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GOP lawmaker seeks to slam brakes on Biden’s ‘woke and wasteful’ EV tax credit

GOP lawmaker seeks to slam brakes on Biden’s ‘woke and wasteful’ EV tax credit

FIRST ON FOX: House Republicans are taking steps to repeal the “climate-crazed” Biden administration’s tax credit for electric vehicles (EVs) that “ran up the bill on the American people to the tune of billions of dollars,” Fox News Digital learned exclusively. Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, on Friday will introduce the Eliminating Lavish Incentives to Electric Vehicles Act, a bill that aims to eliminate the Biden-era tax credit for new and used EVs and slash “woke and wasteful spending.” “Under President Biden and the most climate-crazed administration in the history of our country, Democrats ran up the bill on the American people to the tune of billions of dollars, strapping tax subsidies for expensive electric vehicles to the failed Inflation Reduction Act,” Arrington, who currently serves as chair of the House Budget Committee, told Fox News Digital in a statement.  TRUMP REVERSES BIDEN CRACKDOWN ON LIGHTBULBS AND DISHWASHERS, RETURNING TO ‘COMMON SENSE STANDARDS’ Former President Joe Biden implemented a tax credit of up to $7,500 for the purchase of EVs under the Inflation Reduction Act in an effort to push auto buyers to select greener alternatives. However, President Donald Trump has been walking back the Biden-era green energy policies, and the Republican-led Congress is seeking to end the use of taxpayer dollars for EV purchases. TRUMP ADMIN HITS BRAKES ON $5B ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATION PROGRAM Arrington’s legislation aims to stop taxpayer money from subsidizing the purchase of luxury electric vehicles and close the “loophole” that allows for individuals to get a tax credit for leasing an EV. “I will remain on mission to repeal Green New Deal climate handouts along with other woke and wasteful spending programs while we restore fiscal sanity, reignite prosperity, and Make America Great Again,” the congressman said. The bill, joined by several members of the Ways and Means Committee, aligns with an executive order recently issued by Trump ending Biden’s mandate that 50% of all new car sales be EVs by 2030.  Amid rumblings that Trump was considering eliminating the EV credit in November, Tim Stewart, president of the U.S. Oil & Gas Association, a group promoting public policy on behalf of the natural gas industry, suggested that behind the scenes, automotive groups and consumers could feel relieved if the EV credit was repealed. “Losing $70,000 on an EV is not a winning business model and U.S. automakers know that,” Stewart told Fox News Digital. “The EV tax credit was the only way to entice consumers to ‘maybe’ purchase something they really didn’t want, but told by the Biden folks they had to buy.”  Stewart said axing the EV tax credit gives members of the auto industry the opportunity to shift back to traditional production lines. Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who is heading Trump’s newly formed Department of Government Efficiency, revealed in July that he supports getting rid of the credit. “Take away the subsidies,” Musk posted to X, saying “it will only help Tesla.” Companies that are financially sound, such as Tesla, could benefit if the playing field for electric vehicles is narrowed, while the smaller companies that rely on the tax credit for consumer affordability could face setbacks, analysts have suggested.

Expert reveals massive levels of waste DOGE can slash from entitlements, pet projects: ‘A lot of fat’

Expert reveals massive levels of waste DOGE can slash from entitlements, pet projects: ‘A lot of fat’

As Democrats blast Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) efforts as a “constitutional crisis,” Fox News Digital spoke to a government spending expert who explained that many departments, including entitlements, are ripe with fat that can and should be cut.  James Agresti, president of the nonprofit research institute Just Facts, spoke to Fox News Digital about some of the opportunities to make cuts to entitlements and pointed to $2 billion worth of improper payments at the Social Security Administration (SSA) in 2022, which was enough to pay 89,947 retired workers in 2023. “It’s hard to wrap your head around a figure like that,” Agresti said. “There’s a lot of fat in Social Security, as there are in almost all entitlement programs.” The SSA sent roughly 7,000 federal employees disability benefits in 2008 while they were still taking wages from federal jobs, according to a 2010 report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). HOUSE DEM FUMES OVER MUSK’S DOGE CRACKDOWN DURING FIERY INTERVIEW: ‘I’M PISSED’ The GAO estimated that about 1,500 of those individuals “may have improperly received benefits” since their wages went beyond maximum income thresholds. The GAO investigation also found that over 71,000 “stimulus checks” were sent by the Obama administration to people who were deceased, including 63,481 people whose deaths had been previously reported to the agency. President Donald Trump and Musk have signaled concerns about illegal immigrants with Social Security numbers contributing to fraud at SSA, which Agresti said are concerns backed up by facts. “In 2010, the chief actuary of the Social Security Administration did a study of this problem, and it found that there were 800,000 noncitizens who had Social Security numbers and were working under them, which means they can receive benefits on them, and they obtain those Social Security numbers by submitting false birth certificates to the Social Security Administration,” Agresti said. DOGE SUBCOMMITTEE HOLDS FIRST HEARING SLAMMING $36T NATIONAL DEBT, AS HOUSE REPUBLICANS DECLARE ‘WAR ON WASTE’ Agresti explained that there are similar problems at the Internal Revenue Service “where they’re doling out child tax credits for the children of illegal immigrants, and they are basically accepting anything that’s thrown at them.” “There was an investigation back several years ago where the same birth certificate was issued, it was given to them in numerous cases to get these child tax credits, and they just gave it to them,” Agresti said. “There was absolutely no accountability. In fact, the order from management was just get it done, get it off your desk. Don’t worry about investigating whether or not it’s legit and this is quite frankly, it’s theft.” “It’s stealing from the US taxpayers, it’s stealing from the government. And certain people have just come to tolerate it. And quite frankly, I just think that’s ridiculous. We would never tolerate this in our regular life. Somebody ripping us off for 10, 20% of our income.” Agresti told Fox News Digital that Social Security is “actually one of the better ones” when compared to other entitlements like Medicare and Medicaid, where the improper payments are “astronomical” and “sometimes five, 10, 15%, 20% with the Children’s Health Insurance Program.” Speaking about the IRS, Agresti said it has essentially become a “welfare program” with the “introduction of congressional laws that issue refundable tax credits” and said there are “massively” high improper payments in the agency, particularly with the earned income tax credit and child tax credit.  Democrats have been vocally railing against Trump and Musk’s DOGE efforts, particularly when it comes to entitlement programs, where they argue that the administration is attempting to strip legitimate earned benefits owed to taxpayers.  Agresti told Fox News Digital that “nothing could be further from the truth” and when it comes to social security, DOGE is “trying to make sure that your Social Security check is there and not lost to fraud.” “I think we’re seeing one big obstacle right now, the Democratic Party, which is going after it and demonizing Trump and Musk for making a good faith effort to fix this kind of problem, and I don’t see the reason for it,” Agresti said. “I don’t see the motivation for it. But it’s ridiculous that they’re misconstruing what they’re doing.” “The federal government is a behemoth, and it’s got a lot of tentacles. A lot of employees and governments are infamous for having very low accountability for their employees. It’s just the way it’s always been.”

