Tag: taxes

U.S. Allocates $23.4 Million to Mexico to Strengthen Labor Justice under USMCA

The United States Embassy in Mexico announced this Tuesday that it will allocate $23.4 million to projects linked to the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), focused on strengthening the country’s Labor Justice System.

The official statement notes that the funds will be used to improve the enforcement of labor legislation, ensure compliance with standards, and reduce practices that affect workers’ wages and competitiveness.

According to the Embassy, the investment aims for USMCA benefits to translate into concrete, visible, and sustainable results for the population.

The funds will be distributed among various organizations and programs, including support for labor training, monitoring law compliance, and advising government agencies, with the goal of preventing resources from being trapped in bureaucracy.

Analysts highlight that this type of U.S. investment represents an opportunity for tangible progress but warn that its success depends on transparency and accountability—conditions that are often lost when the left manages resources from offices disconnected from the streets.

In border and urban communities, neighbors and small business owners are closely watching the measure. Many hope the investment will translate into real jobs, respect for labor rights, and increased security, while others remain skeptical due to the history of corruption and mismanagement of public funds.

“We want to see improvements in our neighborhoods, not just figures in a statement,” said a merchant from Monterrey, reflecting citizens’ concern that the aid actually reaches those who need it.

President Donald Trump has emphasized on multiple occasions that the USMCA is key to protecting the interests of the United States and its trade partners, ensuring that investments are directed toward concrete results for workers and businesses.

In this context, the funds directed to Mexico are interpreted as a mechanism of strategic cooperation that also seeks to guarantee that Hispanic American workers can compete fairly, protecting their rights and avoiding disorderly practices that harm the local economy.

Priority projects include training programs for youth and adults, strengthening labor courts, and monitoring companies, all aimed at ensuring that legislation is effectively enforced.

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Sen. Blackburn Just Laid It Out: Fraudsters Are Laughing All the Way to the Bank With Your Money

Sen. Marsha Blackburn said government fraud and improper payments are draining hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars annually, citing Government Accountability Office estimates that she said reveal a systemic failure across federal programs nationwide.

In remarks focused on federal spending oversight, Blackburn said the scope of fraud extends far beyond any single state and represents a nationwide problem affecting virtually every major entitlement program.

“We know that this issue goes far from Minnesota and into every corner of the country and the Government Accountability Office and this report, I think, is significant,” Blackburn said.

Blackburn cited a GAO report estimating massive annual losses tied to fraudulent activity within government programs.

“It estimates that each year, each and every year that our government is losing between 233,000,000,520 $1 billion to fraud, fraudulent programs, fraudulent claims,” she said.

“So, think about that.”

She described those losses as the result of deliberate misconduct by individuals and organizations seeking to exploit taxpayer-funded systems.

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Joni Ernst, Mike Lee Sound Alarm on Alleged Fraud by Somali-Owned Rehab Center in Minneapolis

Sens. Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Mike Lee (R-UT) are asking the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate alleged fraud by a Somali-owned rehab center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, as alleged fraud schemes among Somali-owned nonprofits, daycare centers, and medical transportation companies have been referred to federal investigators.

In a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, Ernst and Lee accuse the Minneapolis-based rehabilitation center Generation Hope MN, a Somali-owned business, of accepting millions in federal dollars while having a “troubling pattern of red flags around its legitimacy, operational capacity, and financial stewardship.”

“… we are alarmed that this organization was ever positioned to receive over $1 million in congressionally directed Department of Justice (DOJ) funding despite multiple indicators that should have rendered it ineligible for any federal assistance or grants,” the senators wrote:

Generation Hope MN was established in 2019 and describes itself as a Somali-led organization focused on addiction recovery and substance use disorder services in Minneapolis’ East African community. [Emphasis added]

IRS documents, specifically IRS Form 1023-EZ, which is used to apply for recognition as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, showed the three directors of Generation Hope MN listed the same address for a five-bedroom home in Minneapolis as their primary residence. [Emphasis added]

Generation Hope MN’s website lists two Minneapolis addresses, including a location on Cedar Avenue. This same address is publicly associated with Sagal Restaurant and Coffee, a Somali restaurant. While the Sagal restaurant’s owner claims Generation Hope MN occupies office space above the restaurant, this shared address with a commercial establishment, combined with the absence of dedicated program facilities or visible service infrastructure, raises substantial doubts about the organization’s independent operations and scale—particularly for an entity purporting to deliver intensive therapy and rehabilitation services. [Emphasis added]

Ernst and Lee are asking Bondi to investigate Generation Hope MN, comparing the business’s financial records as similar to those of Feeding Our Future, the nonprofit that was used as a massive fraud scheme to enrich those, mostly Somali immigrants, involved.

