Fed Workers ‘Kicking And Screaming’ At Trump’s Buyout Offer

[catfish1957]

The Dead Head Fed vote already sways 95% Democrat.  You're not losing any votes.  It's Dem campaign coffers that will be taking the hit.

You make a good point.  Look at the political demographic around Northern Virginia. 

So, there's a good chance this has an actual political plus side to GOP chances in '26 / '28.

[DB]

Non governmental folks have lived and worked their entire work lives with the understanding that if they can't meet work expectations that they won't keep their job.  90% of all of us also have understood that our employment was dependent on the success of the organization (business) we worked for.

Lack of sympathy?  Yeah, but from my POV, seeing some of these dead heads get the pink slip will provide me an immeasurable amount of schadenfreude and joy.  I hate to be heartless, but after watching so many of these wave the "untouchable" flag at us....  it has created a level of anger   that can't be ignored.

And you can add to that every time there is a recession/economic downturn/pandemic/inflation, state and federal employees continue on totally unaffected. No layoffs, no pay cuts. And on top of that they lobby the politicians for more money at the very same time everyone else is having to make do with less money. My sympathy runs low for all that.

[bigheadfred]

I should check with my brother who works for the USDA in Memphis. He was planning on retiring sometime after his b-day last November.

[Hoodat]

And you can add to that every time there is a recession/economic downturn/pandemic/inflation, state and federal employees continue on totally unaffected. No layoffs, no pay cuts. And on top of that they lobby the politicians for more money at the very same time everyone else is having to make do with less money. My sympathy runs low for all that.

Agreed.  Also, whenever there is a government shutdown, they are told to stay home for a couple of weeks while Congress sorts it out.  And then when spending is restored, they get back pay for the two weeks they sat at home.

Seriously, there is no downside to being a government employee.  No tradeoffs.  They get higher pay.  They get pensions.  They get better insurance.  They get a payout for unused sick days.  They have no performance expectations.  They keep their jobs even when their employer is hemorrhaging $2 trillion in new debt every year.  And for the last four years, they haven't even had to show up for work to collect their paychecks.  As far as I'm concerned, every damn one of them needs to be laid off today with no severance, just like us regular folks who work for companies with balance sheets.

[Bigun]

This country's greatest problem is the attacks to our country from within, not by politicians but by the bureaucrats who control the politicians. Little of what you describe here relate to eliminating the Deep State that is destroying us.

We have to take these people out to get anything done, period.

Good Lord, hasn't the Presidency of Biden brought that out into the open for the world to see?

With the will to do that, little else will be consequential as those actions of which you speak will not be undertaken but will be undercut by them.

If only patriotic people operate government, most of the actions you describe will be taken care of by concerned bureaucrats who place the country above their personal agenda.

You seem to equate politics with everything.  The greatest decisions are made by people doing the right thing and are unafraid of the political consequences.

We damn near lost our country until the 2024 election, and we need to clear house to mitigate being that close again.

 

[Bigun]

I worked one project with Dept. of Enrrgy, and learned right there that I never wanted to work with government again, much less for them.  As an engineer, I instinctively like fixing problems.  Government is focused on creating them.  The two mindsets are in conflict.

You can say that again! Constant conflict! I defy anyone to show me the problem a government hack actually fixed.

[IsailedawayfromFR]

Agreed.  Also, whenever there is a government shutdown, they are told to stay home for a couple of weeks while Congress sorts it out.  And then when spending is restored, they get back pay for the two weeks they sat at home.

Seriously, there is no downside to being a government employee.  No tradeoffs.  They get higher pay.  They get pensions.  They get better insurance.  They get a payout for unused sick days.  They have no performance expectations.  They keep their jobs even when their employer is hemorrhaging $2 trillion in new debt every year.  And for the last four years, they haven't even had to show up for work to collect their paychecks.  As far as I'm concerned, every damn one of them needs to be laid off today with no severance, just like us regular folks who work for companies with balance sheets.

And need to include the pay gap between private and federal employees.  You will not find the comparison easily, as most studies include all the local and state public employees with the federal employees.  Local public employees in most cases are severely underpaid compared to federal employees.

What I have seen is the average federal sector makes significantly more than the average private sector.  And the pension and medical benefits of federal workers is much much greater than the private sector, where in many cases no pension or medical benefit exists.

