Currently: Policy Director, @SenateBudget / @SenJeffMerkley. When I grow up: Major League Baseball-Playing Supreme Court Justice.

Washington, DC
Joined September 2008
Joshua Smith retweeted
Good article today from the NYT. I have still yet to hear one good reason why we should get rid of a broad, multi purpose space to satisfy one thing and one thing only. It defies imagination and what PUBLIC space is meant to be. nytimes.com/interactive/2026…
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[president dumps huge pile of White House debris on East Potomac Park] The President: behold Trash Island
Aaron Rupar
@atruparOct 20
Trump: "Trash Island,' Washington, D.C., the nickname for the broken and dilapidated Golf Course that is the subject of frivolous litigation in the United States Court System, before a judge that seems not to want Greatness for our Capital or our Nation (but who knows?), has been badly managed for so many decades that it is a completely nonviable and unsafe Project. Our Plan, developed to the Highest Levels and Standards of Golf, will turn Trash Island into an Island of Beauty and Success! It will be one of the Most Wonderful and Spectacular Golf Courses anywhere in the World. The United States Department of the Interior, and its Experts, are so proud of what has been designed that any delay would be sad, both for them and the Public, which is anxiously waiting for something that is really special! President DONALD J. TRUMP"
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Joshua Smith retweeted
News in Punchbowl News Midday: Merkley and Murray will try to UC a bill later today that would block the White House’s pocket rescission
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Joshua Smith retweeted
The non-binding document on super intelligence says Trump is president of the “Unites” States
Joint Commitment on Frontier Responsibilities
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Joshua Smith retweeted
I’m pretty sure this is as close as GAO gets to dunking on something. -DOGE did not use its stated methodology to calculate the majority of savings associated with the contracts reported as terminated. -108 of the 264 leases identified for termination on the Wall of Receipts, about $15.3 million of the total $53.5 million in savings, were already in process for termination when DOGE was established. -DOGE reported all contracts on the Wall of Receipts as terminated, but our analysis of FPDS data shows that almost 2,000 contracts were not terminated. -basic math errors: $113 million in reported savings for the 264 leases was inaccurate. The information on the Wall of Receipts actually summed to $53.5 million. -$1.7 billion Defense Health Agency IT contract where DOGE agreed after meeting with DOD that no action should be taken and the Wall of Receipts kept reporting $1.7 billion in savings. And my favorite example: DOGE reported more than $28 million in savings on an Air Force contract awarded on behalf of the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency for financial management modernization. Air Force descoped work and cut $28 million from the contract value, then extended it six months and awarded a $27.4 million sole-source follow-on to the same contractor for the same work.
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Christopher Nolan's Odyssey is complete crap compared to The Simpsons version...
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Joshua Smith retweeted
I FOIA’d the Nantucket police department for the audio of @AdamSandler’s call to dispatch requesting information on where he could play outdoor hoops following the Kelce-Swift wedding. @Sportico got the recording of the call today. 👇
Adam Sandler called the Nantucket police to find where he can play basketball 🏀
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Trump wants to cut down Washington DC's oldest grove of cherry trees along the Mall and eliminate the public biking path and picnic areas so he can build a Trump golf course on public land, using public dollars, and taking spaces away from the public.
As President Trump toured the East Potomac Golf Links in D.C., he carried what appeared to be plans showing a far more extensive redevelopment of the course than officials have publicly disclosed, potentially transforming it into a championship venue. wapo.st/4varmox
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Joshua Smith retweeted
Bryce Eldridge is the youngest player in MLB history to hit a walk-off grand slam. The previous youngest was Roberto Clemente.
BRYCE ELDRIDGE WALK-OFF GRAND SLAM
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Joshua Smith retweeted
New from @SenateBudget: as of the end of April, ICE and CBP still have $100 billion left over and completely unused from the “Big Beautiful Bill.” Congressional Republicans are in the midst of trying to provide another $69 billion to ICE and CBP despite this.
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🚨🚨HUGE UPDATE: Senate Democrats forced Republicans to rewrite parts of their ICE and Border Patrol funding bill to add critical protections for children in DHS custody. It’s a win for the rule of law as Democrats continue fighting every provision in this harmful legislation.
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Joshua Smith retweeted
There were two outs in the first inning before the Brewers started the four-run rally that won Wednesday's game against the Cardinals. Which somehow reminded Pat Murphy of eating pie.
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MERKLEY: You didn't include deficit numbers in the budget. Why not? VOUGHT: We didn't want to confuse the country. MERKLEY: The deficit can be extracted if you do the math—it's $2.2 TRILLION in 2027. Perhaps you didn't include it because you didn't want to draw attention to it.
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SECRETARY RUBIO: Imagine if instead of spending billions of dollars supporting terrorists or weapons, Iran had spent that money helping the people of Iran. They would have a much different country.
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Joshua Smith retweeted
This is a huge bummer for DC kids and parents. The National Children's Museum is exceptional.
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Joshua Smith retweeted
.@Radiohead is demanding that the Trump administration take down a pro-ICE promotional video featuring a version of its song “Let Down” without permission. Full statement from the band:
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Joshua Smith retweeted
SCOOP: Trump aides are struggling to spend an extra $500 billion on the military, delaying budget Trump agreed to Hegseth’s bid for *~50%~* military spending boost Vought & others objected internally It’s so much $ they can’t figure out how to spend it
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RT @ArtButSports: La Retraite de Hugues de Payens, by Georges Mathieu, 1958 (rotated), 📸 by @tiltoncreative
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