The Morning: Remaking the government

Plus, Gaza, deportation flights and Gen X.

View in browser|nytimes.com February 5, 2025 By German Lopez Good morning. We're covering the overhaul of the federal government. We're also covering Gaza, deportation flights and Gen X. President Trump Eric Lee/The New York Times Remaking government Last night, the website for the U.S. Agency for International Development came back after days offline. It displayed a short message: Almost all USAID staff are being placed on leave. During his first two weeks back in office, President Trump has fired prosecutors and agency watchdogs across the government. He offered employees payouts to resign, threatening mass layoffs if they didn't. He tried to freeze trillions of dollars in federal grants and loans. More is reportedly coming; the F.B.I. and the Education Department are likely future targets. All of this news can seem chaotic and unpredictable. But beneath it all, Trump has a vision. To achieve his policy goals, he argues, the federal government has to change: First, it must become more efficient. Second, the "deep state" that Trump believes opposed him during his first term must go. Today's newsletter will look at these two rationales — and what could get in Trump's way. 1. Government efficiency Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency intends to slash $1 trillion in federal spending and bring Silicon Valley productivity to the federal work force. Only then, the thinking goes, can the government move swiftly enough to implement Trump's ambitious policy agenda. Musk is acting quickly and noisily. He has dispatched a phalanx of Silicon Valley acolytes to access computer and accounting systems controlled by civil servants. In explaining his actions, he has vilified government agencies, calling USAID a "criminal organization" without evidence. ("Time for it to die," he added.) He has told friends that he measures his success in taxpayer dollars saved per day. Elon Musk during the Inauguration. Kenny Holston/The New York Times But Congress has power of the purse, and the president cannot, under the Constitution, unilaterally shut down programs that Congress has funded. Already, courts ruled against Trump's attempt to freeze federal grants and loans. And even if he could fire all civilian employees, their pay makes up just 4 percent of the federal budget. Most spending goes to the military, Social Security, Medicare and programs that help low-income Americans (such as food stamps and Medicaid). Cuts to those areas could be unpopular — both with the public and with the lawmakers who'd need to vote for them. For now, Trump has left all of those expensive programs unscathed. Instead, his administration has targeted relatively small agencies, like USAID and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which have historically operated with a lot of autonomy. 2. Dismantling the 'deep state' What, then, could explain Trump's choices? That autonomy may be the true target. Trump believes a group of federal employees, which he calls the "deep state," stifled his first-term agenda. Some government workers have admitted as much. One of Trump's grievances is how long it takes to make policy: Ideas often have to go through studies, contracting proposals, public comment periods and more before officials implement them. Then they have to survive legal challenges. A determined federal employee who opposes a policy proposal could take advantage of this process to slow things down. In the Oval Office. Eric Lee/The New York Times Trump knows that he wants to accomplish many things that the disproportionately liberal federal work force dislikes. He wants to deport millions of unauthorized migrants, roll back policies that fight climate change and impose tariffs. He wants people in power, from the rank and file to cabinet secretaries, who will faithfully execute that vision. So his administration has tried to entice his opponents to leave — by offering payouts, abolishing remote work and threatening layoffs. But remaking the federal work force is not easy. Laws, regulations and union contracts protect employees. The administration can't eliminate many programs on its own. Some workers have filed lawsuits to stop the Trump administration's actions. Will it work? The lawsuits hint at a broader problem with the administration's efforts: Much of what it's doing might be illegal. Eventually, the courts could step in to stop Trump and Musk. Congress could, too. Trump is betting that the other branches of government won't intervene. In his first term, he stocked the Supreme Court with friendly justices. Republicans now control the House and the Senate, and they have stood up for Trump and Musk's efforts so far. "To my friends who are upset, I would say with respect, you know, Call somebody who cares," Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana said this week. "They better get used to this. It's USAID today. It's going to be Department of Education tomorrow." Related: Trump has brazenly defied the law in his attempts to seize more executive power, my colleague Charlie Savage writes. For more Several groups, including F.B.I. agents and public sector unions, filed lawsuits yesterday challenging Trump's plans to remake the government. "The Daily" is on Musk's role in Washington today. THE LATEST NEWS Middle East Benjamin Netanyahu and Trump. Tierney L. Cross for The New York Times Trump proposed that the U.S. seize control of Gaza and relocate Palestinians there to other countries. He said he would turn the territory into "the Riviera of the Middle East." Trump did not say how the U.S. would convince, or force, more than two million Gazans to leave. "I don't think they're going to tell me no," he said. Palestinian leaders and Saudi Arabia, a key U.S. ally in the Middle East, immediately rejected the idea. Egypt and Jordan, the two countries that Trump said could receive Palestinians, recently denounced a similar suggestion. Benjamin Netanyahu, who visited the White House yesterday, said of Trump's proposal: "This is the kind of thinking that will reshape the Middle East and bring peace." Trump signed an executive order calling for a review of U.S. funding and involvement in the United Nations. He also withdrew the U.S. from the U.N. Human Rights Council and stopped funding UNRWA, the agency that aids Palestinians. Trump's proposal continued the trend toward imperialism that has run through his second administration, Peter Baker writes. Read more takeaways from the announcement. Trump Administration Members of the Senate's finance committee. Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times Senate committees advanced the contentious nominations of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for health secretary and Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence. Senator Bill Cassidy, Republican of Louisiana, joined his party to advance Kennedy's nomination. Cassidy, a doctor, had agonized over Kennedy's views on vaccines. The Senate confirmed Pam Bondi, a former Florida prosecutor who defended Trump at his first impeachment, as attorney general. The acting F.B.I. director, Brian Driscoll, received his role through a White House website error. He has become the subject of memes for resisting the Trump administration's changes. Congressional Republicans have filed several bills to flatter Trump, including ones that would rename Dulles Airport in his honor and add his likeness to Mount Rushmore. Immigration The Trump administration sent its first flights of migrants to Guantánamo Bay, in Cuba, where service members are preparing a tent city to detain up to 30,000. A U.S. military plane deporting at least 100 people landed in India, a top source of unauthorized immigration to the U.S. El Salvador's president offered to jail convicted criminals deported by the U.S., even if they were U.S. citizens. Trump said he would jail Americans there "in a heartbeat" if he could. Experts said that would be illegal. Other Big Stories In Orebro, Sweden. Kicki Nilsson/TT News Agency, via Associated Press A shooting at an adult education center in Sweden killed at least 10 people, including the perpetrator. The prime minister said it was the worst mass shooting in Sweden's history. A Times video investigation shows what happened in the moments before an Army helicopter and a passenger jet collided near Washington, D.C. A man who plotted to bomb Heathrow Airport in London in support of Al Qaeda was sentenced to 44 years in prison. The wealthy Los Angeles community of Pacific Palisades, devastated by recent wildfires, will likely become even more exclusive and expensive as it rebuilds. Josh Kraft, a son of the owner of the New England Patriots, Robert Kraft, is running for mayor of Boston against Michelle Wu, the progressive incumbent. Opinions Ukraine built two million drones in secret last year — a sign that Trump should invest in its innovative defense industry, Farah Stockman writes. Here are columns by Bret Stephens on the end of Pax Americana and Zeynep Tufekci on artificial intelligence. Subscribe Today The Morning highlights a small portion of the journalism that The New York Times offers. To access all of it, become a subscriber with this introductory offer. MORNING READS Naila Ruechel for The New York Times The Perennials: While young people fret, Gen X women are having the best sex. Health: As bird flu spreads, experts explain what you should know about egg safety. Loosen up: A simple strength and mobility routine can help relieve pain from tight hips. Most clicked yesterday: A study on how Americans are wealthy but unhappy. Couples therapy: How I learned the problem in my marriage was me. Lives Lived: The Aga Khan IV, the leader of Ismaili Muslims, a branch of the Shiite tradition of Islam, was one of the world's wealthiest hereditary rulers. He died at 88. (See photos of his life in his obituary.) SPORTS N.F.L.: The league is removing the "End Racism" message that it stenciled in each end zone during the Super Bowl for the last four years. It will instead use "Choose Love" and "It Takes All Of Us." N.B.A. trades: Could another big name be on the move? Teams including the Warriors are preparing to pursue Kevin Durant. Tennis: Romanian player Simona Halep, a former world No. 1 who won two Grand Slam tournaments, announced her retirement. ARTS AND IDEAS Photo Illustration by The New York Times; Photograph by Graham Dickie/The New York Times Martha Stewart's best-selling first book, "Entertaining," has long been out of print. But two recent documentaries have made her popular with a younger generation, and many influencers have tried to buy vintage copies. The publisher is now promising to reprint it in all its 1980s glory. Read more about the book. More on culture The 2025 Met Gala's theme will be "tailored for you," inspired by an exhibition that focuses on the history of the Black dandy. Jimmy Kimmel joked about Trump's foreign policy. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Linda Xiao for The New York Times Sweeten a baked lemon pudding with blueberry jam. Host a cozy winter meal — and give it a theme. Stock your junk drawer with actually useful things. Freshen your hair with the best dry shampoo. GAMES Here is today's Spelling Bee. Yesterday's pangrams were hateful and healthful. And here are today's Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. — German Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: David Leonhardt Deputy Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for the Morning newsletter from The New York Times, or as part of your New York Times account. To stop receiving The Morning, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. 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