The GOP can’t ‘wield’ the administrative state without being corrupted by it



Many Americans have watched Peter Jackson’s movie trilogy “The Lord of the Rings.” And many have read J.R.R. Tolkien’s books. Some can quote whole passages and trace Tolkien’s deliberate references to the life of Christ and the horror of modern war.

Maybe House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) live in that camp. If not, they should.

The Republicans’ plan cannot be ‘use federal power while we have it, then trust the next guys.’

A crucial scene comes early in the saga. The council debates what to do with the One Ring, the ultimate source of power. Boromir makes an understandable, dangerous suggestion — a perfect expression of fallen man’s temptation: “Give Gondor the weapon of the enemy. Let us use it against him.”

Aragorn stops him with two sentences rooted in humility and truth: “You cannot wield it. None of us can.”

That is the lesson Republicans must learn now, while they still hold majorities.

Dismantle the machine, don’t borrow it

Many supporters of President Trump want Congress to act boldly. They also want something more important: They want Republicans to roll back the reach and scope of the federal government while they can. If the GOP refuses, Democrats will inherit the same machinery and use it without restraint. Not someday. Soon.

If you think I exaggerate by calling Democrats the enemy or warning that we are doomed, consider a recent message from the second-highest-ranking elected congressional Democrat in the country, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York. Jeffries posted a video of White House adviser Stephen Miller on X.com and wrote: “Donald Trump will leave office long before the five-year statute of limitations expires. You are hereby put on notice.”

Jeffries did not allege a crime. He did not explain what Miller did wrong. He did not argue facts or law. He issued a threat: We will punish you later because we can.

That is what Republicans keep forgetting. The federal government’s power does not idle in neutral. It exists to be used. If it remains in place, someone will use it — and progressives have already shown what they want to do with it.

Which raises the central point: Nobody can safely wield that power. Not congressional Republicans. Not any administration. The correct move is not to grab the weapon and promise better behavior. The correct move is to destroy the weapon.

Fraud stories shine a bright light

Start with something as basic as fraud.

Look at the unraveling of the Somali day-care scandal in Minnesota and the billions of stolen tax dollars. That story grew so large that it helped end Minnesota Democrat Gov. Tim Walz’s re-election ambitions. Yet the government did not uncover it.

Not the Government Accountability Office. Not the Congressional Budget Office. Not the Office of Management and Budget. Not House or Senate oversight committees. Not the IRS. Not the Small Business Administration. Not the armies of full-time staffers inside federal agencies reporting up to inspectors general whose job description exists for this very purpose.

All that government power — and it did nothing.

RELATED: America now looks like a marriage headed for divorce — with no exit

mathisworks via iStock/Getty Images

The scandal came to light because of the tenacity of a 23-year-old guy with a camera. If the federal machine can miss fraud on that scale, imagine what else it misses.

Fraud saturates the system. Estimates run as high as $500 billion — roughly 7% of the $6.8 trillion federal budget. That budget still reflects COVID-era spending levels. In 2019, Washington spent $4.45 trillion. Why did we never return to pre-COVID levels?

Because money is power. And like Boromir, too many people convince themselves they can wield it.

Ethics are not enough

Energy policy shows the same temptation in real time.

My nonprofit organization, Power the Future, sent another letter to House and Senate oversight committees and to Attorney General Pam Bondi urging investigations into Biden’s energy secretary, Jennifer Granholm. In the final days of the Biden administration, Granholm awarded $100 billion in green-energy grants — more than the previous 15 years combined. Many recipients had previously supported her political campaigns.

Green money poured out of Washington through the misnamed Inflation Reduction Act, which allocated $60 billion for “environmental justice” — a phrase so deliberately amorphous that it has no fixed meaning. Team Biden spent $1 trillion “going green,” a statistic Vice President Kamala Harris bragged about during her lone 2024 debate with Donald Trump.

That entire structure still stands.

Nothing prevents the current energy secretary, Chris Wright, from spending billions on his favorite projects except his ethics. I believe Wright has ethics in abundance. We should feel grateful. But one man’s ethics do not qualify as a system of government.

The next secretary could be worse than Granholm. If the power remains, someone will use it.

RELATED: Nuke the filibuster or brace for the next impeachment campaign

Viktoriia Melnyk via iStock/Getty Images

Empty the arsenal

Just as in Tolkien’s masterpiece, our enemies do not wait quietly. They scheme. They train. They amass armies of lawyers, activists, operatives, and bureaucrats. They build institutional pipelines that outlast elections. They do not go home after losing once. They plan the return.

