Happy Friday! As spring training games get rolling in the Cactus and Grapefruit Leagues, the New York Yankees made an earth-shaking announcement today: Beards are no longer banned in the Bronx. Reversing his father's infamous ban put in place in 1976 in the name of "order and discipline," owner Hal Steinbrenner said players are now allowed to have "well-groomed beards." Hair past the collar is still a no-no, apparently, and it looks like sideburns are still out, too. But get ready to see some beards in Yankee pinstripes this spring for the first time in nearly 50 years.
Senate Passes Backup Budget Bill
The Senate passed a budget bill in the wee hours Friday morning, following an all-night "vote-a-rama" session in which Democrats forced the chamber to vote on nearly three dozen doomed amendments. The final vote on the bill was 52-48, with all Republicans except Sen. Rand Paul voting in favor.
The partisan bill would provide about $340 billion in funding for border security and the military, and includes language intended to help the oil and gas industry. Paul's vote against the bill was a protest against lawmakers' effort to increase federal spending without clearly defined offsets. "If we were fiscally conservative, why wouldn't we take the savings from Elon Musk and DOGE and move it over here and help with the border?" Paul asked before voting began. "Why would we be doing a brand-new bill to increase spending by $340 billion?"
The legislation isn't going anywhere for now, given President Donald Trump's stated preference for a "big, beautiful" House bill that addresses the same issues while also tackling tax reform, a complex and potentially vexatious topic the Senate decided to leave until later in the year.
Budget Committee Chair Lindsey Graham said the Senate bill offers the president a way to quickly deliver on some key parts of his agenda. "I hope the House can pass one big bill that meets President Trump's priorities," Graham said after the vote. "But this approach provides money that we needed yesterday to continue the momentum on securing our border, enforcing our immigration laws, and rebuilding our military. Time is of the essence."
Some Republican senators doubt that the House will be able to produce one big bill. "I think the probabilities of them running into a roadblock are more than 50-50," Sen. Mike Rounds said. "It makes it a whole lot easier if we've only got one bill to go through. We hope it's doable for them. But if it's not, then this is the next best deal. We don't want to be stuck without any other alternatives. This doesn't hurt."
Sen. Josh Hawley, who broke ranks with Republicans and voted for an unsuccessful amendment that would have prohibited tax cuts for the wealthy if any money is cut from Medicaid, told The Hill that he voted for the bill only after getting Trump's approval. Writing on social media Thursday night, Trump thanked Senate Majority Leader John Thune for working to advance his agenda.
The bottom line: The Senate took a step forward on an alternative plan to fund key parts of Trump's agenda, but Republicans still have a long road ahead of them as they look for the winning formula on a major tax and spending bill this year.
Pentagon Pauses Plan for Mass Layoffs: Report
The Department of Defense has temporarily paused a plan for significant layoffs, in order to give top officials more time to consider the potential ramifications of reducing the payroll and the impact it would have on military readiness, CNN reported Friday.
Pentagon leaders reportedly have been working overtime to draw up lists of employees who could be fired, and some reports indicate that more than 50,000 people could lose their jobs as part of an effort to free up funds for President Trump's priorities. But as CNN reported earlier this week, their efforts could run afoul of federal law, specifically Title 10 section 129a of the United States Code, which requires the secretary of Defense to conduct an appropriate analysis before making any reductions.
In a message posted on social media late Thursday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth indicated that layoffs are still being planned while emphasizing that the process will be based on thorough analysis. "It is simply not in the public interest to retain individuals whose contributions are not mission critical," Hegseth said. "Taxpayers deserve to have us take a really thorough look at our workforce top to bottom - and it will be top to bottom - to see where we can find and eliminate redundancy."
Hegseth said there is a hiring freeze at the department as officials conduct performance-based reviews. "We're going to take a little bit more time, make sure top to bottom we're doing a review, those who we need, who are the best and brightest are going to stay," he said. "Those who are underperformers won't."
Quote of the Day
"We are the federal law. You better do it because you're not going to get federal funding."
