President Trump is turning his back on Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin, our ally, to see how mass shootings at government agencies and how it affects the services they provide.
Scott Simon, host:
And since taking office, President Trump appears to have overturned US policies on Ukraine, with Ukrainian President Zelenki saying he is responsible for the war that began three years ago when Russia invaded that day. Masu. This is the president talking to Fox News Radio’s Brian Kilmead on Friday.
(Sound bites of archived recordings)
President Donald Trump: When Zelenskyy said, he wasn’t invited to the meeting, meaning that he’s done such a bad job in negotiations so far, so that wasn’t a priority. Number one, you shouldn’t have fought war. And if that were the case, it should have been resolved and resolved immediately. It might have been that way.
Simon: NPR’s Ron Elving is now joining us. Ron, thank you for being with us.
Ron Elving, byline: It’s good to be with you, Scott.
Simon: I feel that I need to put this very straightforwardly on you. Does the US government currently support Russia’s position?
Erving: This reality is hard to contemplate, Scott, but recently President Trump has been repeating the points of Russia’s story. Yesterday, on Fox, when you were just playing, he admitted that it was Russia that attacked Ukraine, but he still blamed Ukraine and the Biden administration for the war. Trump said Ukrainian leader Voldimia Zelenki was an unelected dictator. However, Zelensky is democratically elected and under siege, so the country cannot hold elections. Trump is negotiating with Russia, a country led by a real dictator named Vladimir Putin, and those negotiations include Russia, but not Ukraine. So, whose side is the US?
Now, it may be difficult to know where Trump is about to descend tomorrow on this and other issues. Whatever his interest in Ukraine’s independence, he knows he is interested in some of its natural resources. He sent an envoy to negotiate this, and it appears that there have been some progress in it. So, perhaps if there is a recall for US support, it could make a difference. Otherwise, this is abandonment of strategic US commitments. We are changing aspects, and we have allies in NATO and elsewhere in the world.
Simon: Ron, I just heard about the shake-up at the Pentagon last night. And this, of course, just before the tax season after announcing the education sector, veteran issues, homeland security, and domestic revenue cuts – the National Park Service, federal emergency management, justice. What are we looking at?
Erving: Again, there may be a gap between what we see and Trump’s ultimate agenda. But what we see is, as we know, a systematic dismantling of the federal government – thousands of layoffs are largely applied indiscriminately, and apparently a mass of federal workers They strive to generate reductions and claim such victory. Much of it is being promoted by Trump’s special employee Elon Musk – a reflection of his libertarian impulses and doubts about the government in general. But whether you’re talking about a lack of staffing in flight control towers at airports, people from IRS or USAID, or people from Park Services fighting wildfires, this is a purposeful staffing and You can feel the absence. Polls and public forums show that these moves have already generated a lot of negative feedback, even among Republicans, so Trump moves a certain distance from Musk before re-releasing it. It may be adjusted.
Simon: And I had to raise a question, as these cuts are being let go in the states where, as you point out, many federal workers voted for President Trump. They probably aren’t they?
Erving: Yes. Federal workers live everywhere, including in the Trump countries. And now we’re seeing some pushbacks from the courthouse. As you say, the Supreme Court is a special prosecutor Hampton Dillinger, the top guardian of government whistleblowers, until February 26th, the lower court ruled on more permanent dispositions. He upheld a lower court ruling that allowed him to stay at work. That problem. Another federal judge discovered an executive order to end equity-related grants or contracts across federal agencies violate the constitution.
So the bigger question is how Trump voters would react if they lost something precious – what they might have expected – one example is Medicaid. The Health Insurance Program for Low-Income Americans is a huge hit with Trump-backed House budget resolution. The four states with the highest Medicaid dependency rates are Kentucky, Louisiana, Arkansas and West Virginia. They all voted overwhelmingly for Trump. But more than a third of these states are currently taking Medicaid, and without them they would face medical costs they had never seen before.
Simon: Thank you very much, Ron Erving.
Erving: Thank you, Scott.
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