The Paper Trail: July 8, 2025

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Announcements

Applications are now open for a two-day intensive Boot Camp on the art and practice of oversight and investigations hosted by POGO, the Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy, and The Lugar Center. This training is only open to staff in Congress. Apply at THIS LINK by July 21.

Top stories for July 8, 2025

Deadly Texas floods leave officials pointing fingers after warnings missed: Local, state, and federal officials are blaming each other in the wake of the deadly Texas flooding, but one thing is certain: The warnings weren’t heard by the people who needed them. (Saul Elbein, The Hill)

🔎 See Also: Debate erupts over role job cuts played in weather forecasts ahead of deadly Texas floods (Michael Biesecker and Brian Slodysko, Associated Press)

🔎 See Also: NOAA to discontinue some weather data, but delays cutoff (Rachel Frazin, The Hill)

Senate Judiciary Democrats launch probe into whether Trump officials violated court orders: The probe was sparked by a whistleblower complaint from a fired DOJ attorney who alleged that senior DOJ officials, including Principal Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, advocated for ignoring or delaying compliance with court orders blocking deportation flights and presenting baseless legal arguments, misrepresenting facts, and making false statements in court. (Rebecca Beitsch, The Hill)

🔎 See Also: El Salvador says for first time that U.S. controls fate of jailed deportees (Silvia Foster-Frau, Washington Post)

Millions more Americans could turn to food banks soon. Food banks are simply not ready: Food banks say they’re wholly unprepared to feed millions of Americans when the more than $1 trillion in cuts to federal safety net programs take effect. (Marcia Brown, Politico)

EPA suspends 144 employees after they signed a letter criticizing Trump: The EPA placed 144 employees on paid administrative leave and opened an investigation into their drafting of a letter accusing the administration of politicizing the agency. The EPA said its actions were warranted because the employees had signed the letter using their official titles and denigrated the agency’s leadership. (Maxine Joselow, New York Times)

Senate Democrats want more information on SSA’s use of AI on its phone lines: The inquiry was prompted by reports that the Social Security Administration’s anti-fraud tool has degraded customer service while only finding two possible fraud instances out of over 110,000 claims. (Natalie Alms, Government Executive)

Trump’s science order faces scrutiny from scientists and lawmakers: Critics say the Restoring Gold Standard Science executive order’s guidelines could weaken safeguards meant to keep politics out of federal research. (Eric Katz, Government Executive)

Trump withholds nearly $7 billion for schools, with little explanation: The Department of Education declined to release nearly $7 billion in federal funding that helps pay for after-school and summer programs, support for students learning English, teacher training, and other services. The administration offered little explanation, saying only that the funds were under review. (Sarah Mervosh and Michael C. Bender, New York Times)

Watchdog validates whistleblower allegation that safety agency failed to inspect mines in the Pacific territories: The Mine Safety and Health Administration hasn’t inspected mines in the Pacific territories since 2016 and wrongly identified them as abandoned, according to an alert the Office of Special Counsel sent to the president. (Sean Michael Newhouse, Government Executive)

Why so many low-income households can’t afford this free home improvement program: The federal Weatherization Assistance Program helps low- and moderate-income households make upgrades to their homes such as installing insulation, sealing windows, and wrapping water pipes. The program is often free and saves residents an average of $372 annually on their utility bills. But a new report found that many homes need basic — but expensive — repairs before they can participate. (Tik Root, Mother Jones)

Analysis: SPEED Act guts protective accounting rules and overcharges will result: The Streamlining Procurement for Effective Execution and Delivery Act (SPEED Act) is purportedly designed to accelerate the federal contracting process “in the most cost-effective manner practicable.” But the change the bill makes to accounting standards will lead to the Defense Department getting ripped off. (Scott Amey, Project On Government Oversight)

Elon Musk & DOGE

White House looks into rogue employee who used a DOGE account to DM anti-Musk activist: James Fishback, who launched a super PAC aimed at blunting Elon Musk’s political ambitions, received a direct message on X from the official DOGE VA account. This is the only known example of a Musk loyalist going rogue and acting at odds with Trump’s and the GOP’s agenda, but the incident comes as the administration grapples with how to manage DOGE’s influence now that Musk has turned into a Trump adversary. (Sophia Cai, Politico)

Weaponization of the Government

Justice Dept. explores using criminal charges against election officials: DOJ officials are exploring whether they can bring criminal charges against state or local election officials for not sufficiently safeguarding their computer systems. The department’s effort isn’t based on new evidence or legal authority, but rather the unsubstantiated argument made by many in the Trump administration that American elections are easy prey to voter fraud and foreign manipulation. (Devlin Barrett and Nick Corasaniti, New York Times)