Republicans need to plan as well — and their plan cannot be “use federal power while we have it, then trust the next guys.”

One party will not hold Washington forever. When conservatives lose power, they should make sure the left inherits a reduced federal government: weaker, narrower, stripped of the patronage systems and enforcement tools that now function as political weapons.

That is why it is incumbent upon congressional Republicans to do everything in their power — everything — to destroy the Ring.

America’s founders envisioned a weak federal government for this reason. In America’s 250th year, Congress should act like it understands the danger of concentrated power. If Republicans keep the machinery intact, they will regret it. If the Ring finds its next master, it will not spare the people who once held it.

Seattle Mayor Proudly Admits She Is Not Seeking Probe Into Somali Scammers

'This whole issue is not really about fraud'

'Without citing evidence': NYT steps on a rake trying to attack Trump administration over fraud crackdown



The Department of Health and Human Services cut off five Democrat-run states' access to over $10 billion in federal child care and family assistance funds on Tuesday, citing "serious concerns about widespread fraud and misuse of taxpayer dollars in state-administered programs."

The New York Times joined Democrats in criticizing the Trump administration's anti-fraud campaign — but bungled its execution.

The Times' Minho Kim opened his Tuesday piece with the following sentence:

The Trump administration plans to freeze $10 billion in funding for child care subsidies, social services and cash support for low-income families in five states controlled by Democrats, claiming widespread fraud throughout those states, without citing evidence, after a major welfare fraud scheme in one of them.

The sentence was later rearranged without an editor's note but without any significant alterations.

'The first response of Democrats to instances like the Minnesota fraud findings should not be to criticize the other side.'

It was not lost on critics that immediately after asserting that the administration claimed widespread fraud "without citing evidence," Kim himself proceeded to allude to the damning evidence of widespread fraud in one of the states facing the funding pause — fraud that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz acknowledged on Monday when giving up on his ambition of re-election.

Drew Holden, the managing editor at American Compass, suggested that the New York Times perhaps "got so used to saying that the Trump admin did something 'without citing evidence' that they didn't realize they mention the 'evidence' in the same sentence."

RELATED: Trump administration sends Democrats into hysterics by freezing funding to 5 blue states over fraud concerns

Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Later in the Times article, Kim acknowledged that the funding freeze builds on the HHS' pause of $185 million in annual childcare funds in the wake of credible allegations of massive fraud in taxpayer-subsidized day care facilities in the Gopher State.

Minnesota has been home to historic fraud committed by members of the Somali community in relation to coronavirus relief funding and allegedly in relation to taxpayer-subsidized day care facilities. The COVID scams in Minnesota have resulted in dozens of criminal convictions and scores of indictments in recent years. Government officials are working to ensure similar graft is not impacting other jurisdictions.

Following the publication of Kim's piece, American Enterprise Institute fellow Ruy Teixeira stressed that "the first response of Democrats to instances like the Minnesota fraud findings should not be to criticize the other side for attacking them and wave the bloody shirt of racism against President Trump but rather to stress the seriousness of the problem and how it will not be tolerated."

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Trump administration sends Democrats into hysterics by freezing funding to 5 blue states over fraud concerns



President Donald Trump told reporters on Sunday that those responsible for the historic fraud in Minnesota — members of the Somali community in particular — aren't just ripping off the Gopher State but the country at large.

"Think of it: $19 billion at least they've stolen from Minnesota and from the United States," said Trump.

"We're not going to pay it any more. We're going to have [Gov. Tim] Walz go pay. We're not going to pay them, and we're not going to pay California, and we're not going to pay Illinois."

In the wake of the president's remarks, the Trump administration cut off five Democrat-run states' access to over $10 billion in federal child care and family assistance funds.

'It's a giant scam.'

On Tuesday, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that it had barred California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, and New York from accessing nearly $2.4 billion in Child Care and Development Fund money; $7.35 billion in Temporary Assistance for Needy Family funds; and $869 million in Social Services Block Grant funds.

"Families who rely on child care and family assistance programs deserve confidence that these resources are used lawfully and for their intended purpose," HHS Deputy Secretary Jim O'Neill said in a statement. "This action reflects our commitment to program integrity, fiscal responsibility, and compliance with federal requirements."

