To the Editor:

Fox will not tell you that the adoption of the House Republican Budget 2026 will be held essentially behind closed doors, as the Speaker plans to have sessions and votes late into the night so that you and the rest of the public will not know what happened until the proposal is closed to discussion. Proposed Democratic amendments are not discussed but were put to an immediate vote to deny. Why? Because so many of the changes will be disastrous for many ordinary Americans.

Republican proposals include:

• Cuts and significant changes to Medicaid, set-ups for assaults on Medicare and Social Security,
• Gutting food inspectors and environmental protections (Clean Air, Clean Water, disaster support),
• Reduction or elimination of food accessibility for those in need including children,
• Gutting funds for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to warn of dangerous weather patterns, and for FEMA,
• Stripping Health and Disease research agencies, grants, and staff,
• Dismantling education support and government watchdogs,
• Handing Trump II the power to strip nonprofits of tax-exempt status, with negligible Due Process, for organizations deemed “terrorists,” i.e., don’t comply with Trump’s objectives, (if you don’t agree with Trump, you are a “terrorist”), and
• Fluctuating tax proposals.

The Republicans House is telling you that you don’t have a need to know.

Trump proudly touted the unwritten UK tariff “deal,” where Rolls-Royces and other high-end cars were exempted from increased tariffs (rich rides must be protected!), despite the subsequent outrage of American car manufacturers. This concept of a deal took weeks to reel in, even with our closest European ally.

In the meantime, China has invoked a nickname for Trump, “Chuan Jianguo” or, ‘Trump the Nation Builder,’” which translates to “Comrade Trump.” The joke is that, “Trump is a patriotic son of China who is diligently advancing Chinese interests by causing chaos in the United States, which will encourage China to assume its rightful place as the world’s leader and the beacon of a new phase of globalization that’s no longer centered on America.”

Maybe Trump understood the ridicule. Because on Monday, Trump capitulated on the devastating triple-digit tariffs he had imposed on products imported from China. “After more than a month of an escalating trade war, China and the US announced a 90-day cooling off period [the second] to give the two sides time to negotiate a longer-term solution.” This temporary measure is good news against the threat of imminent stagflation, though significant inflation remains, as well all know from grocery shopping. It shows that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is at the controls again, and Peter Navarro is in a closet somewhere, far from Trump’s vulnerable ears.

The other good news is that someone finally got through to Trump (though AG Bondi approved the transaction) that he could not accept an essentially personal gift of a 400 million-dollar 747 jet from Qatar. Even his muse, Lara Loomer, was “appalled” at the bribe. Just Trump being Trump. And we’re only 120 days in.

Kelly Scoles,
Fillmore, Ca