“These financial characteristics closely resemble tactics alleged in ongoing federal investigations into Minnesota nonprofit fraud, including the Feeding Our Future case, in which federal prosecutors allege kickbacks were routed through inflated ‘consulting’ or contractor fees to shell entities,” the senators wrote.

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Trump to cut federal payments to sanctuary cities starting Feb 1 over immigration policies

President Donald Trump said his administration will cease federal payments to sanctuary cities and states with sanctuary policies starting Feb. 1, while citing jurisdictions that protect criminals and fuel fraud and crime.

Speaking at the Detroit Economic Club, Trump said the move was aimed at cities and states that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement and in the administration’s bid to stamp out fraud.

“Starting Feb. 1, we’re not making any payments to sanctuary cities or states having sanctuary cities because they do everything possible to protect criminals at the expense of American citizens,” Trump said.

“And it breeds fraud and crime and all the other problems that come. So we’re not making any payment to anybody that supports sanctuary,” he added.

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California Billionaires Are Leaving the State in Response to Proposed Wealth Tax

The ultrarich are leaving California as a result of a proposed billionaire tax. “Eat the rich” may be a popular rallying cry, but it’s not viable public policy.

The ballot measure, which was submitted in November 2025 by Suzanne Jimenez, a health care union representative, would impose a one-time 5 percent tax on billionaires who were California residents as of the measure’s tax “obligation date” of January 1. Even though the initiative has not yet passed, venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya estimates that $1 trillion of billionaire wealth “has left California” in advance of the measure’s tax obligation date. California billionaires have also taken “income tax revenue, sales tax revenue, real estate tax revenue and all their staffs (and their salaries and income taxes) with them,” says Palihapitiya.

The measure would create a Billionaire Tax Health Account, which would receive 90 percent of the revenue generated by the tax. Funds from this account would go “to protect or enhance Medi-Cal,” California’s Medicaid program. (That same program was found by the Biden administration to have improperly claimed nearly $53 million in federal funding on behalf of noncitizens with ineligible immigration statuses from October 2018 through June 2019.) The remaining 10 percent would go to a new Billionaire Tax Education and Food Assistance Account, which would subsidize public K-12 education, plus two years of community college. This account would also help pay for “CalFresh, CalFAP, CalFood or California’s Universal Meals Program for school meals.”

The government should not be in the business of redistributing wealth, and a wealth tax is an especially ineffective means of generating revenue for any purpose. Moving costs might make it hard for other individuals and businesses headquartered in California to leave, but billionaires are highly mobile; they can easily become residents of another state by purchasing a house, acquiring a driver’s license, and registering to vote there.

California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom understands this eventuality. The New York Times reports that Newsom opposes “‘state-level wealth taxes’ because they encouraged those who would be affected to move to another state.” To avert this outcome, Newsom has been “relentlessly working behind the scenes against the proposal” and “he would fight the measure if it reached the November ballot,” according to the Times.

The act itself recognizes billionaires’ ability to evade taxation: “A large percentage of billionaire wealth is never taxed by the State due to billionaires’ unique ability to control the timing, location, and amount of income tax that they pay.” This tax avoidance is exactly what has happened since the ballot measure was submitted.

Importantly, the tax conflates voting shares with equity, as Garry Tan, president and CEO of venture capital firm Y Combinator, recently explained on X. This means that under the law, Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin—who each possess 30 percent of the voting rights in Google, but only own 3 percent of its equity—would have to pay a 5 percent tax on the value of their voting control. Tan estimates that this figure would come to about $60 billion each, and in order to pay this, both Page and Brin would have to liquidate 50 percent of their Google shares. The two co-founders recently fled the state to avoid this potential penalty.

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Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison Charges Minneapolis Man with over $3 Million in Medicaid Fraud

A Minneapolis man has been charged for allegedly committing over $3 million in Medicaid fraud in conjunction with a state-licensed home health agency.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed the charges against Mohamed Abdirashid Omarxeyd on Wednesday on “eight counts of felony theft by false representation after prosecutors said he used his company, Guardian Home Health Services, to bill Minnesota’s Medicaid program for services that were never provided or were ineligible for reimbursement from 2020 through 2024,” per Fox News. The report went on:

According to the criminal complaint, Guardian submitted fraudulent claims for personal care aide services, companion care, homemaking, respite care, individualized home support and other community support services. State officials have designated many of these services as ‘high-risk’ for fraud.

Omarxeyd and his wife have been accused of siphoning more than $2 million from the company’s accounts.