HHS Assistant Secretary Alex Adams, the head of the Administration for Children and Families, emphasized the government's responsibility to "ensure these programs serve the families they were created to help," adding that "when there are credible concerns about fraud or misuse, we will act."

RELATED: Tim Walz's nightmare continues as HHS shuts off $185M to Minnesota amid allegedly 'fake' Somali day care centers

Photo by Mandel NGAN/AFP via Getty Images

HHS indicated that the funding freeze will remain in place until the ACF completes a review and determines that the affected states are in compliance with federal requirements.

'It's cruel.'

Adams and O'Neill also announced on Tuesday that the Trump administration is ending Biden-era practices of providing child-care centers with payments up front without verifying attendance.

Democrats melted down over the funding pause, characterizing the effort to ensure taxpayer dollars aren't siphoned away by fraudsters as an attack on children.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, whose state has seen its share of day-care fraud, said in response to the funding freeze, "It's vindictive. It's cruel. And we'll fight it with every fiber of our being."

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) tried downplaying the fraud, claiming that "this has nothing to do with fraud and everything to do with political retribution that punishes poor children in need of assistance."

"Rather than making life easier and more affordable for our families, Donald Trump is stripping away child care from Illinois families who are just trying to go to work," said Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D). "Thousands of parents and children depend on these child-care programs to help them make ends meet, and now their livelihoods are being put at risk."

Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet, a Democrat with aspirations of becoming his state's next governor, tweeted, "Donald Trump has declared war on Colorado. He is now robbing thousands of vulnerable Colorado families of the critical support they need to afford food, housing, and health care."

Trump raised the matter of fraud in Minnesota during a New Year's Eve event, then noted that "California is worse, Illinois is worse, and, sadly, New York is worse. A lot of other places. We're going to get to the bottom of all of it. It's a giant scam."

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'Let others worry': Scandal-plagued Tim Walz announces he will not seek third term



Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) announced in September that he would run for a third term, stating, "I'm staying in the fight — and I need you with me."

Evidently Walz had neither the requisite fight nor the support to stick it out.

The failed vice presidential candidate announced on Monday that he won't seek a third term after all.

"I have every confidence that, if I gave it my all, I would succeed in that effort," said Walz. "But as I reflected on this moment with my family and my team over the holidays, I came to the conclusion that I can’t give a political campaign my all."

'They want to poison our people against each other.'

"Every minute I spend defending my own political interests would be a minute I can't spend defending the people of Minnesota against the criminals who prey on our generosity and the cynics who prey on our differences," added Walz. "So I've decided to step out of the race and let others worry about the election while I focus on the work."

A recent KSTP-TV/SurveyUSA poll of 578 registered voters found that 69% believe Walz needs to do more to stop fraud in Minnesota. According to the poll, Walz's disapproval rating was 48%.

Incredible graft has taken place in the Gopher State under Walz's nose, including the the student aid fraud plaguing Minnesota's publicly funded schools as well as the historic fraud allegedly committed by members of the Somali community in relation to coronavirus relief funding and taxpayer-subsidized day-care facilities.

RELATED: Tim Walz's nightmare continues as HHS shuts off $185M to Minnesota amid allegedly 'fake' Somali day care centers

Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call Inc. via Getty Images

The Trump administration and Congress have launched investigations into the apparent widespread fraud that has taken place in Walz's back yard, and some officials have called for Walz to resign.

Walz claimed that he is "passing on the race with zero sadness and zero regret" and suggested both that he is confident a fellow traveler will run for governor and that he will "find ways to contribute to the state" after he leaves office in January 2027.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) reportedly met with Walz on Sunday evening. Two individuals briefed on their conversation told the New York Times that Klobuchar is considering jumping into the race to succeed Walz.

Blaze News has reached out to Klobuchar's office for comment.

Walz used up a great deal of room in his Monday statement criticizing President Donald Trump and his allies, suggesting they want to make Minnesota "a colder, meaner place. They want to poison our people against each other by attacking our neighbors. And, ultimately, they want to take away much of what makes Minnesota the best place in America to raise a family."

The governor cited as an example of this supposed cruelty the Trump administration's pause on child-care payments to Minnesota.

Department of Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary Jim O'Neill announced on Dec. 30 that funds from the Administration for Children and Families — $185 million of which the Gopher State receives yearly — were being paused as the result of "shocking and credible allegations of extensive fraud in Minnesota's child-care programs."

