Facts Over Fear: Constitutional chaos hits as judge rules Trump defied order to unfreeze billions in federal grants

Plus, a reality check on the SAVE Act and how could it prevent 30% of women from voting. And more news of note (like the federal health communications are coming BACK online!)

FACE YOUR FEAR: We demand that our tax dollars get back to serving the people

It has been a wild week and it’s only Tuesday afternoon. Yesterday, according to the AP, U.S. District Court Judge John McConnell found that the Trump administration has not fully followed his order to unfreeze federal spending. He told the White House it they must release billions of dollars in funding. True to form, Trump and his regime have appealed the ruling.

We are talking about money for things like HIV prevention research, early childhood education, pollution reduction and much more. McConnell’s temporary restraining order also blocks this administration from cutting billions in grant funding from the NIH.

Now make no mistake. The executive branch is attempting to further consolidate power into fewer and fewer hands with little to no oversight. Just look at this tweet from JD Vance from over the weekend:

Actually, J.D., checks and balances is kind of the point of the courts.

But what is most concerning is that certain judges agree with Vance. Check this out from MSNBC:

“Conservative Harvard law professor Adrian Vermeule seemed to concur. “Judicial interference with legitimate acts of state, especially the internal functioning of a co-equal branch, is a violation of the separation of powers,” he claimed. Vance reposted Vermeule, raising further concern that he was advocating for the administration to ignore court orders it disagrees with.”

Musk (naturally) chimed in, as well, in response to Nawfal’s remark:

Once again, “rules for thee but none for me,” seems to be the sentiment of this administration. We have three separate branches of government for a reason. To think otherwise is in direct opposition to what the founding fathers and the Constitution laid out for us. And need I remind Vance that he swore an oath, in front of the nation, to uphold the Constitution. If he and Trump refuse to do their jobs — shouldn’t they be removed from office?

At what point do we call this out for what it is and face our worst fear that the President of the United States is, in fact, seizing dictatorial-sized power in front of our faces.

(Currently taking notes from South Korea…)

REALITY CHECK: The SAVE Act should scare us all

I’ve been keeping my eye on this since I saw it floating around the internet a week or so ago. At first, I brushed it off. Even for these N@zis, it seemed extreme. But the reality now is, The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act (H.R. 22) could disproportionately impact women, especially those who changed their names due to marriage or divorce as they may face issues in providing proof of citizenship.

The rundown of what the SAVE Act (HR 22) would do:

1. Ban mail and online voter registration

2. Criminalize helping people to register

3. Enforce ID rules that don’t account for name changes (due to marriage, divorce or gender affirming changes)

4. Mandate extreme voter purges: Impacting and targeting women and communities of color most.

Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) introduced this bill and if Congress were to pass this, up to 30% of women could be blocked from voting. Thirty. Percent.

Let that sink in. This is why I become so frustrated when other women say to me, “Oh, I’m not political,” or “I’m not a feminist.” If we aren’t at the table, we are on the menu. Make no mistake about it, these fascists want to go back to the days where women in the United States had absolutely no rights, no recourse and no way out. They want us barefoot, uneducated, pregnant and unable to have so much as a checking account in our own name.

We know that voter fraud is extremely rare in the United States. In fact, we should be making voting more accessible. Online and mail-in voting helps disabled communities, elderly populations, people who are traveling or overseas like military, and those who cannot take off of work to vote.

And according to NPR: “Depending on the type of voting — in-person vs. mail-in — there are also a host of protections that would keep someone from casting a ballot that isn’t theirs, or from voting altogether if they are ineligible. That includes things like signature matching, dropbox surveillance, as well as poll worker training.”

This is once again nothing more than a way to keep women in subservient positions and out of the public space. But, as Ruth Bader Ginsburg once said — 'Women belong in all places where decisions are being made. It shouldn't be that women are the exception.'

We are NOT going back.

NEWS OF NOTE: Like drinking from a firehose (if that firehose was full of poison)

1. According to The Hill: The Trump administration is moving rapidly to gut the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), halting the agency’s work, cutting off its funding and shutting down its headquarters… Employees affiliated with Musk’s DOGE have also gained access to CFPB’s data systems, according to Bloomberg News. Despite initially receiving limited access, they now have access to the full scope of information stored at the agency, including sensitive bank examination and enforcement records.

Let’s call this for what it is: Musk and his boyz are ILLEGALLY targeting the CFPB which was created following the big bank bailout in 2008. (Remember that?) The CFPB's creation was authorized by the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, whose passage in 2010 was a legislative response to the financial crisis of 2007–08 and the subsequent Great Recession and is an independent bureau within the Federal Reserve.

And since its inception, it has returned $20 BILLION to American citizens who were scammed or defrauded by banks, payday lenders and other financial institutions. Gee, I wonder why oligarch Musk wants them gone?

Let’s end on a good note:

1. The Guardian reports that a judge orders CDC and FDA to restore webpages removed after Trump order US agencies told to reinstate critical public health information that had been scrubbed from public view.

Bullies only respond to strength. We have to show our teeth and use every tool at our disposal to prevent Trump and his fascist regime from taking anything from the American people. Public health information belongs to the PEOPLE. And speaking of….

2. On Feb. 7, Illinois Rep. Hoan Huynh introduced HB3853, the Protective Medical Equipment Freedom Act which protects people’s right to wear PPE without being subject to discrimination everywhere in Illinois. I hope this is catching (pun intended).

Until next time, take care of yourselves, and each other. -Natalie

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