-- President Donald Trump, speaking to Maine Gov. Janet Mills at a meeting of the National Governors Association at the White House. Trump was restating his threat to withhold federal funding from states that violate his recently signed executive order banning transgender women and girls from female sports competitions.
The Maine Principal's Association announced earlier this month that it would allow transgender athletes to continue to compete, saying it was required to do so by the Maine Human Rights Act. On Thursday, Trump asked Mills at the White House meeting if she would enforce the executive order in her state. "I'm complying with state and federal law," Mills responded, prompting Trump's comment above. Mills reply to Trump was simple: "See you in court."
As a general rule, executive orders cannot override federal or state laws, and in a statement released Friday, Mills said she was prepared to challenge the White House on the issue. "If the President attempts to unilaterally deprive Maine school children of the benefit of Federal funding, my Administration and the Attorney General will take all appropriate and necessary legal action to restore that funding and the academic opportunity it provides," she said. "The State of Maine will not be intimidated by the President's threats."
Fiscal News Roundup
- 'Time Is Running Out': Lawmakers Scramble for a Deal to Stop a Shutdown – Politico
- Senate Adopts $340 Billion Budget Blueprint for Trump's Agenda After Marathon 'Vote-a-Rama' – NBC New
- The House Wants to Pass Trump's Agenda in One Big Bill. Here's What's in It – New York Times
- Trump Expected to Take Control of USPS, Fire Postal Board, Officials Say – Washington Post
- Pentagon Hits Pause on Plan to Carry Out Mass Firings of Civilian Employees, Officials Say – CNN
- As Defense Preps for Mass Firings, Hegseth Says a Hiring Freeze and More Firings Are Coming – Defense One
- Musk's Blitzkrieg Is Unnerving Many of Trump's Senior Advisers – Washington Post
- FDA Firings Decimated Teams Reviewing AI and Food Safety – New York Times
- Trump Threatens to Withhold Federal Funds from Maine Over Transgender Athletes – The Hill
- Trump Administration Looks to Slash HUD Workers Tackling the Housing Crisis – Associated Press
- Trump's New Social Security Head Admits Dead Americans 'Aren't Necessarily' Getting Checks – USA Today
- Experienced Workers, Not Just Rookies, Get Cut as Trump Slashes Probationary Employees – Associated Press
- DOJ Probes Medicare Billing Practices at UnitedHealth – Wall Street Journal
- US Consumer Sentiment Plunges Over Tariff and Inflation Fears – CNN
- Dr. Mehmet Oz Holds Millions from Companies That He'd Wield Power Over if Confirmed, Report Shows – Associated Press
- Trump Cuts Protections for Haitians, Putting Them on Track for Deportation – New York Times
Views and Analysis
- Trump's Myth of the Trade Deficit – Phil Gramm and Donald J. Boudreaux, Wall Street Journal
- What This Tariff War Is Really About – Kimberly Clausing, New York Times
- How Trump's Tariffs Could Reorder Trade in Asia, and Exclude the US – Alexandra Stevenson, New York Times
- New IRS Employees Are Helping Taxpayers, Firing Them Would Be Costly – Barry Johnson, Tax Policy Center
- How DOGE's Access to IRS Data Puts Taxpayer Information at Risk – Howard Gleckman, Tax Policy Center
- Here Are the Digital Clues to What Musk Is Really Up To – Zeynep Tufekci, New York Times
- DOE Layoffs Weaken Security, Economic Growth: "Forget American Energy Dominance" – Anastasia Obis, Federal News Network
- There's a Story in Each Shard of the Shattered USAID – David Ignatius, Washington Post
- 'We Are Seeing Complete Destruction': The Damage Done by the U.S.A.I.D. Freeze – Jeremy Konyndyk, New York Times
- Trump and Musk Keep Spouting Bogus Numbers to Hide Their Real Agenda – Ross Rosenfeld, New Republic
- DOGE's Latest Cuts Have Saved This Stunning(ly Low) Amount – Edith Olmsted, New Republic
- Why Gen Z Men Love Trump's Reign of Destruction – Catherine Rampell, Washington Post
- How the EU Can Capitalize on America's Economic Chaos – Bloomberg Editorial Board