"We believe the state of Minnesota has allowed scammers and fake day cares to siphon millions of taxpayer dollars over the past decade," added O'Neill.

While acknowledging that fraud in the state government was a legitimate concern and that the "buck stops with [him]," Walz suggested that Republicans were somehow making his "fight harder to win."

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CNN Panel Spends Two And A Half Minutes Trying To Dismiss Journalist Who Blew Lid Off Somali Scammer Scandal

'Who is he?'

Day-care worker accused of child abuse; father of alleged victim posts images of 1-year-old son's mangled face



A Georgia day-care worker is accused of child abuse, and the alleged victim's father posted images of his 1-year-old son's mangled face on Facebook.

Bainbridge police told WCTV-TV that 54-year-old Yvette Thurston was arrested last Monday and faces charges of first-degree aggravated battery and three counts of first-degree child abuse.

'I have been instructed to not comment about the events of this past week.'

The station, citing Chief Magistrate Ann Marie Emmons, said Thurston's bond was set at $44,000 for all four charges.

Thurston has bonded out of the Decatur County Jail, WCTV reported, citing jail records.

Thurston was identified as an employee at Little Blessings Child Care, where the reported incident allegedly took place, the station said.

Cory Weeks — the father of the alleged victim — shared images on Facebook of his 1-year-old boy's mangled face and said the injuries took place on his son's first day at the day care.

RELATED: Daycare worker accused of putting 4-year-old boy outside in 19-degree weather before placing him in empty indoor trash can

Weeks added in the Facebook post that "we were told another child in Clay's class did this type of damage with a plastic toy" and that he watched day-care surveillance video with police and that "nothing we saw was for the fainthearted, especially happening to such an innocent soul."

WCTV reported that specific details about the case were not immediately released, but the station added that investigators confirmed that officers viewed day-care surveillance video that contributed to the investigation.

Bainbridge police added to WCTV that the boy was treated at an area hospital.

The station said representatives affiliated with the day care didn't immediately comment about the alleged incident.

WRDW-TV reported that Little Blessings Child Care is affiliated with the Bainbridge Church of God, according to the day-care facility's social media page.

Video of a service at the church was posted Sunday on YouTube. After the 15-minute mark, the video switches to audio-only, and after the 17-minute mark, someone — presumably the pastor — begins speaking. The audio is noticeably lower, and the individual speaking tells the congregation that "I have been instructed to not comment about the events of this past week. However, what I am doing, I'm gonna just ask that we stand, and I'm gonna ask that we all come together." The audio then goes silent; the audio is restored just after the 20-minute mark at a higher volume.

Blaze News on Monday reached out to the church's pastor, business administrator, and day-care director for comment, leaving voicemails for all three. None of the three on Monday immediately replied to Blaze News' requests for comment. A Google search for the church indicates that it isn't open until 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Chief Investigator Mark Esquivel of the Bainbridge police on Monday told Blaze News that the case remains an "open investigation" and that there are "a lot of people to talk to," including those in the church's administration.

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South Carolina daycare employees accused of running child fight club, encouraging 14 toddlers to assault each other



Two daycare employees in South Carolina are accused of running a child fight club, where they allegedly encouraged toddlers to assault each other.

Ericka Sherai' Jones. 27, and Serena Caldwell, 56, were arrested on Thursday. Caldwell was charged with 15 counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and 15 counts of unlawful conduct toward a child. Jones was hit with 14 counts of the same charges.

Both women were employed as daycare workers at Kids Unlimited of Prosperity in Newberry County, South Carolina.

Last month, a child who attended the daycare allegedly informed his mother that he was told to hit another child by staff at Kids Unlimited of Prosperity.

Newberry County Sheriff Lee Foster told WIS-TV the daycare workers "encouraged and directed other students to fight or exhibit violence toward other students and allowed the violence to proceed without correction."

Investigators believe at least 14 children were commanded by Jones and Caldwell to slap, push, shove, and hit one another. The kids involved in the child fight club were said to be between the ages of three and four.

Upon hearing the disturbing accusations, the Kids Unlimited of Prosperity daycare immediately reviewed security video. The daycare then fired the employees and notified the police. The Newberry County Sheriff's Office and the South Carolina Department of Social Services launched an investigation into the accusations.

"The daycare did exactly what the law says and maybe more, they went above board," the sheriff said. "When they found out about it, they didn’t intend to take care of this on their own."

Foster explained that Jones and Caldwell told the children that the fights were a "means of punishment or to entice them to follow rules."

