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Donald Trump has been feeling the holiday cheer ever since his inauguration in January. While December is known as the season of giving, Trump has been raking in presents all year—from an invented “peace prize” from FIFA to a luxury jet to be used as Air Force One from the Qatari government. But Trump doesn’t only receive—he has doled out pardons and favorable enforcement actions for his political supporters and the and corporate interests donating to his campaign, inauguration, or funds to build a ballroom where he will be able to lavish other billionaires. |
May 2025: Qatar Gifted Trump A $400 Million Luxury Jet For Use As Air Force One. According to POLITICO, "The United States has officially accepted a controversial luxury jet from Qatar for use as Air Force One, according to the Pentagon, despite concerns from lawmakers and MAGA allies about the financial and ethical implications. The $400 million jet will likely cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars to bring it up to presidential standards, including a security sweep of the entire aircraft and costly upgrades to ensure classified communications. " [POLITICO, 5/21/25]
December 2025: U.S. Federal Prosecutors Dropped Charges In FIFA Bribery Case Days After Trump Received FIFA Peace Prize. According to Newsweek, “Federal prosecutors in the U.S. moved to drop charges in a long-running international soccer bribery case on Tuesday, days after President Donald Trump received the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize. The news has prompted scrutiny online, though there is no evidence of any connection between the award and prosecutors' move to dismiss the charges. [...] U.S. prosecutors asked the Supreme Court on Tuesday to drop bribery charges against Hernan Lopez, a former Fox executive, and the Argentine sports marketing company Full Play Group. Lopez was convicted in 2023 of conspiring to pay millions in bribes to secure broadcast rights for South American soccer tournaments, while Full Play was accused of coordinating and facilitating the bribes on behalf of broadcasters.” [Newsweek, 12/11/25]
November 2025: Swiss Delegation Presented Lavish Gifts To Trump To Persuade Tariff Reduction. According to Axios, “A Swiss delegation presented President Trump with lavish gifts — including a 1-kilogram personalized gold bar worth $130,000 and a Rolex desktop clock — during a Nov. 4 visit aimed at persuading him to ease the tariffs he imposed on their country.” [Axios, 11/15/25]
March 2025: Putin Gifted Trump A Portrait Following An Assassination Attempt At A 2024 Rally. According to Axios, “Russian President Vladimir Putin presented Trump with a portrait of himself raising his fist — a depiction of him after the assassination attempt at Trump's 2024 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.” [Axios, 11/15/25]
October 2025: Zelenskyy Brought Usyk's Boxing Championship Belt To Meeting With Trump. According to 9 News, “For his first visit with Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy brought with him the World Boxing Championship belt won by the Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk last year. The colourful gold belt, which sat propped on one of the end tables as the two men's meeting devolved into a shouting match, went unmentioned during the talks, glinting under the lights.” [9 News, 10/31/25]
October 2025: Trump Received Golf Gifts From Japan’s PM During Meeting. According to Axios, “[In October] [a]t his first meeting with Japan’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, she gave Trump a golf bag signed by Japanese golfer Hideki Matsuyama and a putter from the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a friend and golf partner of the president.” [Axios, 11/15/25]
September 2025: Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba Gifted Trump A Golden Samurai Helmet. According to The Times, “Shigeru Ishiba, the prime minister of Japan, stuck to the same theme when he presented Trump with a golden samurai helmet at the White House in February. The design represented a wish for ‘eternal brilliance’, according to the maker’s description.” [The Times, 9/27/25]
September 2025: South African President Ramaphosa Presented Trump With A Book On Golf Courses. According to The Times, “President Ramaphosa presented a 14kg book showcasing the golf courses of South Africa. He brought along a couple of professional golfers too — but it did not spare him a mauling from Trump in the Oval Office in May.” [The Times, 9/27/25]
