Letters: No strategy, no end; ‘Lunacy’ in federal government

No strategy, no end

Sound presidential decision-making requires guidance from experienced advisors. No president should take the United States to war because “had a feeling,” or claim he’ll end it “when I feel it in my bones.” Yet Donald Trump has failed to provide the American people — or Congress— with a clear, consistent objective or endgame for the war in Iran.

Even some of his own allies are raising alarms. Former U.S. counterterrorism chief Joe Kent resigned, stating he could not support a war in which “Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation.”

The costs are mounting: American lives lost; billions added to a $38 trillion national debt; strained military readiness; depleted weapons stockpiles; rising gas prices and inflation; increased instability.

Meanwhile, the consequences are spreading. Iran’s actions in the Strait of Hormuz have disrupted global oil markets, sending prices higher and exposing the absence of a coherent strategy.

Trump now seems bewildered that NATO allies — many he has publicly disparaged — are reluctant to join the conflict.

At home, Republicans appear more focused on political survival than accountability, pushing the misleadingly named SAVE Act even as public support for this war was never strong and is fading fast.

This is the result of unchecked power. Congressional Republicans have enabled a president willing to engage in open-ended conflicts.

Is Iran just the beginning?

If Congress won’t act, then voters must. Pennsylvanians should demand that Senator Fetterman, Senator McCormick, and House Republicans reassert their constitutional authority — and end this misguided and unnecessary war.

George Polycranos, Port Matilda

‘Lunacy’ in federal government

We have a president that does not believe in democracy. And we have a Congress that has given away its powers to the president. Our Congress has passed fewer laws than any Congress since the mid-19th century. And, when Congress does act, it is often to stop things working, through government shutdowns or partial shutdowns. There could be an effort to impeach Trump, for the third time. But this would not bring about lasting change. If Congress is organized, it already has the power to take back responsibilities from the president. How did we get into such a mess? The Heritage Foundation laid out hundreds of recommendations to the president. These recommendations, in their Project 2025 Program, have been carefully enacted. Trump denies ever hearing about these plans, but he has followed all of them.

And, in the meantime, our government seems limited to renaming offices, and mandating that American flags be American made. This is lunacy. To turn it all around, we need to convince Congress to act. Elections are near. Our votes matter; and let’s hope mail-in ballots count.

Carl Evensen, State College

Selective war on fraud

President Trump recently launched a war on fraud, directing federal agencies to crack down on improper payments. He named VP Vance — dubbed the “Fraud Czar” — to lead a task force, claiming the recovered funds would be “country-changing,” lowering the deficit and taxes.

We aren’t fooled. Trump only cares about fraud when it’s committed by people he doesn’t like or don’t benefit him.

As the NYT reported, he has granted clemency to more than 70 allies, donors and associates convicted in fraud cases, wiping away more than $700 million in restitution and fines. The pace has accelerated in his second term, with more than 30 such pardons in the past year alone.

The pattern is clear. This isn’t about protecting taxpayers. It’s about deciding who gets a pass — and who doesn’t.

Trump commuted a 20-year sentence for a health care executive who fraudulently billed $1.3 billion to Medicare and Medicaid — programs his crackdown now claims to protect.

And when it comes to protecting taxpayers, the record raises more questions. The administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) claims major savings, yet a nonpartisan analysis found its actions may cost taxpayers roughly $135 billion this year.

And then there’s this: the president himself was convicted of fraud — 34 felony counts for falsifying business records.

Week after week, Trump asks Americans to take him at his word, while his actions tell a different story. A war on fraud that rewards fraud isn’t reform. It’s selective justice.

Haven’t we had enough?

Karen Stoehr, State College