The Congressional Budget Office reported $710 billion in borrowing, including $85 billion in the month of December, according to the latest Monthly Budget Review.

Federal agencies, including the CBO, expect deficit spending to continue despite promises from Trump and others to cut the federal budget.

Trump promised to cut “hundreds of billions” in federal spending in 2025 through the reconciliation process, a parliamentary procedure that allows Congress to expedite the passage of some federal budget legislation.

Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, run by Tesla boss Elon Musk and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, also promised to cut the federal government down to size. Earlier this week, Musk estimated DOGE could trim $1 trillion from the federal budget, a sizable amount considering discretionary spending totaled $1.7 trillion in 2023. Generally, Congress spends about half of its discretionary budget on the U.S. Department of Defense.

Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, said U.S. borrowing should be a focus as Trump takes office.

“As we start the new year ushering in a new administration and a new Congress, we must not lose sight of the fiscal challenges ahead,” she said. “Our unsustainable debt isn’t something we can just shy away from, as 2025 is packed full of fiscal deadlines. So far we’ve heard much about how lawmakers plan to spend more and tax less; we’ve heard much less about the opposite.”

MacGuineas suggested no new borrowing and guaranteeing all tax cuts and spending increases are fully offset. That’s a daunting challenge for lawmakers as they look to extend the tax provision in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which the CBO estimated will cost about $4 trillion over the next decade.

Congress has run a deficit every year since 2001. In the past 50 years, the federal government has ended with a fiscal year-end budget surplus four times, most recently in 2001.

According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, as of Thursday afternoon, more than 1,000 structures have been destroyed, and at least five people have died. There have been nearly 13,926 total emergency responses, 92 wildfires and 29,053 acres burned, per the department.

Los Angeles has declared a state of emergency, and the National Guard has been deployed to assist the hundreds of firefighters – including many from other states – fighting the fires.

President Joe Biden has approved further federal assistance for Los Angeles County as the fires continue to raze homes, schools, businesses and other structures, in addition to scorching vegetation and wildlife in their wake.

“The President’s action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in Los Angeles County,” said a Wednesday statement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. “Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.”

The White House announced late Wednesday that Biden will not be making a scheduled trip to Italy this week so he can monitor the raging wildfires in Southern California.

Speaking from the White House on Thursday afternoon during a briefing on the fires, Biden said federal funding will cover debris removal, setting up temporary shelters, and paying first responders.

“I told the governor and local officials, spare no expense,” Biden said in noting he’s surging federal resources into Southern California, including 400 federal firefighters, 30 federal firefighting aircraft and other assets.

The president provided some moral support as well for those enduring the fires that have turned portions of Southern California into a hellscape.

“We are with you,” Biden said. “We’re not going anywhere. To the firefighters and first responders, you are heroes.”

There was at least a brief respite on Thursday morning as the Santa Ana winds lessened somewhat, but forecasters warned that critical fire weather conditions would continue over the next several days.

While winds aren’t expected to reach the extremes of Tuesday night – gusts of up to 100 mph were recorded – potentially damaging winds remain in the forecast into the next week.

“High winds and low relative humidity will continue to support critical fire weather conditions in southern California through Friday,” the National Weather Service said on its website as of Thursday afternoon. “Red Flag Warnings remain in effect.”

A Thursday blog by FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker detailed how the federal agency responded after the incident, including the ensuing investigation, as well as the resulting oversight and safety protocol changes at Boeing.

On Friday, Boeing issued a news release on the company’s Safety and Quality Plan, which focused on “investing in workforce training, simplifying plans and processes, eliminating defects, and elevating our safety and quality culture.”

Alaska Airlines flight 1282 left Portland International Airport on Jan. 5, 2024, headed for Ontario, California. Shortly after takeoff, a door panel blew out, causing the plane to rapidly depressurize. The aircraft returned to Portland for an emergency landing. All 171 passengers and six crew members survived, with a few passengers treated for minor injuries.

Dozens who were on board have filed lawsuits against Boeing, Alaska Airlines and Spirit AeroSystems.

The FAA grounded all Boeing 737-9 MAX aircraft operated by U.S. airlines and Boeing halted production of the Boeing 737 MAX at its facility in Renton, Wash.