Dodgers DEI efforts subject of federal civil rights complaint filed by conservative legal group: A conservative legal group co-founded by White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller filed a complaint with the EEOC accusing the Los Angeles Dodgers of “apparently engaging in unlawful discrimination under the guise of ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion,’” after the Dodgers denied federal immigration authorities access to stadium parking lots. (Rebecca Tauber, The Athletic)

UPenn will bar transgender athletes from women’s sports teams: The Education Department has yet to announce the results of its Title IX investigation of the university, and the White House didn’t answer questions about whether Penn’s funding was reinstated or whether it has to meet specific requirements before it could be resumed. (Praveena Somasundaram, Washington Post)

🔎 See Also: House Judiciary Committee subpoenas Penn, Brown in price-fixing probe (Hailey Fuchs, Politico)

🔎 See Also: “Time is running short”: Letters show growing Justice Department ire at U-Va. (Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff and Laura Vozzella, Washington Post)

Paramount to pay Trump $16 million to settle “60 Minutes” lawsuit: Paramount said its payment includes President Trump’s legal fees and costs and that the remaining money will be paid to his future presidential library. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders said they would consider holding a hearing about whether the settlement could be construed as a bribe by Paramount, which is awaiting federal approval of its multibillion-dollar sale to Skydance Media. (Benjamin Mullin et al., New York Times)

Middle East Conflicts

Iran-linked hackers threaten to release Trump aides’ emails: Several U.S. agencies warned that hackers affiliated with Iran may still target U.S. entities and networks despite the ceasefire between Israel and Iran, and that defense companies tied to Israeli research and defense firms face an increased risk of cyber incidents. (Julia Shapero, The Hill)

“Are we at risk?” Wave of ICE arrests strikes fear in Iranian communities: Iranian immigrants to the U.S. already faced higher scrutiny. After the U.S. waded into the Israel-Iran war, ICE seems to be targeting them. (Noah Hurowitz, The Intercept)

U.S. contractors say their colleagues are firing live ammo as Palestinians seek food in Gaza: American contractors guarding aid distribution sites in Gaza are using live ammunition and stun grenades. Two unnamed U.S. contractors said the security staff hired were often unqualified, unvetted, heavily armed, and regularly lobbed stun grenades and pepper spray in the direction of the Palestinians. (Julia Frankel and Sam Mednick, Associated Press)

🔎 See Also: Foreseeable flaws in Gaza aid project led to shooting of Palestinians (Louisa Loveluck et al., Washington Post)

Reproductive Freedom

Judge temporarily blocks Planned Parenthood “defunding” in Trump megabill: U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani’s granting of Planned Parenthood’s request to temporarily halt Medicaid funding cuts to the group’s health centers marks the first known instance of a federal judge limiting enforcement of the “big beautiful bill.” (Zach Schonfeld, The Hill)

Russia-Ukraine War

Trump pledges to send more weapons to Ukraine: President Trump said on Monday that the U.S. would send more weapons to Ukraine, a reversal from last week when the administration paused some arms transfers to the country. It's unclear if the weapons whose delivery had been paused would now be sent to Ukraine or whether the military would send different weapons. (Luke Broadwater and Maggie Haberman, New York Times)

Defense and Veterans Affairs

200 Marines deploy to Florida as Pentagon approves more support to ICE: Two hundred Marines from Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina, are part of the 700 troops mobilized by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to assist DHS with “critical administrative and logistical capabilities.” (Zita Ballinger Fletcher, Military Times)

🔎 See Also: Militarized zones now make up 1/3 of southern border, stirring debates (Morgan Lee, Military Times)

VA backs down on mass layoffs, will cut 30K through attrition only: The VA announced it will shed 30,000 total employees by the end of September and use only attrition to do so, reversing course from its previous goal of shedding nearly three times that number and relying on involuntary layoffs. (Eric Katz, Government Executive)

Tech

U.S. blacklists Russia-based bulletproof hosting services provider: The Treasury Department blacklisted Aeza Group, two affiliated companies, and four of its leaders, accusing them of providing services to ransomware and malware groups who have targeted the U.S. defense industrial base and technology companies. (Darryl Coote, UPI)

Infrastructure

Flint finally replaced its lead pipes: The EPA estimates that up to 9 million U.S. homes are still served through lead pipes and that replacing all lead pipes in the country could cost at least $45 billion. (Amudalat Ajasa, Washington Post)

Health Care

FDA layoffs could compromise safety of medications made at foreign factories, inspectors say: Beyond staff cuts, the departures of some longtime investigators charged with safeguarding America’s drug supply have left less experienced people tasked with rooting out dangerous manufacturing practices at foreign factories. (Victoria Malis et al., ProPublica)