“Defrauding programs that provide healthcare to low-income Minnesotans is a truly despicable act,” said Attorney General Keith Ellison. “Since I first took office, my team and I have prosecuted over 300 cases of Medicaid fraud and won over $80 million in restitution and recoveries.”

According to Valley News, Omarxeyd also stands accused of paying “workers less than legally required wages while pocketing the difference” along with with submitting “claims for workers who stated they never provided services.”

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Newsom Adds Menopause Funding to California Budget After Public Criticism From Halle Berry

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has added millions of dollars for menopause-related health services to the state budget following public criticism from actress Halle Berry, who recently faulted him for vetoing legislation aimed at expanding menopause care coverage, as reported by The New York Post.

In his newly unveiled budget, Newsom included $3.4 million in funding dedicated to menopause and perimenopause services within California’s roughly $350 billion spending plan.

The funding was included without public fanfare and appears as a line item in budget documents.

According to those documents, the allocation includes $3 million from the state’s general fund, along with “$391,000 Managed Care Fund ongoing, to support health care coverage for perimenopause and menopause, including enrollee access to care, provider education, and a statewide public awareness campaign.”

The move follows criticism Berry delivered onstage weeks earlier, where she took direct aim at Newsom for vetoing menopause-related legislation in consecutive years.

“Back in my great state of California, my very own governor, Gavin Newsom, has vetoed our menopause bill, not one, but two years in a row,” Berry said.

“But that’s OK, because he’s not going to be governor forever, and the way he has overlooked women, half the population, by devaluing us, he probably should not be our next president either. Just saying.”

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Empty Apartments, Fake Addresses, Stolen Billions: The Somali Transport Empire Walz Ignored

An exchange on Fox News highlighted allegations of widespread fraud involving Minnesota transportation companies, with investigative commentator Nick Shirley describing what he said was extensive abuse tied to state-funded programs and enabled by political inaction.

Shirley appeared with host Jesse Watters to discuss his on-the-ground investigation into transportation providers connected to daycare operations across Minnesota.

According to Shirley, many of the companies receiving taxpayer money appeared to have no legitimate operations at all.

Watters asked Shirley whether community leaders were defending those accused of fraud even if they were not directly involved.

“Like, even if they’re not involved in the fraud, are they still defending the Somali tribe?” Watters asked.

“Well, you heard them,” Shirley responded.

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Trump admin quietly restores some funding to Planned Parenthood after lawsuit

The Trump administration has backed down on a portion of the funding it has denied to Planned Parenthood, restoring tens of millions of dollars to the abortion giant in the face of a lawsuit.

Last year, the federal government froze $120 million in federal Title X “family-planning” grants to organizations suspected of not complying with the administration’s executive orders against involvement with diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. The move did not specifically target Planned Parenthood or abortion, but covered approximately $20 million received by Planned Parenthood locations across a dozen states. 

The abortion lobby and others sued, and Politico reports that the far-left American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has withdrawn its lawsuit in response to the Trump administration quietly restoring the funding in question last month. In a December 19 court filing, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said without elaboration that “the review is completed, and all grants at issue for Plaintiff’s members have been restored […] this matter can be voluntarily dismissed in light of the restoration of the remaining grants.”

“More than 800 service sites were unable to provide Title X services. Hundreds of thousands of patients were unable to get Title X services. So the impact was tremendous,” responded Brigitte Amiri, deputy director of the ACLU’s “Reproductive Freedom Project.” “So damage certainly was done as a result of their unlawful withholding of the funds.”

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UK Asylum Seekers to Be Given Taxpayer-Funded Personal Therapists: Report

The British government will reportedly provide taxpayer-funded therapists for alleged asylum seekers who entered the country illegally.

The Home Office has commandeered the Cameron Barracks in Inverness, Scotland, to accommodate around 300 male asylum seekers as it seeks to transition away from the practice of block-booking hotels throughout the country to house illegals.

However, the Cameron Barracks plans have also sparked controversy after The Telegraph reported this week that the illegals set to be housed at the site will have their own dedicated therapists provided to them at taxpayer expense.

Highland councillors were told this week that having therapists provided at the site would mean that the illegals would not have to access local NHS services.

“Primary health care will be available on-site, including mental health support. Funding for these services will be provided by the Home Office to minimise impact on local GP surgeries and NHS resources,” they were told.

However, some have noted that this would effectively mean that illegal migrants would be given preferential treatment, given that people in the area often wait around five months before being able to see an NHS therapist.

Thomas Kerr, a spokesman for Reform UK, said: “The Cameron Barracks is simply the wrong location for a facility like this. Local people are rightly angry and demanding their voices be heard.

“To now learn that taxpayers will also be paying for mental health support for people who have come to this country illegally is a massive slap in the face.”

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