A month after the incident, a National Transportation Safety Board report concluded that four bolts securing the door plug were missing. The bolts had not been replaced after repairs.

The FAA sent inspectors to production facilities and conducted an in-depth audit of the production line, simultaneously ordering Boeing “to develop a comprehensive plan to fix its systemic production quality problems,” Whitaker noted in his blog.

Soon after the incident, the FAA also emphasized an employee whistleblower hotline.

“Because of our work, we received a surge in employee safety reports during the past year, and that’s encouraging,” Whitaker continued. “An increase in reports – whether at a manufacturer, an airline or at the FAA – can be one sign of a healthy safety culture.

Boeing outlined steps it has taken since the incident in a news release emailed to The Center Square.

Investments in workforce training include “mandatory Product Safety and Quality Training for all employees, strengthened training for mechanics and quality inspectors with an enhanced support system, including workplace coaches, peer trainers, and skill enhancement centers, and the addition of hundreds of hours of new curriculum to training programs.”

Close oversight by the FAA continues, according to Whitaker.

“This is not a one-year project,” he wrote. “What’s needed is a fundamental cultural shift at Boeing that’s oriented around safety and quality above profits. That will require sustained effort and commitment from Boeing, and unwavering scrutiny on our part.”

Last year was costly for Boeing in other ways, too. Company machinists went on strike in a contract dispute that lasted more than 50 days, idling the aerospace giant’s aircraft production.

As reported by The Center Square, the offer ultimately accepted by striking members included a 38% general wage increase over four years, a $12,000 ratification payment, and an annual bonus incentive plan with a guaranteed minimum payout of 4%.

During the strike, Boeing also announced plans to lay off 10% of its workforce, which amounts to some 17,000 employees. Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said the strike was not to blame for the layoffs, but rather the result of overstaffing.

Supreme Court terms begin and end in October, and heading into the new year there are major cases awaiting.

Here are five of the biggest cases in which the Supreme Court is expected to weigh in by the end of this term:

Tik Tok Ban

Many lawmakers and national security experts have raised concerns about the invasive software attached to Tik Tok, a hugely popular entertainment app that reportedly has about 150 million active users.

China is the parent company for the app and has access to millions of Americans personal data through the Tik Tok software, which is unusually invasive and collects much more personal data on its users than other similar apps.

President Joe Biden signed into law a ban on the app unless it is sold to a U.S. company, citing these concerns.

While that ban had bipartisan support, President-elect Donald Trump weighed in on the case this week, asking the Supreme Court to delay the ban from going into effect.

“In light of these interests – including, most importantly, his overarching responsibility for the United States’ national security and foreign policy –  President Trump opposes banning TikTok in the United States at this juncture, and seeks the ability to resolve the issues at hand through political means once he takes office,” Trump’s lawyer said in a brief filed with the court.

During the presidential campaign, Trump promised to “save Tik Tok.”

“Furthermore, President Trump alone possesses the consummate dealmaking expertise, the electoral mandate, and the political will to negotiate a resolution to save the platform while addressing the national security concerns expressed by the Government – concerns which President Trump himself has acknowledged,” the brief read.

Transgender Surgeries for Minors

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments last fall in United States v. Skrmetti, a case that considers the constitutionality of a Tennessee bill that bans transgender surgeries and hormones for minors.

Those medical procedures have become increasingly controversial since they can sterilize the recipients and are sometimes later regretted when the children come of age.

The Supreme Court ruling could kill or encourage similar efforts in states around the country.

Ghost Guns

In Garland v. VanDerStok, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives faces a legal challenge to its Biden-era rule attempting to block “ghost guns,” firearms without serial numbers that can be 3-D printed or put together by someone who acquires individual parts.

In particular, kits can be bought online that allow buyers to assemble a weapon. The case in question will require the justices to determine whether a disassembled kit of firearm parts is still considered a “firearm” and therefore subject to federal rules, especially rules requiring a serial number.

During oral arguments last fall, justices seemed skeptical of the legal challenge to the federal rule.

Age Verification for Pornography

The Supreme Court is expected to hear oral arguments Jan. 15 in Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton, a legal challenge to a Texas law requiring pornography sites to use age verification to prevent minors from seeing their pornographic content.

