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Business Standard
16 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Supreme Court clears way for Trump's plans to downsize federal workforce
The justices overrode lower court orders that temporarily froze the cuts, which have been led by the Department of Government Efficiency AP Washington The Supreme Court on Tuesday cleared the way for President Donald Trump's plans to downsize the federal workforce despite warnings that critical government services will be lost and hundreds of thousands of federal employees will be out of their jobs. The justices overrode lower court orders that temporarily froze the cuts, which have been led by the Department of Government Efficiency. The court said in an unsigned order that no specific cuts were in front of the justices, only an executive order issued by Trump and an administration directive for agencies to undertake job reductions. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was the only dissenting vote, accusing her colleagues of a demonstrated enthusiasm for greenlighting this President's legally dubious actions in an emergency posture. Trump has repeatedly said voters gave him a mandate to remake the federal government, and he tapped billionaire ally Elon Musk to lead the charge through DOGE. Musk recently left his role. Tens of thousands of federal workers have been fired, have left their jobs via deferred resignation programs or have been placed on leave. There is no official figure for the job cuts, but at least 75,000 federal employees took deferred resignation and thousands of probationary workers have already been let go. In May, US District Judge Susan Illston found that Trump's administration needs congressional approval to make sizable reductions to the federal workforce. By a 2-1 vote, a panel of the US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals refused to block Illston's order, finding that the downsizing could have broader effects, including on the nation's food-safety system and health care for veterans. Illston directed numerous federal agencies to halt acting on the president's workforce executive order signed in February and a subsequent memo issued by DOGE and the Office of Personnel Management. Illston was nominated by former Democratic President Bill Clinton. The labour unions and nonprofit groups that sued over the downsizing offered the justices several examples of what would happen if it were allowed to take effect, including cuts of 40% per cent to 50 per cent at several agencies. Among the agencies affected by the order are the departments of Agriculture, Energy, Labour, the Interior, State, the Treasury and Veterans Affairs. It also applies to the National Science Foundation, Small Business Association, Social Security Administration and Environmental Protection Agency.
Mint
17 minutes ago
- Mint
Trump administration seeks to ban China from buying US farms
The Trump administration has a message for China: Keep off the farm. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said Tuesday the administration will work with state lawmakers to ban sales of U.S. farmland to buyers from China and other countries of concern, citing national-security interests. Rollins, joined by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, said the government is ratcheting up scrutiny on existing land owned by Chinese buyers and is looking at ways to potentially claw back past purchases. 'We'll never let foreign adversaries control our land," said Rollins. State and federal lawmakers for years have warned that China and other countries could use U.S. farmland to facilitate spying or wield influence over the U.S. food supply chain. Chinese-owned entities hold nearly 300,000 acres—roughly 0.02%—of U.S. farmland, according to Agriculture Department data, an area about the size of Los Angeles. Republicans and Democrats alike have sought to curb foreign ownership of American farmland, at times seeking to increase government scrutiny of purchases and investments. Critics have raised fears that foreign owners could drive up land prices or sidestep environmental rules. China's government has played down such concerns as overblown. Representatives of China's embassy in Washington, D.C., had no immediate comment. Rollins said on Tuesday that U.S. farms are under threat from China and other countries that are trying to infiltrate American agricultural research and steal technology. 'No longer can foreign adversaries assume we aren't watching," Hegseth said. Some state and municipal lawmakers have taken steps in recent years to block China-backed investment or ownership in U.S. agriculture. The city of Grand Forks, N.D., in 2023 halted the construction of a Chinese-owned corn mill after a U.S. Air Force official said the planned $700 million facility could represent a national-security risk because of its proximity to a nearby base. Some China-based ownership of U.S. farmland involves prominent U.S. agriculture companies. Pork giant Smithfield Foods and seed and pesticide supplier Syngenta have both faced criticism from government officials and lawmakers because of their Chinese owners. Smithfield is majority-owned by Chinese pork company WH Group and Syngenta is a subsidiary of China National Chemical. The companies' American leaders have pushed back, saying their China-based owners have helped them invest in U.S. farmers and create jobs. Smithfield in the past represented roughly half of the U.S. farmland owned by Chinese entities, via its Hong Kong-based parent. Much of that had been tied up in hundreds of company-owned hog farms and processing plants, according to federal data. WH Group acquired Smithfield in 2013, aiming to harness its technology and expertise to boost WH's operations in China. Smithfield returned to the U.S. public markets earlier this year, raising roughly $500 million after listing its shares on the Nasdaq Stock Market. WH Group owns about 93% of Smithfield's shares. 