Everything that shouldn’t be in the federal government’s budget… that is in the budget

ALSO INSIDE: “Meltdown Mike” has only shot one constituent’s household pet—but that’s probably one too many.

May 19, 2025

Cam here 👋 bringing you your daily dose of what people are doing – good, bad, and otherwise – in the world of politics. We’re diving into the stories you won’t see anywhere else. And remember, you can also keep up with me over on TikTok and Bluesky.

What Happened

After very publicly failing to pass the federal reconciliation budget Friday, House Republicans quietly held a late-night vote on Sunday to move the bill forward. Much of what’s in the budget package is incredibly unpopular—even among Republican voters—and Team Trump seemed eager to give conservative outlets something else to report on.

Trump continued his attacks against various celebrities with little success, while his son, Donald Jr., seems to have struck a chord with far-right conspiracy theorists. The metaphorical cancer that is Donald Trump’s eldest son latched onto the literal cancer of former US President Joe Biden, turning the lifelong public servant’s private health condition into a spectacle that has dominated the front page of most conservative outlets.

Meanwhile, Congressional Republicans are rushing to pass a reconciliation budget that is destined to fail, thanks to the clown car of ideological initiatives that’s been stuffed inside it, including:

Removing coverage for vasectomy and hysterectomy procedures under the Affordable Care Act
Subsidies for religious and private schools from public education funding
The creation of Trump’s National Garden of American Heroes
Lowering standards for long-term care facilities that receive Medicaid and Medicare
Raising the fee for Temporary Protected Status application from $50 to $500
Giving the US Attorney General authority over who can apply for asylum
Giving the executive branch the authority to deport unaccompanied minors and “certain criminal aliens” without due process

Attempts to Sanewash

Far-Right Spin

Nearly 20,000 protesters cover a 30-mile stretch across Chicago

Tens of thousands of people of all ages came together over the weekend to create a 30-mile human chain that spread throughout Chicagoland. Organizers told the Chicago Tribune that the peaceful protest was part of their ongoing efforts to protest the Trump administration.

Volunteers who have been scheduling Chicago’s protests have become incredibly organized: those interested in joining could easily find an open spot on the chain close to home through the Hands Across Chicagoland website, and instructions were available so even a first-time attendee could know where to park, how to find a restroom, and what to do if someone became antagonistic.

The movement appears to have substantial local support as well. Nearly 40 local neighborhood groups, nonprofits, and labor unions have partnered with Hands Across Chicagoland, a signal that these protests have a staying power that is less likely to dissipate once the initial shock of Trump’s actions wears off.

Momentum against Trump’s dismantling of the federal government, consolidation of power, and violation of constitutional rights continues to build as the President’s efforts begin to be seriously hampered by legislative inaction and court proceedings.

US Rep. Mike Bost, Illinois’ 12th Congressional District

Since taking office in 2015, Rep. Mike Bost has:

Seen his net worth increase from $385K to $618K
Sponsored 126 bills
Authored seven bills that have been signed into law.
In 1986, a beagle bit his daughter. He drove to the owner’s house, found the dog in its kennel, shot it, and killed it
Got so upset during a debate over concealed carry laws that he smashed his microphone

Fun Facts

“Meltdown Mike” has a well-documented history of temper tantrums that extends far beyond destruction of property and killing household pets. Bost’s 2012 outburst, where he lost it on the Illinois House Floor and compared reading lengthy bills to being a slave. The outburst landed him a top spot on CNN’s “Best Celebrity Flip-Outs of All-Time” list and is merely one in a series of emotional moments for Bost, who is known for screaming, throwing things, and breaking whatever he can get his hands on.

While his love for firearms is well-documented, Bost’s ability to document where his guns are is less of a priority. In 2006, a prized revolver owned by Bost was used in an attack and was retrieved by the police. When they questioned Bost, he didn’t know the gun was missing and blamed a 17-year-old girl who had been staying with him—why she was living with him at the time is also unclear.

Two years later, Bost voted against a bill that would have required gun owners to report a stolen firearm as soon as it was discovered to be missing.

@couriernewsroom Republicans say they want to put Medicaid recipients to work, yet are pushing a funding package that would defund this Colorado work program.

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Innovative jobs program on Trump’s chopping block

A really life-changing jobs program in Colorado is helping people all over the Denver area not only find work but also provides them with stable housing so they can get back on their feet—but soon, it might be shutting down completely.

SustainAbility, a Denver-based recycling organization, uses its staffing needs as a way to give back to the community: they hire people who need job training and give it to them—while giving them a paycheck as well.

And since a lot of the people employed by SustainAbility are either homeless or in a shaky living situation—which is a huge hindrance to getting a job, which is usually needed to make money, which is a key part of being able to afford a place to live—the agency connects them with residential services so they can have a place to live while they work on their professional development.

On paper, it sounds like a win/win; people can get housing, savings, and crucial job training so they can confidently enter the workforce, and SustainAbility can have the staff it needs to recycle materials that would otherwise end up in a landfill while helping their neighbors get back on their feet.

So, why is this entire program on the chopping block? I spoke with Meg Moore, SustainAbility’s vocational program director, about what’s at stake—and what others can do to help.

Watch my interview with Meg on Instagram or TikTok.

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