September 2025: Netanyahu Gave Trump A Golden Pager To Commemorate An Israeli Attack On Hezbollah. According to The Times, “Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, gifted Trump a golden pager at the Oval Office in February to commemorate the attack by Israel on Hezbollah members last year.” [The Times, 9/27/25]
September 2025: Netanyahu Gifted Trump A Bomber-Shaped Mezuzah Recognizing U.S. Strikes On Iran. According to The Times, “Netanyahu followed this with another conflict-related gift in July, handing Trump a mezuzah — a traditional parchment in a case to be hung at a doorway — crafted in the shape of a B-2 bomber, in recognition of the US aircraft that struck Iran’s nuclear facilities.” [The Times, 9/27/25]
September 2025: Sultan Al-Jaber Gave Trump A Sample Of Murban Crude Oil. According to The Times, “Sultan al-Jaber, head of the state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Co, gave him a presentation case in May containing ‘a globally recognised benchmark,’ a sample of Murban crude oil. Trump joked: ‘The highest quality oil there is on the planet and they only gave me a drop of it … so I’m not thrilled. But it’s better than no drop.’” [The Times, 9/27/25]
March 2025: Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin Gifted Trump A Waterford Crystal Bowl Filled With Shamrocks. According to Axios, “[In] March Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin gifted Trump a Waterford crystal bowl filled with shamrocks, continuing the long-standing St. Patrick’s Day ritual between the two nations.” [Axios, 11/15/25]
August 2025: South Korean President Gifted Trump A Personalized Golf Putter. According to Axios, “South Korean President Lee Jae Myung gave Trump a golf putter engraved with his name and the numbers 45 and 47, a nod to his two presidential terms.” [Axios, 11/15/25]
October 2025: Trump Received A Ceremonial Gold Crown And The Grand Order Of Mugunghwa Medal From South Korean President Lee Jae Myung. According to Axios, “[In October] South Korean President Lee Jae Myung presented Trump with a ceremonial gold crown. He was also the first U.S. president to be gifted a gold medal representing the Grand Order of Mugunghwa, the country’s highest honor.” [Axios, 11/15/25]
April 2025: Trump Received A Ring From The Navy Football Team. According to The Times, “His keepsakes range from a large American football ring he seemed delighted to receive from a navy midshipman in April.” [The Times, 9/27/25]
2025: President Trump Received Honorary U.S. Marshals Service Badge With Hidden Handcuff Key. According to The Times, “President Trump grimaced as he was handed his latest gift: an honorary US Marshals Service badge complete with hidden handcuff key.” [The Times, 9/27/25]
August 2025: Trump Received A Gold Plaque From Apple. According to The Economic Times, “Donald Trump, throughout his presidency, has been the recipient of an extraordinary array of gifts—from luxury jets worth hundreds of millions to golden golf clubs and bespoke plaques. […] The latest dazzling addition to the collection was a commemorative plaque gifted by Apple CEO Tim Cook in August 2025. This plaque features a circular piece of Corning Gorilla Glass mounted on a 24-karat gold base crafted by a former US Marine working at Apple. It was presented alongside the announcement of Apple’s $600 billion investment in American manufacturing, symbolizing an intertwining of corporate influence, patriotism, and the Trump-era flair for ostentation.” [Economic Times 8/9/25]
October 2025: Mar-a-Lago Membership Fee Increased To $1 Million By 2025. According to Bloomberg Businessweek, "But even back at Mar-a-Lago, a few days before Biden’s debate stumble, Trump seemed to be riding this heightened sense of good fortune. When the resort’s longtime managing director dropped by during the conversation, Trump noted with pride that the club would increase its initiation fee from $700,000 to $1 million in October, with four new slots open—a sign, presumably, of the increased value of proximity to potentially the next commander-in-chief. " [Bloomberg Businessweek, 7/16/24]
July 2025: $500,000 Initiation Fee For Trump-Aligned Private Club Co-Founded By Donald Jr. In Washington, D.C. According to NBC News, "A new private membership club in Washington, D.C., co-founded by Donald Trump Jr., is charging a $500,000 membership fee — and there’s already a waiting list. The club, called Executive Branch, held a launch party on Saturday night that included at least a half dozen members of President Donald Trump’s administration as well as wealthy CEOs, tech founders and policy experts, according to people familiar with the club who declined to be named speaking about it publicly. " [NBC News, 4/29/25]