[IsailedawayfromFR]

I worked one project with Dept. of Enrrgy, and learned right there that I never wanted to work with government again, much less for them.  As an engineer, I instinctively like fixing problems.  Government is focused on creating them. The two mindsets are in conflict.

Exactly what I encountered working with a team of government engineers in Commerce Dept.  No urgency to do anything but put in the time, which like clockwork was ONLY between 8 to 5.

The organization I worked for in the late 60s/early 70s was created by LBJ as a welfare handout to less-financially secure entities like poorer areas and Indian tribes.

The goal was to handout X$ only.  No goal to see if grants actually improved anything, and I cannot recall any group being finally crossed off the list that the money made their own wellbeing stable.

Now hear this:  This organization is now 60 years old and STILL EXISTS.

It is a perpetual motion machine to hand out money with no end in sight.

[mountaineer]

Mila Joy
@MilaLovesJoe
BREAKING:  It is being reported that one of the main issues federal workers have with returning to the office is that it will INTERFERE with their SECOND JOB.
They have been ripping off America for 5 years.
Taxpayers pay them & instead of working for us they go to a 2nd job.
3:58 PM · Feb 1, 2025

Yep. Like I said.

[ChemEngrMBA]

One day at work, I got fed up and decided not to go in the next day.   No retirement, no gold watch, no 401K. 
I was straight commission, but put sizeable chunks of my earnings into a SEP/IRA as well as a Roth IRA and a family trust.
I really get tired of hearing teachers DEMAND higher pay when their retirement plans give them far more than social security would.

I know a retired high school teacher and he drives a big Mercedes Benz and his wife a Tesla.  They just came back from Europe.

[IsailedawayfromFR]

Mila Joy
@MilaLovesJoe
BREAKING:  It is being reported that one of the main issues federal workers have with returning to the office is that it will INTERFERE with their SECOND JOB.
They have been ripping off America for 5 years.
Taxpayers pay them & instead of working for us they go to a 2nd job.
3:58 PM · Feb 1, 2025

Yep. Like I said.

Their second job will become their primary job

[Smokin Joe]

I like jafo, but I don't think he understands that what Trump might loose in the Dead Head Fed vote will be more than compensated by millions of Americans who a cheering him on that have dealt with the unbearable bureacracy of IRS, EPA, FDA, OSHA, etc. etc. etc. etc,

Governmental agencies have made millions of lives pure hell.  Time to gut this son of a bitch.

Where I especially agree, is that many of these agencies have pretty much fulfilled their original missions. Rivers no longer catch on fire, you can see across NYC, or another major city (no smog), and large numbers of sites have been identified, along with the hazards and materials in them, and measures taken to prevent new ones from being created.

 At this point, we have agencies desperate to increase their funding and size (size being the all-important determinant of how important an agency is, and of funding they ask for), sitting around, coming up with new things to regulate and new ways to regulate them.

How clean is clean?

When you declare CO2 a "pollutant" you have passed the mark, but regardless of any scientific reasoning, it opens an entire new realm to regulate and make relevance for your agency, just to give one example.
When was the last time an agency was closed down because their job was done?
That hasn't happened, because they have been given the power by Congress to promulgate regulations until they are making rules about cosmic rays (one thing they haven't gotten around to, yet).

That needs to be reined in. Just the differing regulations for industry, not imposed at the same time, and often in a series of modifications, have damaged our industry, as it tried to make a profit and keep up with moving targets that were sometimes changed before the modifications to meet the last standard were completed.

It costs money to keep up with an ever changing set of standards, a lot of money, because the regulations change like tax laws. Enough is enough. If the mission (as originally conceived) has been met, then all that remains is enforcement of regulations that can remain the same, only altered to take into account new findings as to what truly presents a problem, and to include new technology.
And that requires fewer people making fewer new rules, not more of both.

[Bigun]

Where I especially agree, is that many of these agencies have pretty much fulfilled their original missions. Rivers no longer catch on fire, you can see across NYC, or another major city (no smog), and large numbers of sites have been identified, along with the hazards and materials in them, and measures taken to prevent new ones from being created.

 At this point, we have agencies desperate to increase their funding and size (size being the all-important determinant of how important an agency is, and of funding they ask for), sitting around, coming up with new things to regulate and new ways to regulate them.

How clean is clean?

