Here is a summary of the April 10, 2025, Cabinet meeting transcript where transparency hit the media.
𝐌𝐚𝐣𝐨𝐫 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐭 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲.
— Anna Matson (@AnnaRMatson) April 10, 2025
One by one, Cabinet members reported directly to the people.
Here is a recap by department and I’m not joking when I say the best are towards the end 🧵 pic.twitter.com/xyf3IF2ByF
General Overview (President Trump):
- Trump opened by highlighting economic achievements: low inflation, reduced consumer prices, lower energy costs, and stable or declining interest and prescription drug prices.
- He noted a record-breaking market day and emphasized the U.S. earning approximately $2-3.5 billion daily, attributing this to his administration’s policies, particularly tariffs.
- Discussed ongoing trade negotiations with multiple countries, stressing fairness and sustainability, and claimed no significant inflation despite tariffs during his first term.
- Praised the Cabinet’s collaborative relationships and transparency, allowing press access to the meeting.
Department of Defense/Veterans Affairs (Pete Hegseth):
- Reported on a trip to Panama, securing deals to prioritize U.S. vessels in the Panama Canal and establish U.S. troop presence to counter Chinese influence.
- Signed agreements with Panama’s Security Minister to secure the canal and push out Chinese interests, with Panama’s President Mulino supportive of U.S. efforts.
Department of Commerce (Howard Lutnick):
- Described a high volume of countries seeking trade talks, prompted by Trump’s demand for respect in trade relations.
- Announced the upcoming launch of the “Trump Card” (Gold Card), suggesting it as a significant initiative, possibly related to trade or economic policy.
Department of Education (Linda McMahon):
- Addressed antisemitism on college campuses by reviewing, canceling, or pausing grant and contract funding.
- Discussed transitioning education oversight to states, meeting with governors and education commissioners to provide tools and best practices.
- Confirmed withholding $400 million from Columbia University and $8 billion from Harvard due to their conduct, with investigations ongoing at other universities like Princeton and Cornell.
Office of Management and Budget (Russell Vought):
- Celebrated the House passing Trump’s budget resolution alongside a Senate bill, ensuring spending reforms and flexibility.
- Expressed optimism about delivering a comprehensive bill with tax cuts, regulation reductions, border funding, and other priorities.
Department of Transportation (Sean Duffy):
- Highlighted efforts to revitalize U.S. shipbuilding, supporting an executive order to boost maritime jobs and infrastructure.
- Visited the Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, noting the need for investment in training mariners.
- Addressed 3,200 infrastructure projects announced by the previous administration, working to finalize grant agreements while removing “green” and social justice requirements to focus on core infrastructure.
Department of Agriculture (Unidentified Speaker):
- Emphasized food security as national security, supporting Trump’s tariff, deregulation, and tax cut policies to aid farmers and ranchers.
- Noted a 30% input cost increase and a $50 billion trade deficit under Biden, contrasting with a balanced trade position during Trump’s first term.
- Planned to reform the food stamp program with Secretary Kennedy to align with health goals and remove DEI and Green New Deal influences from USDA.
Environmental Protection Agency (Lee Zeldin):
- Criticized Biden’s EPA for economic restrictions, canceling $22 billion in grants with DOGE and Elon Musk.
- Launched the largest deregulatory action in EPA history to reduce living costs, create jobs, and ease car purchases and home heating.
- Focused on clean air/water, energy dominance, permitting reform, cooperative federalism, AI leadership, and auto job revival.
- Approved power plant applications for AI and industrial facilities to enhance grid reliability.
Department of Labor (Laurie):
- Recovered $1.4 billion of unused COVID funds from states, aiming to retrieve $4.4 billion total, and identified $400 million in unemployment insurance fraud (e.g., payments to nonexistent or deceased individuals).
- Reported 228,000 new jobs in the latest report and launched an “America at Work” tour to promote workforce growth across all 50 states.
Department of Homeland Security (Unidentified Speaker):
- Achieved record-low border encounters for two consecutive months, enforcing immigration laws via the Alien Registration Act, with penalties for non-compliance.
- Promoted self-deportation, with thousands already leaving, and worked with countries like El Salvador, Colombia, and Mexico to support deportees’ reintegration.
