Story thread · 5 reports / 3 sources

A No-Bid Contract to Rat Out Immigrant Minors

newrepublic.com · 4dShare

I wrote in July about how Donald Trump, despite rhapsodizing about the virtues of competitive bidding (“it sharpens their game, makes them bid competitively on price, and encourages them to give me the best quality product possible”) doesn’t practice competitive bidding when he plays with somebody else’s money. Trump’s a pro-bid businessman turned no-bid president. After my article appeared, a chastened White House sent a government-wide memo telling agencies to stop giving out no-bid contracts. Just kidding! The no-bid contracts march on. The nonprofit Project on Government Oversight, or POGO, estimated the Trump administration spent $265 million on no-bid contracts in 2025. In 2026 POGO projects the number will be closer to $300 million . The New York Times reported August 1 that Trump paid almost $7 billion to purchase, on a no-bid basis, 11 icebreakers—more than twice as many as the Coast Guard has said it needs. Most of these will be from Finland, per an agreement with its preside

First report: Morning Bid: Earnings overload — finance.yahoo.com, 7d