The Rachel Maddow Show
Busted: DOGE humiliated by brutal fact-checking, walks back bogus savings claims
Wed, 26 Feb 2025
Elon Musk's DOGE team removed key items from its "wall of receipts" after journalists fact-checked their boasts of billions in savings from cuts to federal programs and exposed sloppy errors and outright falsehoods. Rachel Maddow reports on the walk back taking place shortly after a withering rebuke from a federal judge for not complying with an order to allow funding to continue, all amid the embarrassment of having to un-fire federal workers recklessly let go without consideration for the necessity of their role.
What is the court's ruling on the foreign aid funds suspension?
Thanks to at home for joining us this hour. Really happy to have you here. So this did not go well for the Trump administration. This is what it looks like in a court of law when you flounder and lose and there is a court reporter there to write it all down. The judge. Right now, the court has before it a motion to enforce. I think there are some basic questions that have been posed here.
The restraining order has been in effect for now 12 days, since February 13th, and there are just some basic questions. The restraining order was clear, and the court has said it was clear that defendants, meaning the Trump administration, could not continue the blanket suspension of foreign aid funds, pending review. That was based on a finding that the plaintiffs had shown irreparable harm.
It sounds like there's evidence right now that that irreparable harm has deepened. Now, the plaintiffs seem to be saying that the blanket pause by the Trump administration was not lifted in any meaningful sense. The judge then says to the lawyer for the Trump administration, quote, I'd like you to tell me in simple terms what action you are aware of that the agency has lifted the blanket pause.
Are you aware of steps that the agencies here have taken to actually unpause the disbursement of funds? Trump administration lawyer responds. So let me focus on that last point, if I might. The judge, well, I actually want you to focus on my question.
I do want to hear your full answer, but has the government begun, has the government unfrozen disbursements as to those contracts or assistance agreements for at least that period? Trump administration lawyer.
So, for the period before the restraining order, this is going back to the February 18th Joint Status Report, the plaintiff's characterization of some of those decisions, and there's a wide variety, right, of grants and foreign assistance arrangements, contracts, was that all of them were under the same challenged authority, so there was a process. The judge, hey!
The judge says, that's in the court transcript. Hey, I guess I'm not sure why I can't get a straight answer from you on this. Are you aware of an unfreezing of the disbursement of funds? You've acknowledged that under the restraining order, any of the terminations or suspensions that took place before February 13th are invalid and shouldn't be given effect.
Are you aware of steps taken to actually release those funds? Trump administration lawyer. I'm not in a position to answer that. the judge. Well, we're 12 days into the temporary restraining order, and you're here representing the government.
You had represented in the initial February status report from the government, from the defendant, and you know, made issue of that it had been five days and there had been a holiday weekend. Well, now we are 12 days in, and you can't answer me whether any funds that you've acknowledged are covered by the court's order have been unfrozen? Trump administration lawyer,
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