- Collaborated with governors on FEMA, secure communication facilities (SCIFs), and REAL ID enforcement for travel by May 7, 2025, to enhance election and ID integrity.
- Supported farmers and industries by allowing certain workers to stay temporarily with a path to legal return.
Department of Justice (Pam Bondi):
- Secured legal victories affirming Trump’s authority to allocate funds, eliminating DEI across agencies, and winning cases involving NLRB, OPM, and the Alien Enemies Act.
- Charged 11 defendants in South Florida with trafficking half a billion dollars in cocaine, targeting gangs and cartels for deportation or imprisonment.
- Prosecuted individuals attacking Tesla, with four arrests and more pending, enforcing strict penalties.
Department of Government Efficiency (Elon Musk):
- Projected $150 billion in FY 2026 savings by reducing waste and fraud, citing absurd cases like unemployment payments to unborn individuals.
- Collaborated with the Cabinet to improve services while ensuring sensible spending, working with Howard Lutnick on the Trump Gold Card initiative.
Intelligence Community (Tulsi Gabbard):
- Prioritized transparency and accountability, providing apolitical intelligence for trade and peace negotiations.
- Enhanced information sharing with DHS and FBI to combat narcotic trafficking and cartels, designated as foreign terrorists.
- Investigated election integrity, identifying vulnerabilities in electronic voting systems, and advocated for paper ballots.
- Scanned documents on the assassinations of Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. for declassification, actively searching for additional records.
Health and Human Services (Robert F. Kennedy Jr.):
- Advanced the “Make America Healthy Again” agenda, reassessing fluoride rules with Lee Zeldin due to IQ loss concerns, with Utah banning supplemental fluoride.
- Worked with governors to remove soda from SNAP, improve school lunches, and restrict cell phone use in schools to boost academic and mental health outcomes.
- Reduced animal testing at NIH and FDA, shifting to AI for precision, and streamlined health agencies with DOGE.
- Controlled a measles outbreak (680 cases in 22 states) and refocused attention on chronic diseases like diabetes and autism, launching a major study to identify autism causes by September.
Department of Energy/Interior (Doug Burgum):
- Promoted energy dominance through the National Energy Dominance Council, involving half the Cabinet in deregulation, sanctions, and infrastructure.
- Reversed Biden’s supply restrictions, opening 500 million surface acres, 700 million subsurface acres, and 2.5 billion offshore acres for oil, gas, timber, and critical minerals.
- Ended the “war on coal” with executive orders, highlighting coal’s $8 trillion value, and reopened Alaska’s energy reserves (ANWR, North Slope, Strategic Petroleum Reserve).
- Scheduled the Gulf of America’s first offshore oil lease sale, unlocking up to 7 billion barrels.
Department of State (Marco Rubio):
- Praised Trump’s efforts to reorder global trade, countering China’s deindustrialization of the U.S. over 31 years.
- Announced direct talks between Ambassador Witkoff and Iran to prevent nuclear weapon development, expressing hope for peace.
- Noted global cooperation in deporting illegal immigrants, with countries accepting citizens back or facing penalties, and El Salvador’s support in detaining dangerous criminals.
- Enforced student visa compliance, revoking visas for campus disruptions, and celebrated the University of Florida’s basketball championship.
Treasury Department (Scott Bessent):
- Managed trade negotiations with over 75 countries, involving Trump directly, and included a debt ceiling increase in the budget bill to avoid future concerns.
- Addressed small bankers, emphasizing Main Street over Wall Street through deregulation and job creation.
- Reported a successful bond auction with foreign support and low inflation, with energy prices down 20% since January 20.
Trade and International Relations (General):
- Trump and Cabinet members discussed resetting trade dynamics, addressing a $1.2 trillion trade deficit left by Biden, with tariffs promoting U.S. manufacturing and workers.
- Countries representing over half of global GDP sought negotiations for reciprocal trade, prompted by Trump’s emergency trade actions.
- Specific focus on China’s trade surplus, with Trump expressing openness to a deal but criticizing past exploitation, and the EU’s strategic pause on retaliation.
This summary captures the key points from each department or focus area as presented in the transcript, reflecting the administration’s priorities on trade, economic growth, deregulation, border security, and health initiatives.