Foster wondered, "What were you thinking?"

"I have no idea who would think that that was any way appropriate to encourage three and four-year-old children to participate in violent acts, regardless of what they thought it would do," he added.

"We've had daycare workers that have assaulted children, and daycare workers that may have taken punishment a bit too far, but nothing like this," Foster noted. "I've never seen anything like this in my life."

Foster noted that none of the injuries sustained by the toddlers were serious, but the emotional toll could be long-lasting.

The incident report stated that Jones may have recorded the incidents on her cell phone.

In addition to ordering the kids to fight each other, Caldwell is accused of striking one of the young children with a box of baby wipes.

On Thursday, magistrate judge granted Jones a $56,000 surety bond, and Caldwell a $60,000 surety bond.

The former daycare workers were released on conditions that included not contacting the victims in this case, not contacting any minors who may be in need of care, and they are prohibited from leaving the state unless they obtain permission from the solicitor's office.

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Newberry County daycare workers accused of inciting kids to fight www.youtube.com

Disturbing video shows day care employee in Halloween mask terrifying children to tears; workers fired and sheriff's office launches investigation



A viral video shows a day care worker wearing a Halloween mask while chasing and terrifying small children. Employees at the day care facility in Mississippi have been fired over the disturbing video, and the Monroe County sheriff's office has launched an investigation into the unnerving incident.

Four employees have been fired from the Lil' Blessings Child Care & Learning Center in Hamilton, Mississippi. The workers were terminated after a video of a day care employee purposely frightening young children went viral.

Video shows a day care employee wearing a menacing Halloween mask asking another worker which children had behaved well and badly. The worker would point out children who she claimed were misbehaving, and the masked day care employee would then harass the toddlers.

The masked employee crouches inches from a child's face and menacingly asks, "Are you being bad? Do you want me to take you outside?"

The worker then unleashes a sinister screech at the child. Then she yells, "You better be good!"

The woman in the Halloween mask gets in the faces of the children and shrieks loudly. Children are seen hysterically crying and screaming in fear.

Another teacher approaches children in another classroom and warns the toddlers, "I hope y'all ready."

She closes the door.

The masked employee then loudly bangs on the door and reveals the frightening Halloween character, similar to the serial killer in the horror movie "Scream." The horrified children scream.

The other worker informs the masked woman, "They're supposed to be cleaning up, monster."

The masked employee yells at the children, "Are y'all supposed to be picking up? Clean up these toys! Clean up!"

The woman in the scary mask then chases one of the children around the classroom.

She commands the toddlers to clean up before releasing yet another bloodcurdling scream at the children.

The woman appears to make a laughing gesture toward her colleague – who was seen laughing earlier in the video.

Two videos of the upsetting incident were posted on Facebook on Wednesday and have since gone viral. One was reportedly filmed in September, and the other happened on Tuesday.

Sheila Sanders – who began working at the day care in 1987 and has owned it for the past 20 years – said that four employees of the Lil' Blessings Day Care have been fired.

Sanders told the Monroe Journal, "I contacted my licensure, and she has gotten involved. The people that did those acts are no longer with us. They were fired. I wasn’t here at the time and wasn’t aware they were doing that. I don’t condone that and never have. I just want to say it’s been taken care of."

The Mississippi State Department of Health and the Monroe County sheriff's office are investigating the distressing incident caught on video.

Monroe County Sheriff Kevin Crook said no criminal charges have been filed yet, but his office is investigating whether a crime has been committed.

Crook told WCBI-TV, "I understand people want retaliation or retribution or whatever they want. Justice is really what they want. Not to do anything irrational and to take matters into their hands and go after some of these young people or whatever who they know is involved or the owner of the business, that’s gonna get them in trouble."

Mississippi attorney James Franks Jr. told WTVA, "It appears that it's an assault, of what they've done, because I mean, those kids were terrified."

Attorney William R. Wheeler Jr. added, "The kids were in imminent fear, obviously. Just irresponsible on the adults' part. It could traumatize the children. So, assault and battery could be the charges. But, it's up to the D.A. It could be a misdemeanor. It could be a felony.”

Attorney Jim Waide agreed that criminal charges could be filed. "The statute specifically provides that an emotional injury is a misdemeanor — either intentional or recklessly inflicted. So, any parent could see the county prosecutor and bring criminal charges."

More parents react to disturbing daycare video in Hamilton www.youtube.com