{"id":1052959,"date":"2025-05-20T19:16:33","date_gmt":"2025-05-20T23:16:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/?p=1052959"},"modified":"2025-05-20T19:16:34","modified_gmt":"2025-05-20T23:16:34","slug":"trumps-cabinet-officials-have-no-idea-whats-going-on-in-their-departments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/trumps-cabinet-officials-have-no-idea-whats-going-on-in-their-departments\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump\u2019s Cabinet Officials Have No Idea What\u2019s Going On In Their Departments"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Trump\u2019s Cabinet officials spent today on the Hill revealing in real time just how little they know about their departments \u2014 and showing how badly they\u2019re failing the American people. From the state of national security programs to which foreign billionaires bought influence with the president to where taxpayer dollars are going, Trump\u2019s incompetent Cabinet has no clue what is happening under their own noses, and Americans deserve better. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marco Rubio had no idea that foreign billionaires were buying influence with Trump \u2014 and having dinner with him. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senator Chris Murphy<\/a>: \u201cLet me ask you about the dinner that\u2019s happening this Thursday night. The president has offered access to him to the 200 top purchasers of his memecoin. \u2026 Maybe about half or more of those individuals who will be meeting with him<\/strong>, many in a VIP reception, are foreigners. Do you have a list of those foreign individuals<\/strong> who will be meeting with the president?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marco Rubio: \u201cI didn\u2019t know anything<\/strong> about\u2013 I didn\u2019t even know there was a dinner <\/strong>Thursday night, so I don\u2019t know what you\u2019re referring to.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among many other issues, Kristi Noem didn\u2019t know if an anti-terrorism program was funded, lacked a basic understanding of the Constitution, and wasn\u2019t aware of immigration policy changes her own department carried out. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senator Andy Kim<\/a>: \u201cThere has been a report of cuts to the national database tracking domestic terrorism. DHS cut the funding. I just wanted to ask, is that correct?\u201d <\/strong>\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Noem: \u201cI can follow up.\u201d<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senator Gary Peters<\/a>: \u201cI certainly have serious concerns about the costs involved there. To date, can you tell us the total cost for detaining individuals at Guantanamo Bay?\u201d<\/strong> \u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Noem: \u201cI do not have that<\/strong> with me today.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senator Richard Blumenthal<\/a>: \u201cCBP quietly rescinded \u2026 their \u2018processing of pregnant and postpartum non-citizen and infants\u2019 policy.<\/strong> \u2026 Do you agree or disagree that babies and pregnant women within CBP and ICE custody should receive are tailored for their needs? And why in God’s name would that policy be rescinded providing that care?\u201d<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Noem: \u201cWell, senator, I will look at the specifics of that policy and what was changed. \u2026  If you have a specific to point out that would be fantastic.\u201d<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senator Blumenthal: \u201cYou don\u2019t know about this policy change?\u201d<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senator Maggie Hassan<\/a>: \u201cWhat is habeas corpus?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Noem: \u201cHabeas corpus is a constitutional right that the president has to be able to remove people from this country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senator Hassan: \u201cThat\u2019s incorrect.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senator Andy Kim<\/a>: \u201cHow many times has habeas corpus been suspended in our country\u2019s [history]?\u201d<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Noem: \u201cOnce<\/strong> that I know of.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senator Kim: \u201cFour times.<\/strong> \u2026 Do you know what section of the Constitution the suspension clause of habeas corpus is in?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Noem: \u201cI do not. Nope.\u201d <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senator Kim: \u201cDo you know which article is it in?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Noem: \u201cI do not, sir.\u201d <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senator Richard Blumenthal<\/a>: \u201cI\u2019m sure you\u2019ve seen the recent reports that your agency is going to sponsor a reality TV show<\/strong> in which immigrants would compete for citizenship? Is DHS seriously considering vetting a reality show for immigrants to obtain US citizenship? Your spokesperson is quoted in the Wall Street Journal \u2026 saying that \u2018it\u2019s in the very beginning stages of that vetting process.\u2019\u201d<\/strong> \u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Noem: \u201cWe have no knowledge of a reality show.\u201d <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senator Ruben Gallego<\/a>: \u201cWould you consistently be using [the $50 million private jet you requested] to travel?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Noem: \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

RFK Jr. didn\u2019t know his department had slashed funding for ALS research. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.<\/a>: \u201cI do not know about any cuts to ALS research.\u201d<\/strong> \u2026  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senator Dick Durbin: \u201cI just read them to you.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

RFK Jr.: \u201cI will have to go and talk with Jay Bhattacharya and find out what the rationale was for those cuts. I just don\u2019t know about them until you told them to me at this moment.\u201d<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trump\u2019s handpicked nominee to be IRS commissioner didn\u2019t know if the president could use the IRS to bully taxpayers or of a letter asking the IRS to investigate a fake Tribal tax credit scheme. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senator Elizabeth Warren<\/a>: \u201cIs it illegal for the president to instruct the IRS to remove nonprofit status from a taxpayer?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Billy Long: \u201cI\u2019m not going to have the answer<\/strong> that you need.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senator Catherine Cortez Masto<\/a>: \u201cSenator Wyden and I in this committee actually sent a letter to the acting commissioner of the IRS to investigate [fake Tribal tax credits]. Are you aware of that letter?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Long: \u201cNo.\u201d<\/strong> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Trump\u2019s Cabinet officials spent today on the Hill revealing in real time just how little they know about their departments \u2014 and showing how badly they\u2019re failing the American people. From the state of national security programs to which foreign billionaires bought influence with the president to where taxpayer dollars are going, Trump\u2019s incompetent Cabinet […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":292,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1052959","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nTrump\u2019s Cabinet Officials Have No Idea What\u2019s Going On In Their Departments - Democrats<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/trumps-cabinet-officials-have-no-idea-whats-going-on-in-their-departments\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Democrats\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-05-20T23:16:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-05-20T23:16:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Black-Logo-White-Fill-For-Email.png?w=1024\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Adrianna Tomasello\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Adrianna Tomasello\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/trumps-cabinet-officials-have-no-idea-whats-going-on-in-their-departments\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/democrats.org\/news\/trumps-cabinet-officials-have-no-idea-whats-going-on-in-their-departments\/\",\"name\":\"Trump\u2019s Cabinet Officials Have No Idea What\u2019s Going On In Their Departments - 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