Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Anna Kramer @annackramer.bsky.social · 2d

We’re partnering with 7 more local outlets around the country — adding Maine, Vermont, Utah, Ohio, Wisconsin, PA + Mississippi to the original six.

Truly the best part about working at NOTUS!! Bringing DC news to the people who are actually shaped by it.

NOTUS to partner with a growing list of local news outlets to close the gap between voters and elected officials - Allbritton Journalism Institute

NOTUS announced today that it is expanding the Washington Bureau Initiative, a program where political reporting from its Washington newsroom is co-published with local outlets across the country to e...

aji.org

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Reposted by Anna Kramer

Amelia Benavides-Colón @ameliacolon.bsky.social · 6d

After analyzing hundreds of projects being canceled by the Trump admin, @annackramer.bsky.social, Manuela Silva and I found that funds for energy projects in blue states are being cut while the same work continues to be funded in red and swing states.
www.notus.org/energy/trump...

Trump Cut Biden-Era Energy Projects in Blue States. Red States Got to Keep Theirs.

The Trump administration is canceling energy projects that it says are part of the “Green New Scam” — but leaving similar ones intact in Republican-led states.

www.notus.org

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Anna Kramer @annackramer.bsky.social · 6d

Energy Sec Chris Wright had lunch with NM @heinrich.senate.gov minutes before the cuts were announced and didn’t tell him it was happening — even though they were cutting 10 projects from his state.

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Anna Kramer @annackramer.bsky.social · 6d

Those big Trump cuts to Dem states?

Well, we analyzed them and found loads of similar projects in red and swing states that got to keep their money — even though it came from Biden’s climate agenda, too.

Trump Cut Biden-Era Energy Projects in Blue States. Red States Got to Keep Theirs.

The Trump administration is canceling energy projects that it says are part of the “Green New Scam” — but leaving similar ones intact in Republican-led states.

www.notus.org

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Anna Kramer @annackramer.bsky.social · 6d

If you know what specific projects DOE cancelled, please reach out! They still haven’t published a list.

I am curious how the cancelled funds compare to the funds still available in states that voted for Trump.

Anna Kramer @annackramer.bsky.social · 7d

DOE just said it is canceling 321 awards for 223 projects at ~ $8 billion, corresponding to the cancelled money for Dem states that Trump admin announced earlier today

They managed to cut hundreds of projects for Dem states w/out cutting any for GOP.

Trump Admin Says It’s Canceling Energy Projects in 16 Blue States

The news came hours after OMB Director Russell Vought threatened to hold up $18 billion in federal funding for infrastructure projects in New York.

www.notus.org

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Anna Kramer @annackramer.bsky.social · 7d

Still no public list of the cancelled projects tho!! No idea to know what projects we are talking about. And the states affected don’t seem to know.

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Anna Kramer @annackramer.bsky.social · 7d

DOE just said it is canceling 321 awards for 223 projects at ~ $8 billion, corresponding to the cancelled money for Dem states that Trump admin announced earlier today

They managed to cut hundreds of projects for Dem states w/out cutting any for GOP.

Trump Admin Says It’s Canceling Energy Projects in 16 Blue States

The news came hours after OMB Director Russell Vought threatened to hold up $18 billion in federal funding for infrastructure projects in New York.

www.notus.org

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Anna Kramer @annackramer.bsky.social · 7d

NEWS: Government layoffs are coming in the next few days, sources tell us. Preparation is underway at the agencies, and RIFs have already started at the US Patent Office.

White House is blaming Dems for the firings, even though nothing about a shutdown requires mass firings.

Federal Employee Layoffs Are Imminent, Administration Officials Say

Reductions in force began Wednesday at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

www.notus.org

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Anna Kramer @annackramer.bsky.social · 7d

🚨 Hearing that RIF notices have gone out at the patent office. If you work in the federal government and you get a RIF notice along with your furlough, please let me know! I will keep you anonymous.

You can reach me on Signal at annakramer.54

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Anna Kramer @annackramer.bsky.social · 7d

National Parks are staying open during the shutdown — a controversial and risky choice.

Last Trump term, keeping the parks open during the shutdown ended in vandalization, Joshua Trees being cut down, and overflowing toilets.

Trump Is Redirecting Funds to Keep National Parks Open. Last Time This Raised Legal Concerns.

During Trump’s first term, Congress’ watchdog said the administration violated the law in redirecting funds to keep the parks open.

www.notus.org

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Anna Kramer @annackramer.bsky.social · 8d

Hearing a nearly identical email was also sent to all staff at the Social Security Administration.

