Chapter 127

Wednesday I started the routine I was working into; a VCATS to home, the daily security briefing and updates with the security teams and the joint chiefs.

After that Troy and my aides went through the rest of the budget. In it we identified twenty seven sub-agencies that I felt could be eliminated and save several billion. They were agencies that I felt had outlived their usefulness.

There were a group of agencies I wanted changed in the DHS, HHS and Agriculture departments. Those agencies administered the programs that dealt with illegal immigration along with the courts.

In this morning’s search into today’s budget numbers, those agencies had asked for billions extra for continued illegal immigrant funding - up twenty percent from last year.

I had that massive research department of mine tackle the problem. I wanted to know why it was so high and had not declined in a decade. I knew the number of new immigrants was down now over the last three months. The security zone numbers were practically zero. So why a twenty percent increase?

If they were here illegally they needed to be sent home. If they were here legally through some program, why were they still getting money when they should have jobs and be self sufficient as good as the economy has been?

If they weren’t and had been here any length of time, then they had no interest in being part of America, only freeloaders. The intent of immigration was to allow the individual to become part of a productive and contribute to the American dream.

There needed to be limits on the time for many of the aid programs. Free money was as addictive as any drug. Like all drugs it bred contempt, laziness and the attitude that one deserved more and more.

My idea was two years financial aid, reduced by fifty percent for the third year and then ended. If you had not been able to join Americas dream by then you needed to be sent back to your home country.

The only people that deserved long term financial aid were Social Security recipients- they had paid all their working lives with the promise it would be there for them. Veterans because they earned it - many with some kind of disability including mental conditions that lasted a lifetime.

Disability through SSA was for those truly disabled. The list of deserving ailments was growing, mostly because of trial lawyers, special interest groups and union attorneys that thought they deserved a handout and convinced Congress they did.

I decided that people from those agencies needed a place on the hot seat to explain things to me in person. The DHS was easy; they were under Eric and I saw him daily.

Jack Carol was the Secretary of Agriculture; the nutrition programs were under his agency. Ruth Packard was running part of the nutrition programs. Dirk Blake was in charge of the rest, according to Troy.

I remembered the names after Troy said them. President Thomas was always angered after meetings with them. It seemed there was no real accountability from them and always a reluctance to discuss policy changes and they were experts at double-talk. Reports from them were always delayed.

But they were favorites of several members of the Senate and the House.

I asked Connie to get transcripts of all the recent conversations between President Thomas and the group. Then I had a thought - I wanted transcripts of the calls and emails of the three and anyone in Congress they called.

I called Bob Smith and told him what phone and email transcripts I wanted and why.

When we were finished I vetoed the budget and sent my list of objections back to the House and Senate.

I sent a note to Harry with the reasons highlighted to announce that the proposed budget had been vetoed and sent back to Congress. Let the fun begin.

Connie and Kitty Winn were beginning to figure out how I wanted things done and what I wanted to do with them. My desk and the table I had asked to be placed in the Oval Office were stacked neatly with the documents for my scheduled meetings so I could be prepared for them.

Every time one of them came in, they had fresh hot coffee for me.

One of the unscheduled meetings was with Adam Pierce. He had an outline done for the State of the Union speech (SOTU) and wanted to quickly go over it; if it suited me, he would fill in the dialog with the normal gibberish.

The other meeting that popped up was with the Ambassador Fazel Al Farsi of Pakistan. He had called earlier in the day asking for an emergency meeting. I knew what he wanted; he was waiting in the lobby.

‘‘Madam President, it has been a while since we talked. First I must express my sorrow for the attack on your convoy while you were visiting. My country has arrested and will try all the members of the group that attacked you.’’

‘‘I do hope that you and all the members of your team have recovered from your injuries,’’ he said.

‘‘The attack has placed a dark cloud on your abilities to provide security for visiting diplomats. Hopefully it will not take long for the cloud to go away. Swift and proper maximum punishment of the culprits will certainly help,’’ I said.

‘‘I was informed that the request to meet was urgent,’’ I said to move the conversation long.

‘‘Yes. My Prime Minister was asked by friends if I would deliver a letter to you. I am reluctant to do so given the difficulties there have been with them and your country. But I must do as the Prime Minister directs,’’ he said as he handed me the letter.