Critics have cited free speech concerns while proponents of the law have pointed out that there is legal precedent for age verification which is required for other products like alcohol and tobacco and has been required to view R-rated movies in theaters.

Pornography sites have pushed back on the law, which has been adopted in a similar fashion in about 20 Republican states around the country.

“Let me put this simply: these companies do not have a right to expose children to pornography,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a statement. “Texas has a clear interest in protecting children, and we have been successful defending this commonsense age verification law against a powerful global industry.”

Environmental Impact

The Supreme Court in December heard oral arguments in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County, a case where justices will consider just how expansive the environmental constraints can become on federal agency actions.

Under the National Environmental Policy Act, federal agencies are required to assess the “foreseeable impact” on the environment of their actions.

However, just how broad that assessment must be is up for consideration.

“For select areas of interest, Survey of Construction (SOC) data collected by field representatives have been replaced with estimates obtained from satellite imagery to demonstrate the efficacy of this data collection method,” Census said in a Dec. 19 release.

The method entails running satellite images through “convolutional neural networks,” or CNNs, to identify construction.

The programs will be able to differentiate excavation, foundation, framing, unfinished roof, and finished roofs, per the Census. It is expected to be able to distinguish between single-family detached, single-family attached, multi-family, and non-residential.

This data will be combined with conventional data Census received from local government offices to give a clearer picture of home construction data moving forward.

The bureau is only using the experimental method in District 7, which includes Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana.

Data from the district shows 14,100 new housing starts in November.

“This product demonstrates a new computer-vision based approach to monthly economic measurement that can improve geographic granularity and accuracy while also reducing respondent burden,” the release said.

“If people don’t come back to work, come back into the office, they’re going to be dismissed,” Trump told reporters during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago.

The issue has been thrust to the forefront in part by the incoming Trump administration’s emphasis on government efficiency, spearheaded by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.

But the issue has also gained national attention because Biden administration officials like outgoing Social Security Administrator Martin O’Malley negotiated a deal with union leaders to entrench the policies, keeping telework in place for his 42,000 employees until 2029.

Everett Kelley, national president of the American Federation of Government Employees, the largest federal employee union, threatened legal action against the incoming Trump administration if the president-elect tries to upend previously bargained union deals that let federal employees work from home.

“Collective bargaining agreements entered into by the federal government are binding and enforceable under the law,” Kelley said. “We trust the incoming administration will abide by their obligations to honor lawful union contracts. If they fail to do so, we will be prepared to enforce our rights.”

According to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, there are nearly 3 million federal employees.

Kelley argued that the extent to which federal employees work from home has been exaggerated.

“Rumors of widespread federal telework and remote work are simply untrue,” Kelley said. “More than half of federal employees cannot telework at all because of the nature of their jobs, only ten percent of federal workers are remote, and those who have a hybrid arrangement spend over sixty percent of working hours in the office.”

Critics have shot back saying that effectively means that 40% of federal work hours are remote. If you remove certain workers like postal workers and maintenance workers from the equation, the percentage of federal remote work is much higher.

In particular, workers in the federal agencies in and around Washington, D.C. have largely grown accustomed to at least partially working remote.

Kelley argued the policies help the government recruit and keep “top talent.”

“Telework and remote work are tools that have helped the federal government increase productivity and efficiency, maintain continuity of operations, and increase disaster preparedness,” Kelley said in a statement Monday. “These policies also assist agencies across the government, including the Social Security Administration, in recruiting and retaining top talent.

Boys saying they are girls, or transgender females, would be ineligible to compete in girls sports. They could compete with boys.

The Senate Special Committee on the Protection of Women’s Sports is also asking the General Assembly to consider legislation that would require separate changing rooms also based on biological sex.

The authority to regulate transgender participation in sports would be stripped from high school athletic associations. Lt. Gov. Burt Jones said previously that the General Assembly could have addressed the issue several years ago but gave the authority to the high school athletics association.

“This is an issue that should be decided by the people’s elected representatives,” the recommendations said.

Schools that fail or refuse to abide by the rules could lose their funding, according to the recommendations.