March 2025: Trump's White House Sold Corporate Sponsorships Ranging From $75,000 To $200,000 For The White House Easter Egg Roll. According to CNN, "The White House, through an outside event production company called Harbinger, is soliciting corporate sponsors for this year’s Easter Egg Roll, which is prompting major concerns from ethics experts and shock from former White House officials from both parties. The sponsorship offers range from $75,000 to $200,000, with the promise of logo and branding opportunities, according to a nine-page document sent to potential sponsors and obtained by CNN. " [CNN, 3/23/25]
October 2025: CBS News Reported Trump Raised Over $350 Million For Ballroom Construction. According to CBS News, “Speaking to reporters Friday night as he was departing for an Asia trip, Mr. Trump said that ‘more than $350 million’ had been raised so far.” [CBS News, 10/25/25]
October 2025: Google, Amazon, And Other Major Companies Were Listed As Donors For Trump’s Ballroom. According to CBS News, “CBS News reviewed a list of 37 donors provided by the White House, which included tech firms like Google and Amazon and crypto companies like Ripple and Coinbase. Others that contributed to the project include Nvidia, Susquehanna International Group and ExtremityCare, according to sources familiar with the matter. The president hosted a dinner last week thanking donors, although not everyone invited to the dinner contributed.” [CBS News, 10/25/25]
October 2025: T-Mobile Donated To Trump’s Ballroom Fund Via The Trust For The National Mall. According to CBS News, “In a statement to CBS News, a T-Mobile spokesperson said the company donated to the Trust for the National Mall, which is handling ballroom donations, but has 'no role in the use of those funds or decisions related to the construction of the ballroom.' The spokesperson did not comment on the Trump-linked cell service company.” [CBS News, 10/25/25]
October 2025: Donor Lockheed Martin Donated Over $10 Million For Trump's Ballroom. According to CBS News, “Lockheed Martin donated over $10 million to Mr. Trump's ballroom, according to company sources. The defense contractor is typically awarded tens of billions annually in federal contracts.” [CBS News, 10/25/25]
October 2025: Donor ExtremityCare Benefited From Trump Administration’s Medicare Coverage Delay. According to CBS News, “Biotech company ExtremityCare's CEOs were on the thank-you dinner guest list. The company, which makes costly human cell and tissue medical products, previously donated $5 million to MAGA Inc. Soon after the donation, the Trump administration moved to delay a Biden administration plan to limit Medicare’s coverage of the company's ‘skin substitute’ bandages.” [CBS News, 10/25/25]
October 2025: East Room Dinner For Ballroom Donors Included Executives With Lucrative Government Contracts And Trump Backers. According to Axios, “Representatives from Google, Amazon, Palantir Technologies, Lockheed Martin and more — many with lucrative contracts or pending business with the government — attended the East Room dinner. The guest list included wealthy Trump backers like Blackstone co-founder Stephen A. Schwarzman and oil executive Harold G. Hamm, as first reported by The Wall Street Journal and confirmed to Axios by a White House official.” [Axios, 10/16/25]
Lobbyists From Key Those Firms Attended White House Ballroom Dinner With Executives. According to CBS News, “Lobbyists from those three firms — Miller Strategies, Ballard Partners and Michael Best Strategies — mingled last month with the president and executives from America's top technology and cryptocurrency companies over tomato salad and Beef Wellington.” [CBS News, 11/19/25]
Lobbying Firm Akin Involved With Donor Companies. According to CBS News, “CBS News also found that a fourth firm, Akin, provided lobbying or legal services to at least nine of the donor companies, according to 2025 federal lobbying disclosures, and one of its lobbyists also attended the East Room dinner.” [CBS News, 11/19/25]
November 2025: Lobbyists Facilitated Corporate Donations To Trump’s Ballroom Fundraisers. According to CBS News, “Lobbyists were instrumental in connecting their corporate clients with ballroom fundraisers, multiple sources told CBS News.” [CBS News, 11/19/25]