Workplace mental health at risk as key federal agency faces cuts: Efforts to decrease high rates of suicide among construction workers and prevent burnout and depression in health care workers are in jeopardy after the firing of hundreds of employees at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. (Aneri Pattani, CBS News)

Trump’s first EPA promised to crack down on forever chemicals. His second EPA is pulling back: EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin claims to prioritize combatting PFAS. But the agency has delayed enforcement of standards and terminated over $15 million in funding for forever chemicals research. (Anna Clark, ProPublica)

U.S. measles cases reach 33-year record high as outbreaks spread: The U.S. reached its highest annual measles case tally in 33 years, hitting at least 1,277 confirmed cases across 38 states and the District of Columbia. The largest outbreak has been in West Texas. (Lena H. Sun, Washington Post)

U.S. children are much more likely to die than kids in similar countries, study finds: From 2007 to 2022, children ages 1 to 19 were 1.8 times more likely to die than children in other high-income countries. The biggest disparities were in deaths from gun violence and traffic accidents. But American children are also sicker because of chronic conditions. (Jen Christensen, CNN)

RFK Jr. promoted a food company he says will make Americans healthy: Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. praised a company that makes meals that are delivered directly to the homes of Medicaid and Medicare enrollees. But the offerings of Mom’s Meals are the type of heat-and-eat, ultraprocessed foods that Kennedy routinely criticizes for making people sick. (Amanda Seitz and Jonel Aleccia, Associated Press)

ICYMI

Immigration and Border Security:

→ Supreme Court lets Trump deport eight migrants to South Sudan

→ Trump administration ends deportation protections for Hondurans and Nicaraguans

→ Judge blocks Trump’s rule barring migrants at U.S.-Mexico border from claiming asylum

→ Judge blocks Trump’s early termination of temporary protections for Haitian immigrants

→ Kilmar Abrego Garcia describes “severe beatings” and “psychological torture” in Salvadoran prison

→ Republican donors cash in on “Alligator Alcatraz” immigrant camp

→ Unlawful crossings along southern border reach new historic low

Other News:

→ Federal agents march through L.A. park, spurring local outrage

→ DOJ, FBI review finds no Jeffrey Epstein “client list,” confirms suicide

→ IRS says churches can endorse candidates from the pulpit

→ Judge: You can’t ban DEI grants without bothering to define DEI

→ Judge halts mass firings and organizational changes at HHS

→ The whiff of corruption: Trump’s new perfume has strong notes of graft

→ OPM deemphasizes “favorite EO” essay following legal challenge

→ They wanted to fix Congress. They still do, modernizers say

→ Why Jolly Ranchers are banned in the UK but not the U.S.

On The Lighter Side

The U.S. plans to begin breeding billions of flies to fight a pest. Here is how it will work: It sounds like the plot of a horror movie, but the government’s plan for protecting the U.S. from a bug that could devastate the beef industry, decimate wildlife, and even kill household pets is more effective and environmentally friendly than spraying the pest into oblivion. (John Hanna, Associated Press)

Upcoming Events

📌 Reforming Defense Acquisition to Deliver Capability at the Speed of Relevance. House Committee on Armed Services. Wednesday, July 9, 10:00 a.m., 2118 Rayburn House Office Building.

Nominations & Appointments

Nominations

• Ademola Adewale-Sadik - United States Director of the African Development Bank
• Lee Beaman - Member, Board of Directors, Tennessee Valley Authority)
• Braden Boucek - United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee
• James Caggy - Assistant Secretary of Defense
• Arch Capito - United States Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia
• Ryan Cote - Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs (Information and Technology)
• David Courcelle - United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana
• David Dunavant - United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee
• Joshua D. Dunlap - Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
• Dominick Gerace II - United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio
• Christopher Gilbert - United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia
• Mitch Graves - Member, Board of Directors, Tennessee Valley Authority
• Alina Habba - United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey
• Jeff Hagood - Member, Board of Directors, Tennessee Valley Authority
• Matthew Harvey - United States Attorney for the Northern District of West Virginia
• Randall Jones - Member, Board of Directors, Tennessee Valley Authority
• James Kruger - United States Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi
• Scott Leary - United States Attorney for the Northern District of Mississippi
• James Mazol - Deputy Under Secretary of Defense
• Adam Mildred - United States Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana
• Arjun Mody - Deputy Commissioner of Social Security
• Rosario Palmieri - Assistant Secretary of Labor
• Bryan Stirling - United States Attorney for the District of South Carolina
• Robert Sweeney - United States Director of the Asian Development Bank
• David Toepfer - United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio
• Eric Tung - Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
• Frank Weiland - Assistant Secretary of State (International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs)
• Thomas Wheeler II - United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana

Withdrawals

• Alan Boehme - Assistant Secretary for Information and Technology, Department of Veterans Affairs
• Sara Carter - Director of National Drug Control Policy