The Trump Presidency 2.0

[AWP]

I am hearing a lot--a LOT--about how Trump can't just wholesale cut departments or agencies, which is true. His administration CAN, however, reassign, redirect, and modify how those departments and agencies are going to be run. Still I foresee a million and one lawsuits. Congress will simply refuse to cede any power.

I'll post the link when I get home, but one website is tracking all of the lawsuits against Trump and Elon right now.

 

[DA SWO]

I was talking specifically in relation to the issues @AWP brought up with the Fed "severance" reductions.


They should have given agencies 30 days (26FEB) to determine exemptions. At that time, they should have announced they would offer severances with a end date of 28MAR, two weeks after a new budget has passed.

Letting agencies decide which positions are critical would result in minimal (if any) reductions.

Easier solution, cut all the contractors who were added after 2001.

 

[Marauder06]

Letting agencies decide which positions are critical would result in minimal (if any) reductions.

Easier solution, cut all the contractors who were added after 2001.

Me: <looks around nervously> nah, I mean... that's CRAZY TALK, right? ;)

 

[Cookie_]

Letting agencies decide which positions are critical would result in minimal (if any) reductions.

Easier solution, cut all the contractors who were added after 2001.

Part of this current process already allows agencies to determine where exemptions are.
They get less than a week to make this determination. Subtract the days lost for the communication confusion and it's even less time.

Do you think they're going to do a good analysis for cuts, or just going overestimate how many positions are excluded from severance?

 

[Box]

The "more people than seats thing" ain't a problem were I am - in part because we are shorthanded to begin with - but we can't resist the chance to talk about cuts and drawdowns and grade plate changes.
We spend TONS of money on horse shit - then complain that we are broke.
We cut "CIVPAY" and authorizations - then complain that we are shorthanded.
Then we buy MORE horseshit that nobody asked for as we restart the cycle of failure.

The thing is; government sucks - ALL government sucks - it doesn't matter what color tie they wear to the press conference - they all suck. They dont all want to suck - but they can't help it. Government, by design, is a burden on the governed.

They've all always sucked forever and will continue to do so. Those who govern "think" they are doing the peoples work but the truth is and will always be, the purpose and essence of the politician is to govern. It's the nature of a governed civilization...
...some folks are going to exploit other folks under the mantle of "helping"

Personally - I just want to be left alone. The problem is, I also like to have stuff.
I love a good steak - but don't know shit about ranching - so I gotta a pay a mother fucker to grow my steaks.

I also don't have access to the raw materials, technology, and equipment to build my own BBQ grill...
...so I gotta pay a mother fucker at Weber to build one for me.
...so I can cook my steak on it.

I'm pretty fucking self sustaining when I need to be - but I like to have stuff
I like modern conveniences.
I've got bills to pay.
...and THAT ladies and gentlemen is why I am so cynical and sarcastic.

Trump is not the solution.
The bigger problem is getting ALL Americans to understand that Trump also is NOT the problem.
...but the flavor of bullshit he is marketing is far more palatable that the stale unflavored outdated overpriced governed subsidized bullshit that was being foisted upon us by BOTH of the con men that he replaced.


Just my two cents on the matter - I could be wrong.

 

[AWP]

The website I mentioned earlier:
Litigation Tracker: Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions

 

[amlove21]

The democratic convulsions over USAID is delightful. Tell me you're mad about your money laundering organization going away without telling me, folks.

 

[AWP]

I wonder how much cocaine and heroin the CIA will have to traffic to make up for the loss of USAID? With the border closing cartels need a way into the country.

 

[Box]

What really baffles me about the "CIA angle" to this entire USAID debacle is the bizarre shit that was being funded.

If someone could explain to me how a transgender turkey shoot in Belize - or an LGBTQQIP2SAA puppet show in Syria - or gain of function research in Wuhan - or a 4-D star trek chess set to Venezuela - a special edition of Rue Pauls Drag race in Siberia - or even sending $60.8 million in contraception and condoms to other countries in fiscal year 2023 - was advancing US national security in the region - I'd probably feel different about the whole "USAID as a CIA front" component of this story line. The problem is, I just can't see how programs that advance the agenda of entities HOSTILE to American goals and values are somehow worth 40 billion dollars worth of beer money.