Prominent Lobbyists Attended White House Fundraising Dinner. According to CBS News, “Reince Priebus, formerly Mr. Trump’s chief of staff and now president of Michael Best Strategies, attended the fundraising dinner. So did Jeff Miller and Brian Ballard of their namesake firms. Geoffrey Verhoff was Akin’s representative on the guest list, according to CBS News sources.” [CBS News, 11/19/25]
November 2025: Public Citizen Identified Corporations Donated To Trump’s Ballroom Via Ballard Partners. According to CBS News, “The Public Citizen report, which relied on lobby disclosure forms, revealed Ballard Partners represents 11 corporations that have donated to the ballroom: Amazon, Booz Allen Hamilton, Comcast, Extremity Care, Hard Rock International, NextEra Energy, Palantir, Reynolds American, Ripple, T-Mobile and Vantive.” [CBS News, 11/19/25]
Corporate Donors To Trump Ballroom Had Conflicts of Interest. According to Public Citizen, “The corporate and billionaire donors to Donald Trump’s gaudy ballroom project are beset by conflicts of interest, according to a new Public Citizen report. Two-thirds of the 24 known corporate donors have recent government contracts for projects, totaling $279 billion over the last five years. Lockheed Martin is the largest of the government contractors, with $191 billion in federal contracts over the last five years.” [Public Citizen, 11/3/25]
Public Citizen Reported 14 Corporate Donors To Trump Ballroom Faced Or Had Federal Enforcement Actions Suspended. According to Public Citizen, “Of the 24 corporate donors, 14 are facing federal enforcement actions and/or have had federal enforcement actions suspended by the Trump administration. These include major antitrust actions involving Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia and T-Mobile; labor rights cases involving Amazon, Apple, Caterpillar, Google, Lockheed and Meta; and SEC matters involving Coinbase and Ripple.” [Public Citizen, 11/3/25]
The Corporate Donors To Trump Ballroom Spent $1.6 Billion On Lobbying In Five Years. According to Public Citizen, “The corporate and billionaire funders of the ballroom have spent $1.6 billion on lobbying and campaign contributions over the last five years.” [Public Citizen, 11/3/25]
November 2025: Public Citizen’s Weissman Criticized Corporations For Funding Trump’s Ballroom Project. According to Public Citizen, “Public Citizen Co-President Robert Weissman, an author of the report, said these corporations’ hunger for political gain seems thinly veiled: ‘These giant corporations aren’t funding the Trump ballroom debacle out of a sense of civic pride. They have massive interests before the federal government and they undoubtedly hope to curry favor with, and receive favorable treatment from, the Trump administration. Millions to fund Trump’s architectural whims are nothing compared to the billions at stake in procurement, regulatory and enforcement decisions. But this is more than everyday corporate influence seeking. Paying tribute is a mark of authoritarianism and in making these payments, these corporations are aiding Trump’s authoritarian project. They should withdraw their contributions.’” [Public Citizen, 11/3/25]
September 2025: YouTube Agreed To Pay $22 Million To Trump In A Settlement After It Banned His Account Following The January 6 Attack On The Capitol. According to Los Angeles Times, "On Monday, YouTube became the latest media and tech company to settle one of President Trump’s lawsuits.The Google-owned streamer agreed to pay $24.5 million to settle a lawsuit Trump filed after his account was banned following the Jan. 6, 2021, riots at the U.S. Capitol. […] Of the $24.5 million, $22 million is going to Trump, who will contribute the money to the Trust for the National Mall, which is ‘dedicated to restoring, preserving, and elevating the National Mall' as well as supporting the construction of the White House State Ballroom, according to the filing. Alphabet will also have to pay an additional $2.5 million to other plaintiffs in the case, including the American Conservative Union and writer Naomi Wolf." [Los Angeles Times, 10/1/25]
January 2025: Meta Agreed To Pay Trump $25 Million And X Agreed To Pay $10 Million To Settle A Lawsuit After It Suspend His Accounts Following The January 6 Attack On The Capitol. According to Los Angeles Times, "Social media platforms Facebook (now Meta) and Twitter (now X) had suspended Trump’s accounts over Jan. 6, 2021. […] Shortly before Trump was going to take office for his second term, in January 2025, Meta decided to pay the incoming president $25 million to settle the lawsuit. Elon Musk, who had purchased Twitter and renamed it 'X' in the interim, agreed to pay $10 million to settle its Trump case. " [Los Angeles Times, 10/1/25]
