MARCH 2025. Blues Vol 41 No.3

FROM THE PUBLISHER’S

FROM THE PUBLISHER’S DESKThe USA is BACK6 The BLUES - MARCH ‘25For the first time in four years, wehave our country back. No longer arewe the laughingstock of the worldwith a leader who was literallyasleep at the wheel. Now we havea real president in Donald J. Trumpwho is kicking ass and taking names.In fact, in his first 30-days, PresidentTrump signed over a hundredexecutive orders, more than anyother president in the history of ourcountry. Literally everything Trumppromised on the campaign trail isbecoming reality. Here are just thehighlights of his first 45-days inoffice.CLEARING OUT THE DEAD-WEIGHT: Trump has taken action toremake and reduce the size of theUnited States' 2.3 million-strong federalworkforce by offering buyoutsto its civilian employees. The "deferredresignation program" affectingcivilian workers would allow federalemployees to remain on the payrollthrough September 30 but withouthaving to work in person and possiblyhaving their duties reduced oreliminated in the meantime, accordingto an email sent to federal employees.He also dismissed hundredsof workers who refused to return totheir assigned workplaces by the endof January.FUNDING FREEZE: The Trumpadministration issued a memo pausingpotentially trillions of dollars infederal aid, when it discovered wewere funding WOKE programs allover the world.GOVERNMENT WATCHDOGS:Trump fired 17 inspectors generalat multiple government agencies, amove that clears the way to replaceindependent watchdogs with loyalists.The inspectors general atagencies including the departmentsof State, Defense and Transportationwere notified by emails from theWhite House personnel director thatthey had been terminated.REVIEW OF FEMA: Trump hasordered a review of the FederalEmergency Management Agency,as he considers whether to close orreshape the country's lead federaldisaster response agency. He accusedFEMA of bungling emergencyrelief efforts and said he preferredthose states be given federal moneyto handle disasters themselves.FIRINGS: Trump says he plans tofire over 1,000 officials appointedby his predecessor Joe Biden. On hisfirst full day in office the heads ofthe U.S. Coast Guard and TransportationSecurity Administration werefired along with other officials. CoastGuard Commandant Admiral LindaLee Fagan, the first female uniformedleader of an armed forces branch,was removed in part for what a Departmentof Homeland Security officialsaid was her excessive focus ondiversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)policies. At the White House NationalSecurity Council, 160 staff memberswere sent home.WOKE IS DOA: The WOKE era ofAmerica is over and the governmentnow recognizes only two sexes–Male and Female. Trump signed anorder calling for the elimination ofgovernment diversity programs. Thatincludes the ending of all federal officesand jobs related to DEI. Trumpdirected agencies to stop using genderidentity or preferred pronouns.DIRECTION CHANGE AT PENTA-GON: Trump signed orders to removeDEI directives from the military, reinstatethousands of troops who werekicked out for refusing COVID-19vaccines during the pandemic, andtook aim at transgender troops. Oneof the executive orders signed byTrump said that expressing a "genderidentity" different from an individual'ssex at birth did not meet militarystandards. Transgender rights groupshave filed a lawsuit against the order.OVERHAULING USAID: The administrationplaced all USAID employeeson leave and recalled thousands ofpersonnel working overseas. US-AID was found to be funding .5million to “advance diversity equityand inclusion in Serbia’s workplacesand business communities; ,000for production of a “DEI musical”in Ireland; .5 million for electricvehicles for Vietnam; ,000 for a“transgender opera” in Colombia;,000 for a “transgender comicbook” in Peru; million for sexchanges and “LGBT activism” inGuatemala; and million to fundtourism in Egypt.As Trump stated in his inauguraladdress – “The Golden Age of Americanhas begun.”

The BLUES - MARCH ‘25 7