Liverpool vs Wolves – Premier League preview: Slot, team news, kickoff time

Liverpool vs Wolves – Premier League preview: Slot, team news, kickoff time

Liverpool manager Arne Slot speaks for the first time following his sending off in the Merseyside derby at Everton. Who: Liverpool vs Wolverhampton WanderersWhat: English Premier LeagueWhere: Anfield, Liverpool, United KingdomWhen: Sunday, February 14 at 2pm (14:00 GMT)Follow Al Jazeera sport’s live text and photo commentary stream of the match. Liverpool manager Arne Slot said emotions got the better of him when he was asked what led to his sending off following Wednesday’s chaotic finish to their 2-2 Premier League draw at Everton. Referee Michael Oliver showed Slot a red card after the manager shook his hand, following James Tarkowski’s stoppage-time equaliser for Everton at Goodison Park. A heated scuffle had also broken out between the two teams following Tarkowski’s goal that led to Everton’s Abdoulaye Doucoure and Liverpool’s Curtis Jones being sent off shortly before Slot’s red card. “The extra time that was five minutes and ended up being eight, happens a lot. And the emotions got the better of me,” Slot told reporters on Friday. “If I look back at it, I would love to do it differently.” Liverpool manager Arne Slot remonstrates with referee Michael Oliver before being sent off [Jason Cairnduff/Reuters] The manager, who is now suspended for Sunday’s visit of Wolverhampton Wanders, refused to divulge if he had said something to the referee that led to the red card. Advertisement “That is (an) ongoing process now and I think I have to respect that, so I can’t go into details,” he said. Everton are 15th in the table and edging clear of the relegation battle but Slot said the derby had felt like an even contest. “A draw would have been, maybe, a fair result. But with us leading after 97 minutes, it felt as if we were quite close to winning the game, so it felt like we dropped two points,” he added. Tempers had already flared between players at the end of the Premier League match before Slot’s red card [File: Carl Recine/Getty Images] How is the Premier League title race affected? Liverpool, who are unbeaten in the league since September, are seven points clear of Arsenal at the top of the Premier League. The Reds will face a difficult fight to the finish line in the title race, Slot said before Sunday’s match. “The second half of the season is always more difficult than the first for many reasons. Some teams bring in new players, some teams are playing longer together,” he said. “Some teams bring in new managers, like Everton… and the one at Wolves has made them better as well.” Liverpool begin a busy period with late heartbreak against their Merseyside rivals 💔 pic.twitter.com/mlIgQ0GQGt — Premier League (@premierleague) February 13, 2025 How have Wolverhampton Wanderers fared this season? Wolves are 17th in the table and just two points above the drop zone. They ended a four-match losing streak in the league when they beat Aston Villa earlier this month. The Midlands-based club have also won five of their 10 matches in all competitions since new manager Vitor Pereira took over in December. Liverpool team news With injuries already ruling out defender Joe Gomez and midfielder Tyler Morton, Liverpool may also be without Dutch forward Cody Gakpo this weekend, Slot said. Advertisement “Cody is a bit of a doubt. I had to take him off due to an injury because he got a knock. Let’s see how he is today,” he said. “So it is going to be a challenge again on Sunday but that is normal on the last part of the season in the best league of the world.” Wolves are yet to update their latest team news. Adblock test (Why?)

Don’t Drown in the Decibels: A Cautionary PSA for Web3 community

Don’t Drown in the Decibels: A Cautionary PSA for Web3 community

I feel the need to have a chat with fellow web3 community today. My friend informed me about the Berachain token crashing 63% after token launch leaving a trail of disillusioned potential crypto millionaires. The thing to notice is that it wasn’t just the degens but also the ‘smart money’ backing Berachain and the ‘Proof-of-Liquidity’ phenomenon.