2025: $940 Million Pledged By Law Firms For Pro Bono Conservative Causes To Avoid Trump Executive Orders. According to Bloomberg Law, "Nearly five months after major law firms began striking deals with President Donald Trump, there’s little outward sign that the agreements have impacted their business operations. Some of the nine firms that pledged a collective $940 million in free legal services as part of the pacts have continued to take the kinds of cases that appear to have made them targets in the first place. At least one is fighting the Trump administration in court over immigration and trade issues central to the president’s agenda. " [Bloomberg Law, 8/15/25]
November 2025: Trump Pardoned Changpeng Zhao After His Company Supported A Trump Family Firm. According to CBS News, “Last month, President Trump granted a pardon to a billionaire felon, after the felon's company enriched a Trump family business. The pardon went to Changpeng Zhao, a Chinese-born businessman, who was accused by the Justice Department of causing, quote, ‘...significant harm to U.S. national security…’ The president says he does not know Zhao. Our reporting shows that Zhao’s company supported a Trump family firm at critical moments leading up to the president's pardon.” [CBS News, 11/16/25]
November 2025: Elizabeth Oyer Claimed That Changpeng Zhao Allowed His Company To Finance Criminal Activity. According to CBS News, “Elizabeth Oyer: He’s one of the richest men in the world. And he was essentially allowing his company to be used as a platform to finance criminal activity, to send money to terrorist organizations, Al-Qaeda, Hamas, ISIS and he was prosecuted criminally for that.” [CBS News, 11/16/25]
November 2025: Elizabeth Oyer Described The Influence Of Money On Changpeng Zhao's Pardon As Unprecedented. According to CBS News, “Elizabeth Oyer: The influence that money played in securing this pardon is unprecedented. The self-dealing aspect of the pardon in terms of the benefit that it conferred on President Trump, and his family, and people in his inner circle is also unprecedented.” [CBS News, 11/16/25]
November 2025: Paul Walczak Pardoned After Mother Paid $1 Million To Attend MAGA Fundraiser. According to Campaign Legal, “[Paul] Walczak, a former nursing home executive, pleaded guilty in Nov. 2024 to tax crimes arising from his use of over $10 million withheld from the paychecks of nursing home staff to pay for personal expenses, including luxury goods and travel. In April 2025, Walczak was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment and ordered to pay over $4.4 million in restitution. [...] Walczak’s mother, Elizabeth Fago, not only raised money for Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, she also paid $1 million to attend a fundraising dinner for MAGA Inc. in April 2025. Walczak cited his mother’s donation history in his pardon application, claiming that her support for Trump motivated the prosecution against him. Trump pardoned Walczak on April 25, 2025, less than three weeks after his mother, Fago, attended the Trump fundraiser — and just 12 days after Walczak was sentenced.” [Campaign Legal, 11/20/25]
November 2025: Imaad Zuberi Pardoned For 2016 Trump Inauguration Fund Fraud. According to Campaign Leal, “In Feb. 2021, [Imaad] Zuberi was convicted and sentenced to 12 years imprisonment on campaign finance, FARA, and obstruction of justice charges. These charges stemmed from Zuberi falsifying records to conceal his work as a foreign lobbyist, failing to pay millions of dollars in taxes, making over $250,000 in illegal straw donor contributions, and obstructing a federal investigation into the true sources of a $900,000 donation — Political Contributions and Inaugural Fund Donations Commutation including foreign nationals, who are legally prohibited from making such donations — to Trump’s 2016 inaugural fund that Zuberi routed through his venture capital firm, Avenue Ventures LLC. OFFICIAL ACTION Trump commuted Zuberi’s 12-year prison sentence on May 28, 2025.” [Campaign Legal, 11/20/25]
November 2025: Trevor Milton Pardoned Making Significant Contributions to Trump Campaign Funds. According to Campaign Legal, “[Trevor] Milton, founder of the electric vehicle company Nikola, was convicted of defrauding the company’s investors and sentenced to four years’ imprisonment in Dec. 2023. During the 2024 election, Milton gave $920,000 to Trump 47 Committee, Inc., gave $750,000 to the pro-Trump super PAC MAHA Alliance, and gave over $280,000 to the Republican National Committee. Political Contributions Pardon Trump pardoned Milton in March 2025. In Sept. 2025, the SEC dropped its efforts to recover $660 million that prosecutors had recommended Milton be required to pay back to shareholders.” [Campaign Legal, 11/20/25]
