Saturday, May 17, 2025

No such thing as a free lunch

May 17, 2025

CHECKS AND (IM)BALANCES

This “gift” isn’t cleared for landing

The Trump administration’s plan to accept a $400 million luxury jet from Qatar — one of the most expensive “gifts” to the U.S. for use by a president — raises glaring ethical (and legal) concerns for us. The administration says the jet will be put into service as Air Force One. But there is no such thing as a free lunch, and we do not know if Qatar’s generous “gift” is predicated on receiving something in return. You should not have to question whether the president is acting in your best interest or Qatar’s. The acceptance of the gift was reportedly cleared by the Office of Legal Counsel, but an unprecedented ethical matter like this cannot just fly beneath the radar. We are demanding that the administration make its legal justification public right away so you can be sure the president isn’t in Qatar’s pocket.

Accepting the “gift” without congressional approval could be illegal. Members from both sides of the aisle are expressing criticism, and they must band together to nip this brewing conflict of interest in the bud.

It’s not really even free — reoutfitting the jet to meet Air Force One standards could cost taxpayers $1 billion.

There are numerous national security concerns of allowing a president to fly in a jet supplied by a foreign government.

President Trump said he would be “stupid” not to accept the free gift. Here are some gifts offered to past presidents and how those gifts were ethically handled.

Fighting for answers

POGO just filed a lawsuit against ICE demanding it release records about three recent migrant deaths in ICE custody. Donate to help us fight for the answers the public deserves.

POGO INVESTIGATIONS DESK

Migrant Drug Seizures by Border Patrol Incredibly Rare, Data Shows
Despite political rhetoric suggesting migrants are fueling drug seizures, a breaking investigation from POGO shows they are a rarity. Over 5.8 million people were stopped by Border Patrol between 2022 and 2024. Drugs were seized from only 249 people.

Inside the Shadowy Crew Leading the Government’s HR Office
Roster shows many DOGE links, a Project 2025 contributor, Trump’s IRS nominee and more embedded at the Office of Personnel Management, the agency reshaping the federal workforce.

A different beast

(Illustration: Ren Velez / POGO)

Russell Vought will reportedly carry the torch on DOGE cuts after Elon Musk steps back from his (deliberately) ambiguous role at the entity. Vought may not have the name recognition of Musk, but you know his work — Vought was a key architect of Project 2025 and Schedule F, which is the precursor to the Schedule Policy/Career policy that threatens to politicize the federal workforce. And under his leadership, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) took down a crucial federal spending database that we’re still fighting to get back online. Having influence in both OMB and DOGE would put a lot of power in Vought’s hands — largely unchecked power at that. We’re deeply concerned about what this could mean for civil servants and the government’s ability to serve you and your communities.

Vought has supported invoking the Insurrection Act and overruling Congress’s power to the purse. POGO has opposed his involvement in the administration from the very start.

ANALYSIS What’s Wrong With DOGE? Its Disregard for the Law: DOGE and those in its orbit demonstrate a disregard for the rule of law, POGO’s Faith Williams writes.

ABUSING POWER AND RIGHTS

Habeas corpus cannot be taken from you

The Trump administration is “actively looking at” the outrageous possibility of suspending the writ of habeas corpus, the right to challenge illegal government detention in court. Habeas corpus is centuries older than the U.S. Constitution, with its origins in the Magna Carta (hence the Latin). It is closely related to the right of due process, and suspension of the writ would make it impossible for courts to enforce their numerous orders commanding the Trump administration to stop violating people’s rights — or for courts to protect anyone against illegal imprisonment. Any threat to habeas corpus endangers all of us. Fortunately, the president does not have the authority to suspend habeas at all, and there are legal limits on when Congress may do so.

OP-ED How Trump Is Disappearing Migrants: From a Salvadoran mega-prison to domestic jails, the Trump administration is engaging in incommunicado detention to cut migrants off from legal protections, writes POGO’s Katherine Hawkins in Lawfare.

The administration is trying to justify stripping your rights by claiming the United States is being “invaded” — inflammatory rhetoric that was debunked by intelligence services through a declassified memo last week.

The courts check the presidency, and that is how power is balanced and held to account in our democracy. Ignoring the courts is a clear hallmark of authoritarianism, plain and simple, writes POGO’s David Janovsky.