'We're an American company, American management team and made in America," Smithfield Chief Executive Shane Smith said in an interview earlier this year. Smithfield last year sold more than 40,000 acres of its U.S. farmland, leaving it with roughly 85,000 acres. Shares of Smithfield fell about 1% on Tuesday. Syngenta, the largest pesticide seller in the U.S., has said it owns a small amount of land for research, development and regulatory trials. The company, which employs about 4,000 people in the U.S., has previously faced calls to sell its farmland holdings. Two years ago, Arkansas ordered Syngenta to sell about 160 acres in the state, where it maintained an agricultural research facility with a few dozen employees. Syngenta at the time called the state's decision shortsighted. A Syngenta spokesman said Tuesday that the company is in the process of selling its remaining U.S. farmland and currently owns less than 1,000 acres in the country. Write to Patrick Thomas at
News18
18 minutes ago
- News18
Elon Musk Says His America Party Would Prioritise Epstein Files In Deepening Rift With Trump
Elon Musk Says His America Party Would Prioritise Epstein Files In Deepening Rift With Trump Curated By : Last Updated: July 09, 2025, 07:14 IST Elon Musk has announced that releasing the Epstein files would be a top priority for his new America Party. Earlier, he asserted that Trump's name was there in the files. Advertisement Elon Musk, who escalated his feud with US President Donald Trump by announcing the formation of a new political party, has now said that releasing the Epstein files would be high on his America Party's priority list. Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk (File photo/AP) Responding to a question on X, on if exposing the Epstein files rank high on the America Party's list, Musk dropped a 'hundred points' symbol, signifying his assurance for the same. Recommended Stories Earlier, Musk had deleted an explosive allegation linking Donald Trump with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein that he posted on social media during a vicious public fallout with the US President. Musk alleged that the Republican leader is featured in unreleased government files on former associates of Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 while he faced sex trafficking charges. 'Time to drop the really big bomb: (Trump) is in the Epstein files," Musk posted on his social media platform. 'That is the real reason they have not been made public," he alleged. Musk did not reveal which files he was talking about and offered no evidence for his claim. He initially doubled down on the claim, writing in a follow-up message, 'Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out." However, he deleted both tweets the following morning. Meanwhile, the Trump administration acknowledged it was reviewing tens of thousands of documents, videos and investigative material that his 'MAGA" movement says will unmask public figures complicit in Epstein's crimes. Trump was named in a trove of deposition and statements linked to Epstein that were unsealed by a New York judge in early 2024. The President has not been accused of any wrongdoing in the case. DONALD TRUMP VS ELON MUSK The fallout between the two deepened after Republicans passed a major policy bill supported by Trump, prompting Musk to declare his intention to back primary challengers against GOP members who voted for it. In response, Trump dismissed Musk's new party as 'ridiculous" and labelled him a 'train wreck," criticising the effort as one doomed to fail in the US political system. The feud between Musk and Trump marks a major turn in their relationship. Trump had once praised Musk's government cost-cutting efforts and even presented him with a gold key to the White House. During his stint with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Musk had an office at the White House and appeared prominently in Cabinet meetings, The Hill reported. top videos View all Swipe Left For Next Video View all However, now, Trump has hinted at deporting the South African-born US citizen and potentially turning DOGE against Musk's companies. ALSO READ | Trump Snaps At Reporter Over Jeffrey Epstein Query: 'You Are A Waste Of Time' About the Author Vani Mehrotra Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks. Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at She has nearly 10 years of experience in both national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks. First Published: July 09, 2025, 07:03 IST News world Elon Musk Says His America Party Would Prioritise Epstein Files In Deepening Rift With Trump
