Posted by Publius Veritas | CloakroomLedger.com
Why This Matters
From budget bills spanning thousands of pages to quietly redefined powers of surveillance, the U.S. government has adopted increasingly opaque methods for passing laws and shifting authority. This timeline chronicles significant examples of legislative obfuscation and hidden power moves from 2017 through 2025—a bipartisan trend that has reshaped civil liberties, finances, and democratic accountability.
📜 2017–2020: The Trump Administration
1. The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act
- Hidden Clause: Created Opportunity Zones allowing capital gains sheltering with minimal oversight.
- Impact: Billionaires benefited while communities saw uneven investment; public unaware of full scale.
2. Presidential Emergency Powers Expansion
- Key Order: Declaring national emergency at the border (2019)
- Obfuscation: Repurposed billions in Pentagon funds via obscure statutory authority (10 U.S. Code § 2808)
- Impact: Set precedent for future presidents to bypass congressional budgeting.
3. Repeal of Net Neutrality (FCC 2017)
- Buried Detail: FCC reclassified broadband as “information service” to remove oversight
- Impact: Consumer protections gutted without Congressional vote.
4. 2020 CARES Act
- Obfuscation: Created opaque corporate lending windows via the Federal Reserve and Treasury with minimal transparency.
- Impact: Billions flowed to corporations while the Fed refused to disclose recipients.
🏛️ 2021–2024: The Biden Administration
5. American Rescue Plan (2021)
- Hidden Mechanism: $350B to states/cities with broad discretion and weak reporting requirements.
- Impact: Local programs hard to track; limited federal accountability.
6. Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (2021)
- Buried Provision: Mandated vehicle monitoring systems under the guise of safety.
- Impact: Opened doors to constant surveillance in privately-owned vehicles by 2026.
7. CHIPS and Science Act (2022)
- Obfuscation: Included clauses enabling executive control over certain manufacturing supply chains without clear limits.
8. Executive Order 14067 (2022)
- CBDC Framework: Directed agencies to explore digital dollar; critics warned of programmable control over money.
- Impact: Public largely unaware of scope or potential for abuse.
9. Student Loan Forgiveness via HEROES Act (2022)
- Obscured Justification: Legal authority derived from a 2003 Iraq war-era bill.
- Impact: Supreme Court ultimately rejected the use, but exposed loophole reliance.
⚖️ 2025 and Beyond: Current Watchlist
10. 2025 Federal Budget Bill (Pending)
- Watch For: Language surrounding Social Security disbursement delays, CBDC pilot programs, or federal land sales.
- Obfuscation Risk: Riders buried in defense, agriculture, or foreign aid sections.
11. Project 2025 Blueprint
- Nature: Not legislation, but a governance manifesto developed by conservative think tanks.
- Concern: Outlines a legal path to dismantle civil service protections and restructure agencies via executive orders.
12. Surveillance & Data Acts (TBD)
- Ongoing Threat: Reintroduction of Section 702 of FISA with altered language to broaden scope.
- Impact: Could permit warrantless data collection under new reclassifications.
🔍 How They Hide It
- Legal Naming Tricks: Bills titled “Freedom,” “Prosperity,” or “Security” often contain unrelated authority shifts.
- Timing: Major bills passed just before recess, during crises, or on holidays.
- Obscure Agencies: New entities created or redefined with vague roles (e.g., new offices in DHS, Commerce).
📢 Final Thought
Democracy doesn’t die in darkness — it’s slowly buried in bureaucracy.
Stay alert, stay informed, and expect more every Friday here at CloakroomLedger.com.
Next Friday: First full edition of the Weekly Obfuscation & Power Tracker, including:
- 2025 Budget movement
- Surveillance reauthorizations
- Who’s inserting what… and why
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The Obfuscation Index 
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