President Trump leads first Cabinet meeting
At his first cabinet meeting, Trump emphasized government downsizing, while advisor Elon Musk addressed concerns over USAID cuts.
NBC- President Trump welcomed the UK Prime Minister to the White House as the Supreme Court weighed a dispute over foreign aid. Chief Justice John Roberts temporarily blocked a lower court’s deadline for the administration to release $2 billion in frozen funds. Foreign aid groups, who sued to continue their work and pay vendors, now await further Supreme Court action, with both sides providing additional information by tomorrow.
At his first cabinet meeting, Trump emphasized government downsizing, while advisor Elon Musk addressed concerns over USAID cuts. Musk noted that Ebola prevention funding was briefly halted but restored immediately. However, Ebola survivor Dr. Craig Spencer refuted Musk’s claim, claiming that frontline workers are still unpaid and critical outbreak response efforts remain affected. NBC News obtained a new budget memo instructing agency heads to draft mass layoff plans within two weeks. Trump defended the cuts, calling government “bloated” and “sloppy.”
The administration also reinforced its directive requiring federal employees to account for their work via email, with non-compliance potentially leading to termination. Some cabinet members initially advised staff not to respond, causing internal debate.
Musk defended the email initiative as a “pulse check,” allowing employees handling sensitive work to simply state so. Senate Republicans are fielding growing concerns from constituents over Musk’s approach to government downsizing.
