newlywed and aviation operations worker has been unemployed for about eight months — the longest he’s ever gone without a paycheck. So he welcomed the opportunity to work in the snow.

“This will get me up out of the house, off the couch and going out and being a productive person in society,” he said. 

Others he worked with were not as easy-going about the pay wait. Bennett recalled that when a fellow shoveler this week learned DSNY would not pay until March, he stood up and walked out of the garage.

Yasmine, who spoke to THE CITY this week, said her son shoveled for the city after snowfall on Dec. 14 and had to wait until the beginning of February to get paid. When DSNY called him in January and again this week asking if he wanted to work, he said no both times. Instead, he shovelled private houses and driveways and got paid the same day. 

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California bill seeks to restore Medi‑Cal coverage for undocumented adults in 2027

A proposed California bill could pave the way for undocumented Californians ages 19 and older to once again receive Medi-Cal coverage, beginning Jan. 1, 2027.

State Sen. María Elena Durazo and Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula, both Democrats, introduced the Medi‑Cal Access Restoration Act to end the freeze and reinstate full‑scope Medi‑Cal benefits for undocumented adults.

As of Thursday afternoon, the bill states that it would “make an individual who is 19 years of age or older, who does not have satisfactory immigration status, eligible for the full scope of Medi-Cal benefits subject to certain limitations, such as the payment of premiums and certain dental benefits.”

According to the Fresno Bee, California faced a deficit of more than $10 billion last year before rolling back health insurance access for undocumented adults, a benefit the state had been expanding for several years, to help balance the 2025‑26 budget.

The state is again projecting a nearly $3 billion deficit as lawmakers prepare next year’s spending plan.

Lawmakers say the freeze does not eliminate health needs and instead shifts costs to counties, hospitals and emergency rooms.

“Undocumented Californians pick our crops, build our homes, and care for our families – and they pay billions in taxes to do it,” said Senator Durazo. “Denying them basic health coverage isn’t saving money, it’s borrowing trouble. We pay more when people end up in the emergency room. SB 1422 is the fiscally responsible thing to do, and it’s the right thing to do.”

According to officials, undocumented Californians contribute $8.5 billion annually in state and local taxes and make up roughly one-tenth of the state’s workforce.

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