I just need someone more virtuous than I am to fill me in on the appropriate amount of outrage I should be showing

 

[Marauder06]

 

[ThunderHorse]

Letting agencies decide which positions are critical would result in minimal (if any) reductions.

Easier solution, cut all the contractors who were added after 2001.

This issue reminds me of how it's impossible to hired at Google because they won't authorize new head counts and won't fire people who don't work. Sounds like the Federal Government? At Google when projects need to be plussed up, they hire contractors to teams. Mind you these are indefinite term...and they report to the same building, just don't have the same rights...sort of like the H1B farms.

 

[amlove21]

20k federal employees have taken the buyout... rookie numbers. We gotta pump those numbers way up.

 

[amlove21]

I wonder how much cocaine and heroin the CIA will have to traffic to make up for the loss of USAID? With the border closing cartels need a way into the country.

I wish I could give this 2 eggplants.

 

[Cookie_]

20k federal employees have taken the buyout... rookie numbers. We gotta pump those numbers way up.

We'll see if they get to the 5% they thought they would. I really think they could have reached 10%+ if they hadn't tried to speed run it.

I know a few people who would take it if their was an actual document ensuring they'd get retirement other than the "trust us bro" emails we keep getting.

 

[Box]

There are folks all over my building that are talking about it - found out today that a few of them already dropped their "deferred resignation" EARLY in the process...
...so they can retire in July/August

We just spent "pre-lunch" where I work doing a "Town Hall" so the CHRD could give everyone ground truth on the process and I am preeeeetty sure based on the questions being asked that a few more folks are going to cut bait now than were originally planning...
...free money and you can get a second job and STILL retire on time !!!

 

[amlove21]

We'll see if they get to the 5% they thought they would. I really think they could have reached 10%+ if they hadn't tried to speed run it.

I know a few people who would take it if their was an actual document ensuring they'd get retirement other than the "trust us bro" emails we keep getting.

I think they got what they deserved, but I get your point. I'll take 2.5%, and then the move out of DC.

 

[Steve1839]

I just need someone more virtuous than I am to fill me...

Methinks you are likely in the wrong forum

 

[ThunderHorse]

We'll see if they get to the 5% they thought they would. I really think they could have reached 10%+ if they hadn't tried to speed run it.

I know a few people who would take it if their was an actual document ensuring they'd get retirement other than the "trust us bro" emails we keep getting.

Consider that in October, we shed 28,000 private sector jobs...but somehow the Federal government hired 40,000 people So the Jill admin could point to positive job growth...

Where Are New Jobs Coming From? - Everything Policy - Briefs

 

[TLDR20]

I will preface this by saying I truly do not care. I’ve been pushed back to what I consider center by politics the last few years. I am still certainly to the left of many members here, but honestly I feel what i feel is left leaning from me, has become some altered disgusting platform. At the end of the day, I’ll be fine. I am in a recession proof job, and I work in a place that barely takes Medicare.

However. This is not well planned, and “burning it to the ground” is gonna burn a lot of Americans to the ground. There will be immense second order effects that are just being ignored as of now. What happens when some pay person at the Social Security agency stops coming to work, there is no one to back fill and SS checks stop going out? Great, we saved some money? But now long term you might cripple a family with a dependent. In the short term we are owning the “money launderers” at USAID, but in the long term we might be taking senior citizens fixed income payments, on money they were promised. I truly hope none of this happens.

I hope we can have a functioning government. I had fears of project 2025 stuff before the election, and those things keep popping up.

And now. We are planning to take over the Gaza Strip according to President Trump. How could that go poorly?

 

[TLDR20]

Trump won't rule out deploying US troops to support rebuilding Gaza, sees 'long-term' US ownership

America First.