December 2025: Trump Said Rep. Henry Cuellar Was Disloyal For Not Switching Parties After Trump Pardoned Him. According to NBC News, "President Donald Trump criticized Rep. Henry Cuellar for 'a lack of loyalty' for running as a Democrat after receiving a presidential pardon. 'Such a lack of LOYALTY, something that Texas Voters, and Henry’s daughters, will not like,' Trump said in a Sunday post to Truth Social. ‘Oh’ well, next time, no more Mr. Nice guy!’ […] Trump criticized Cuellar, saying that by running as a Democrat, he was 'continuing to work with the same Radical Left Scum that just weeks before wanted him and his wife to spend the rest of their lives in Prison — And probably still do!’” [NBC News, 12/7/25]
October 2025: Jeff Yass Contributed To The Ballroom: His Wealth Increased Significantly After Trump’s Policy Reversal On TikTok. According to CBS News, “Jeff Yass, who cofounded the trading firm Susquehanna International Group and invested in TikTok, was also on the guest list. Yass has given more than $16 million to super PAC MAGA Inc. this year. In his first term, Mr. Trump sought to ban TikTok, but he reversed course this year, signing an order last month to keep TikTok operating in the U.S. with a slate of American investors. Meanwhile, Yass’s wealth has surged by billions of dollars this year, according to estimates by Bloomberg and Forbes.” [CBS News, 10/25/25]
October 2025: Coinbase Donated While Seeking SEC Approval And Facing An Investigation. According to CBS News, “A company spokesman confirmed Coinbase, the largest U.S. cryptocurrency exchange, made a donation. The company is seeking Securities and Exchange Commission approval to offer blockchain-based stocks. It also faces an SEC investigation started under former President Joe Biden into whether it misstated its user numbers in past financial disclosures, The New York Times reported. Earlier this year, the SEC withdrew a separate lawsuit against Coinbase, shortly after the company donated $1 million to Mr. Trump's inauguration.” [CBS News, 10/25/25]
October 2025: Ripple CEO Donated To Trump’s Ballroom; CEO Supports Administration’s Crypto Policies. According to CBS News, “The crypto company Ripple also donated. Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse has openly expressed his support for the current administration's cryptocurrency policies, and Mr. Trump has promoted its coin, XRP, as one of the coins that a planned U.S. government-controlled crypto reserve should include.” [CBS News, 10/25/25]
November 2025: Nvidia Was An Undisclosed Donor To Trump’s Ballroom And Could Benefit From A Trade Deal. According to The Independent, “Silicon Valley chipmaker Nvidia was also omitted from the list but revealed last week it was among donors backing the ballroom. The company could benefit from a Trump trade deal with China.” [The Independent, 11/1/25]
GEO Group Received $1.2 Billion Government Contract After Donations To Pro-Trump PACs. According to Issue One, “$1.2 billion - Value of a 15-year government contract awarded to the private prison company GEO Group to reopen an immigrant detention facility in New Jersey, after the GEO Group and its subsidiaries gave a combined $1.25 million to two pro-Trump super PACs ahead of the 2024 election and $500,000 to Trump’s inaugural committee.” [Issue One, 7/17/25]
17 Federal Enforcement Actions Against Trump Inauguration Donors Halted Or Dismissed By July 2025. According to Issue One, “17 - Number of federal enforcement actions and investigations against companies that donated to Trump’s inauguration that have since been halted or dismissed.” [Issue One, 7/17/25]
Corporations Donated $50 Million To Trump’s Inauguration Amid Federal Investigations. According to Public Citizen, “Corporations facing federal investigations or enforcement lawsuits collectively gave $50 million to Trump’s inauguration – a third of the corporate inauguration donations. Public Citizen cross-referenced new inauguration donor data (as shown below) with corporations listed in our Corporate Enforcement Tracker database, and found 58 corporations which include crypto companies, oil and auto industries, Big Pharma, tech companies, Wall Street hedge funds and more, faced at least 88 federal enforcement actions when Trump took office. Cases against 11 of these corporations have already been dismissed or withdrawn, and six have been halted.” [Public Citizen, 4/21/25]