“I recognize that there are passions on both sides of this issue and a genuine desire on both sides to move forward in a way that respects everyone,” said committee Chairman Greg Dolezal, R-Cumming, on Friday. “I hope that we can recognize that we can do two things at one time. We can both treat people respectfully but we can also have an eye towards fairness in the legislative process. And that’s I hope to do as we move forward with this.”

The Georgia High School Association requires high school athletes to compete based on the sex on their birth certificate. The Board of Regents doesn’t have a policy on transgender athletes. The regents passed a resolution in October asking the NCAA to mirror rules set by the NAIA, which requires athletes to compete based on their sex at birth.

Georgia would become the 26th state to enact laws about transgender participation in women’s sports if the Legislature passes the committee’s recommendations. The Biden administration has tried to expand Title IX to include LGBTQ+ people. Twenty-six states have sued, and the rule is tied up in court.

The region has been a Democratic stronghold since Texas became a state in 1836. The majority of residents and voters in south Texas are Hispanic. For the first time in Texas history, nearly all border counties voted for Donald Trump, including Webb County.

Webb County Judge Tano Tijerina this week announced he was leaving the Democratic Party, saying like many others before him that “the party left me, and the people of South Texas, behind.”

In a Facebook post, he said, “As Webb County Judge, I have fought to protect our shared values here in South Texas – hard work, faith, family, and freedom. Unfortunately, the radical National Democrat party no longer stands for these values, and I want to be a part of a party that not only stands for these values but also protects them.

“South Texas spoke loudly in the last election, with President Trump winning Webb County. Now and always, I am standing with my fellow South Texans, proudly declaring that I no longer want to be associated with the radical national Democrats. I will continue to fight for what matters most in our community in order to build a bright future for South Texas.”

In response, Gov. Greg Abbott said, “This is excellent. Democrats in South Texas are switching to the party that aligns with their values – the Republican Party. South Texas Hispanics in particular are joining the party of faith, family, freedom & common sense – the Republican Party. Welcome!”

In an interview with Fox News, Tijerina said he left the Democratic Party because over the years he saw it drift “further left, embracing policies that don’t reflect the values of our community,” adding that the “radicalization” of the party “pushed me away a long time ago.”

Tijerina highlighted issues of importance to him and his constituents.

“We need to have border security,” he said, in a county where law enforcement is participating in Abbott’s border security mission, Operation Lone Star.

A recent poll found that the majority of Hispanic Texans surveyed want illegal border crossers deported. U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz, a Republican from Edinburg, has long argued that President Joe Biden and the Democratic Party doesn’t understand Hispanic Texans living in border communities.

“Parents want the best for our children, but under Biden everything is more difficult at the border,” she said earlier this year. “We see the disaster that Biden has caused. At the beginning of his term, he stopped enforcing the laws and now the cartels and many criminals enter our country. … What’s humane about allowing someone to kill our people? Republicans want to stop this.”

Tijerina also took issue with the Biden administration attacking the oil and gas industry, saying, “The oil and gas industry has been threatened here in South Texas.”

The industry is leading U.S. oil and natural gas production and job creation. Major projects in south Texas include expanding the port of Brownsville for liquified natural gas exports, extensive infrastructure and other support jobs for the industry in the region, The Center Square reported.

Tijerina also pushed back against “the woke movements,” including boys playing in girls’ sports, which Hispanic Texans overwhelming oppose. The Democratic Party’s chair was forced to resign after devastating losses in November and after he argued the party went too far pushing a transgender agenda, The Center Square reported.

Multiple high-level Texas Democrats also endorsed U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, a Houston Republican, also claiming the Democratic Party no longer represented their values. Texas border counties also overwhelmingly voted for Cruz.

Tijerina joins former state Rep. Shawn Thierry of Houston, who left the Democratic Party in August and who also said the party left her and embraced a radical, far left agenda. Thierry took a stand against a medical industry profiting off of gender mutilation of minors, voting with Republicans to ban the practice in Texas.

Last year, Dallas’s former mayor, Eric Johnson, also left the Democratic Party citing fiscal responsibility, as did State Rep. Ryan Guillen from Rio Grande City in Starr County. Starr County also flipped in November, voting for Trump, and for a Republican for the first time in 132 years.

