Donald Trump’s administration is threatening to withdraw federal funding for unemployment assistance in all 50 states as part of the president’s nationwide campaign against “fraud” in government spending.

In a letter to the governors of 53 states and territories, acting Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling warned that the federal government would use “every available tool” to combat “waste, fraud and abuse” within state-run unemployment insurance programs, including “withholding administrative funds from states” for the first time in history.

There is no single national program for unemployment support, though the federal government partners with state agencies to support temporary financial assistance to out-of-work Americans. Nearly 2 million people are currently receiving those benefits, while roughly 229,000 people are filing initial jobless claims every week, according to the Labor Department.

      • Xerxos@lemmy.ml
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        5 days ago

        If they start shooting protesters things will escalate. That’s how civil wars start.

    • Xerxos@lemmy.ml
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      5 days ago

      Have you seen the French protest? I don’t say one man should go to there and burn it down, but I would expect big, violent protests there.

      • gdog05@lemmy.world
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        5 days ago

        The French only have to protest in France. Imagine the French protesting in Moscow. That’s the distance from Utah to Florida. Utah isn’t even the furthest point from Florida. Tell some Frenchmen to go march on Russia and protest until they get their way. Now picture that playing out.

        • Xerxos@lemmy.ml
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          5 days ago

          Sure, America is too big for protests 🙄 That’s why I didn’t just mention M-a-L, but billionaire villas too. Protests at the closes place that makes sense. The white house, your local rich people quarter, Mar-a-Lagos, an ICE facility, the villa of the local Trump supporter,…

          If you get enough people together it’s hard to ignore. Make the rich fear the people again.

          March when never possible, with as many people as possible. And if that fails? General strike.

          Sure there were a few “no king” demos, but they ended too soon and protested the wrong places. The ultra rich and Trump himself should feel the heat.