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Anna Kramer @annackramer.bsky.social · 8d

I really want to know why they won't share these plans, it's pretty unusual. If you have insight into this, please reach out!

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Anna Kramer @annackramer.bsky.social · 8d

Staff at DOI all just got an email telling them that they won't know the shutdown plan until it actually happens. The email also explicitly blames Dems many times, saying any lapse is "forced by Congressional Democrats."

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Anna Kramer @annackramer.bsky.social · 8d

NEWS: Interior is declining to share shutdown plans until it actually happens.

This leaves open big questions, the biggest one being:

What will happen with the National Parks? During Trump 1, the agency kept the parks open during the shutdown, resulting in serious damage.

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Anna Kramer @annackramer.bsky.social · 8d

I’m about to start an AMA on r/fednews! Please hit me up with questions on this crazy day — shutdown looming, possible RIFs, last day of the fiscal year chaos, I’ll be diving into all of it.
www.reddit.com/r/fednews/co...

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Anna Kramer @annackramer.bsky.social · 8d

It’s a crazy day. It looks like the govt is going to shut down. And we have no idea whether Trump is serious about firing people during a shutdown.

I’m going to be doing a Reddit AMA today at 1:30pm ET on r/fednews. If you have qs for me, you can submit them now! www.reddit.com/r/fednews/co...

From the fednews community on Reddit: I'm Anna Kramer, a NOTUS reporter covering energy and environment policy and politics. Ask me anything!

Explore this post and more from the fednews community

www.reddit.com

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Anna Kramer @annackramer.bsky.social · 8d

Shutdown strategy from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, led by Secretary Scott Turner

This is the first thing that comes up on their website right now
hud.gov/#close

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Anna Kramer @annackramer.bsky.social · 8d

EPA shutdown plan has finally been posted. Almost 13.5k people furloughed, around 1700 will stay on.

They’ve added working on the FY27 president’s budget as an excepted activity that can keep people from furlough

www.epa.gov

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Anna Kramer @annackramer.bsky.social · 9d

There's still no shutdown plan for the National Parks posted, so we don't know if they will close the parks.

During first Trump term, they broke with tradition and kept the parks open during the shutdown, which resulted in serious vandalization and damage to rare and fragile ecological systems

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Reposted by Anna Kramer

Oriana González @oriana.bsky.social · 9d

News: OPM has determined that federal workers handling the mass firings of other govt workers should be deemed essential during a shutdown

This comes after OMB directed agencies to prep for mass firings if there's a shutdown this week

By @annackramer.bsky.social:
www.notus.org/trump-white-...

Officials Working on Mass Firing Plans Deemed Essential During a Shutdown

The administration updated its guidance to include a section about Reductions in Force in the event funding lapses on Sept. 30.

www.notus.org

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Anna Kramer @annackramer.bsky.social · 9d

Also they’ve newly added that it’s acceptable to use your government computer and government email to check if you’ve been fired during a shutdown

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Anna Kramer @annackramer.bsky.social · 9d

NEWS: The Trump administration has declared that people working on RIFs are essential workers and can be asked to keep working if the government shuts down

Officials Working on Mass Firing Plans Deemed Essential During a Shutdown

The administration updated its guidance to include a section about Reductions in Force in the event funding lapses on Sept. 30.

www.notus.org

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Anna Kramer @annackramer.bsky.social · 12d

This is what I’ve been reporting on for months. Agencies are taking money and repurposing it against Congressional instructions, and there’s no way to know what they are taking the money from or what they are using it for.

Billions in Taxpayer Dollars Have Become Virtually Untraceable

The Trump administration’s aggressive approach to overhauling the executive branch has obscured how federal dollars are actually being spent — even for the members of Congress.

www.notus.org

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Anna Kramer @annackramer.bsky.social · 12d

Slipped into a 10:40pm email last night:

USDA is “repurposing” $285 million to start a farmer assistance program 1 year earlier than Congress authorized.

They don’t say where they are taking the money from — aka the program Congress actually wanted the $280 million to fund

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Reposted by Anna Kramer

NOTUS @notus.com · 14d

Across federal agencies, the Trump administration’s aggressive slash-and-burn approach to federal programs has repeatedly challenged Congress’ power of the purse.

The outcome: Billions in taxpayer dollars have become virtually untraceable.
www.notus.org/trump-white-...

Billions in Taxpayer Dollars Have Become Virtually Untraceable

The Trump administration’s aggressive approach to overhauling the executive branch has obscured how federal dollars are actually being spent — even for the members of Congress.

www.notus.org

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