Senate Bill 1011 would end the drop off of mail-in ballots at 7 p.m. on the Friday prior to Election Day, which would be a major change from the drop-offs that are available until polls close on Election Day currently.

Mail-in ballots dropped off closer to Election Day, also known as “late earlies,” are often attributed to the length of time it takes to count ballots in the Grand Canyon State.

“Today me and my colleagues will be introducing legislation to get election results night of. AZ will no longer be the laughing stock of the nation and the last to announce electoral votes. The bill will incorporate the key differences between AZ and FL,” Petersen tweeted Wednesday.

In addition, the bill would require an early voting certificate to be signed by a voter as opposed to a mail affidavit envelope for those voting early in-person.

“Arizonans deserve timely and transparent election results. House Republicans will introduce legislation to move up the deadline for dropping off early ballots, ensuring counties have adequate time to process them before Election Day,” incoming state House Speaker Steve Montenegro tweeted on Wednesday.

However, some Democrats have expressed concerns that the proposed changes could hinder the ability for people to cast their ballot by limiting the drop off time frame.

“This is voter suppression plain and simple. Voters overwhelmingly support accessibility over speed of results. Let every eligible voter VOTE,” Sen.-elect Analise Ortiz, D-Phoenix, tweeted.

If the bill, which will also have a House equivalent, passes the Republican majority legislature, it will land on Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs’ desk.

“Faster election results should not come at the expense of voters’ rights,” Christian Slater, spokesman for Hobbs, told The Center Square in a statement. “As the State’s former chief elections officer, Governor Hobbs is open to proposals to speed up the counting process, but any solution must protect Arizonans’ freedom to make their voices heard at the ballot box. She remains committed to a voting process that maintains accessibility and integrity for all Arizona voters and guarantees safe, secure and fair elections.”

The speed of results has been a focal point in Arizona in recent elections, as the state holds many elections that yield close results.

The personal-finance website WalletHub on Friday released its new Credit Card Debt Study, which found that consumers added $21 billion in debt during the third quarter of 2024.

Early results for the fourth quarter of the year show preliminary data for October at a new record high for credit card debt in the month, in absolute terms.

WalletHub editor John Kiernan wrote, “Even though that third-quarter increase was 31% smaller than last year’s and total debt is just 3% above where it was last year after adjusting for inflation, we are still in fairly dangerous territory,” said Kiernan.

WalletHub writer & analyst Chip Lupo responded via email to follow up questions from The Center Square.

Those early Q4 results showing record high credit card debt for October are alarming-do we know what’s driving that at all?

“The record-high credit card debt in October 2024 reflects a 3% year-over-year increase after inflation adjustments, driven by rising interest rates, holiday spending and lingering economic pressures. While Q3 debt growth slowed compared to 2023, total debt remains high at $1.29 trillion, signaling potential challenges ahead for consumers,” said Lupo.

Has WalletHub done any analysis of how much credit card debt the average American puts on during the holidays?

“While we didn’t analyze this specifically, WalletHub found that holiday budgets this year range from just over $200 to more than $4,000, depending on factors such as income, existing debt, and cost of living,” said Lupo.

Any advice on balance transferring to avoid interest?

“Transferring your credit card balance to a low or 0% APR card can be a smart way to save money and pay down debt faster. When considering a balance transfer, focus on cards offering 0% introductory APRs with promotional periods up to 21 months. Such offers significantly reduce interest payments, provided you can pay off the transferred balance before the regular APR kicks in. Remember, most cards charge a balance transfer fee of about 3%, though some will waive this fee entirely. Calculating these costs upfront is crucial to ensure the move saves money,” said Lupo.

With holiday spending in full swing, many Americans are expected to add to credit card debt before the end of the year.

“Nearly half of Americans still have debt from the holidays from last year,” said Lupo. “The fact that people are still paying off debt from last holiday season makes you wonder if they are going to fall into that trap again or are they cutting back because of last year’s debt?”

Sixty-eight percent of WalletHub respondents said Santa will be less generous this year because of inflation. And about a third said they’ll spend less on holiday shopping this year compared with 2023.