President Donald Trump’s hold over congressional Republicans is showing visible signs of cracking. His effort to block the release of the Epstein files collapsed after a near-unanimous House vote and a unanimous consent vote in the Senate sent the bill to his desk. He is now clashing with one of his former loyalists, U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA). And Trump’s demand that Republicans kill the filibuster landed flat.

Now, Trump’s plan to send $2,000 tariff “dividend” checks to low- and middle-income Americans appears headed for the same fate as his promised $5,000 DOGE dividend payouts.

GOP lawmakers appear unconvinced on the president’s desire to send out the $2,000 checks — despite Trump’s new “affordability” push after his party’s damaging off-year November elections.

“The GOP pushback on the proposed checks, which the White House says would be funded by tariff revenue, is the latest sign of division between the president and the GOP-controlled Congress and a weakening of Trump’s firm control of Washington,” Bloomberg News reported.

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Trump so far is undeterred.

“We’re going to be issuing dividends later on, somewhere prior to, you know, probably the middle of next year, a little bit later than that,” Trump said on Monday, according to Axios. “Thousands of dollars for individuals of moderate income, middle income.”

That would put the checks in the hands of voters slightly before the midterms.

Trump repeated his plan on Wednesday.

“We’re going to be doing a dividend — low- and middle-income people — of at least $2,000,” Trump told attendees at the U.S.—Saudi Investment Forum.

Several congressional Republicans have publicly expressed opposition in a further sign of Trump’s grip slipping.

“I think it would be crazy to send money to people while we have a deficit,” U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) said on Tuesday.

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Senate Republican Majority Leader John Thune also pointed to the deficit as a priority.

U.S. Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) reportedly is also opposed.

“House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington said he told Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent during a Wednesday meeting that he’d prefer the tariff revenue go toward reducing the deficit, not to $2,000 checks,” Bloomberg added.

Experts also point to a lack of GOP support.

“We view this as very unlikely to get done,” Tobin Marcus of Wolfe Research said in a note, Bloomberg reported. “We don’t think a second reconciliation bill focused on $2k stimulus checks has the near-uniform support it needs.”

The Wall Street Journal earlier this week also pointed to an Epstein-related failure — U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert’s refusal to withdraw her name from the Epstein discharge petition — as yet another sign of Trump’s grip on the GOP slipping.

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Image via Reuters

President Donald Trump unleashed another attack on Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, calling for the firing of the independent agency chief who has just months left in his term. Experts this week suggested eroding the Fed’s independence could trigger stagflation.

In a speech at the U.S.—Saudi Investment Forum on Wednesday, President Trump urged his Secretary of the Treasury, Scott Bessent, to “work on” getting Powell to lower interest rates. Experts warn that lowering interest rates inappropriately could lead to even higher inflation.

“He’s got some real mental problems,” Trump told the audience at the Kennedy Center, referring to Powell. “He’s — something wrong with him.”

READ MORE: FBI Declared LGBTQ Pride Flag ‘Political Signage’ in Letter Firing Employee: Lawsuit

“I’d be honest, I’d love to fire his a –. He should be fired. Guy’s grossly incompetent,” Trump charged. “And he should be sued for spending $4 billion to build a little building. I’m building a ballroom that’s gonna cost a tiny fraction of that, and it’s bigger than the whole thing put together.”

Trump was referring to the renovations at the Federal Reserve. The Fed does not rely on tax dollars for its operations.

“You gotta work at him, Scott,” Trump continued from the podium. “The only thing Scott’s blowing it on is the Fed. Because the Fed, the rates are too high, Scott. And if you don’t get it fixed fast, I’m gonna fire your a –, okay?”

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Critics weighed in on Trump’s attack.

“If you are a single-issue ‘affordability’ voter, this should be concerning,” remarked Catherine Rampell, the economics editor for The Bulwark.

Andrew Ackerman, who covers the Fed for The Washington Post, appeared to mock the president: “Trump: I want to fire Jay Powell but Scott Bessent won’t let me.”

Trump on Jerome Powell: “He’s got some real mental problems. There’s something wrong with him. It’s just ridiculous. I’ll be honest, I’d love to fire his ass. He should be fired…and he should be sued.” pic.twitter.com/xBvAlbaijk

— The Bulwark (@BulwarkOnline) November 19, 2025

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An FBI employee has filed a First Amendment civil lawsuit alleging he was fired for displaying an LGBTQ pride flag near his desk. The flag reportedly was presented to him after it was flown outside the Bureau’s field office in Los Angeles. According to the lawsuit, his dismissal notice, signed by Director Kash Patel, claimed the flag was “an inappropriate display of political signage.”

David Maltinsky, a 16-year FBI veteran who was just weeks away from being promoted to agent status, claimed his firing was unlawful and sent a “ripple of fear” through LGBTQ employees at the FBI.

“I have determined that you exercised poor judgment with an inappropriate display of political signage in your work area during your previous assignment at the Los Angeles Field Office,” the letter reads, according to a CBS News exclusive report. “Pursuant to Article II of the United States Constitution and the laws of the United States, your employment with the Federal Bureau of Investigation is hereby terminated.”

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Maltinsky is suing to have his job restored. In the lawsuit, Maltinsky alleges that a complaint was filed against him on President Donald Trump’s first day in office this year.

“We’re not the enemy and we’re not some political mob,” Maltinsky told CBS News. “We’re proud members of the FBI, and we have a mission to do. We go to work every day to do it.”

“The ripple effect of fear has been felt. Many gay colleagues have removed Pride flags from their desks, allies have removed Pride flags from their desk,” he added.

MS NOW last month reported that Maltinsky’s termination letter was “sent on the first day of a nationwide government shutdown that created job uncertainty throughout the federal workforce.”

Maltinsky had “won an Attorney General’s Award in 2022 in recognition of his work, according to a Justice Department news release.”

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Image by Tony Webster via Wikimedia Commons and a CC license