When you declare CO2 a "pollutant" you have passed the mark, but regardless of any scientific reasoning, it opens an entire new realm to regulate and make relevance for your agency, just to give one example.
When was the last time an agency was closed down because their job was done?
That hasn't happened, because they have been given the power by Congress to promulgate regulations until they are making rules about cosmic rays (one thing they haven't gotten around to, yet).

That needs to be reined in. Just the differing regulations for industry, not imposed at the same time, and often in a series of modifications, have damaged our industry, as it tried to make a profit and keep up with moving targets that were sometimes changed before the modifications to meet the last standard were completed.

It costs money to keep up with an ever changing set of standards, a lot of money, because the regulations change like tax laws. Enough is enough. If the mission (as originally conceived) has been met, then all that remains is enforcement of regulations that can remain the same, only altered to take into account new findings as to what truly presents a problem, and to include new technology.
And that requires fewer people making fewer new rules, not more of both.

You mean we really don't need 57 regional AND seasonal blends of gasoline that radically drive up the costs of producing them?  Be still my beating heart!

[bilo]

Mila Joy
@MilaLovesJoe
BREAKING:  It is being reported that one of the main issues federal workers have with returning to the office is that it will INTERFERE with their SECOND JOB.
They have been ripping off America for 5 years.
Taxpayers pay them & instead of working for us they go to a 2nd job.
3:58 PM · Feb 1, 2025

Yep. Like I said.

It sounds like Pres. Trump is aware of this as well. He made a comment when talking about the buyout offer that for those that do come back to work they will want certification that they were not working at any other job while working from home. I wasn't aware of this, but it is a violation of their employment agreement. I'm betting that's going to be the second wave of terminating govt. employees.

[jafo2010]

catfish1957...

If half of the dead headed fed slugs are gone.....   Tell me again in 100 word or less.....  how is this a bad thing?

Your statement on its face, is completely false.  You are assuming everyone working for the federal government is a slug, someone that produces little to no work.  That is completely false.

Not to brag, but I am a productivity expert.  Is the federal government overstaffed?  Yes  I believe I could go through and cut 40% from the workforce, and result in those that remain actually completing more work output than what is happening now.  But you sure as hell do not increase productivity by demoralizing and alienating your workforce, a workforce of 2.4 million voters.  DA!!!

There is smart, and there is stupid.  What Trump is doing is beyond idiotic.

Think hard about what I am saying, because if Trump continues down the same path he is on, get ready for Hakeem Jeffries as the 48th POTUS, about one month after Trump is impeached and this time removed from office.  And they will find a way to dump Vance too.

Hair more than 100 words, but I am tired of stupidity. 

[Smokin Joe]

Your statement on its face, is completely false.  You are assuming everyone working for the federal government is a slug, someone that produces little to no work.  That is completely false.

Not to brag, but I am a productivity expert.  Is the federal government overstaffed?  Yes  I believe I could go through and cut 40% from the workforce, and result in those that remain actually completing more work output than what is happening now.  But you sure as hell do not increase productivity by demoralizing and alienating your workforce, a workforce of 2.4 million voters.  DA!!!

There is smart, and there is stupid.  What Trump is doing is beyond idiotic.

Think hard about what I am saying, because if Trump continues down the same path he is on, get ready for Hakeem Jeffries as the 48th POTUS, about one month after Trump is impeached and this time removed from office.  And they will find a way to dump Vance too.

Hair more than 100 words, but I am tired of stupidity.

I get it. This hits close to home, and your family income. Your spouse works hard at a job that does not necessarily involve showing up at an office.

The vast majority of these comments are aimed at people with Federal Jobs, working some side hustle while 'working from home', and others malingering while collecting that check and not even having to show up at the office.

Those comments are not aimed at competent personnel doing the job they were hired to do, even if that job requires them to be in different locations. NTSB folks, for instance don't get 'home' when on an investigation, and don't do their work from there. Some jobs require time in the field or in a lab.
But how many times did we hear that 'only essential personnel were to come in to work'? The question is why we have nonessential personnel on the payroll.

I devoutly wish that any layoff I have ever been through over my career had been preceded by an offer to get 8 months' pay.  In my industry the notice was usually on the order of "Clean out your truck and turn the keys in." , when I even had a company vehicle. The paycheck ended that day. That' how things are in the real world, outside of Government jobs. There are no protections, and often, no benefits.

So don't expect huge amounts of sympathy from a large part of the workforce that has been taxed to pay people who won't even show up for work.
Not everyone decrying dead weight on the Federal payroll is pissing on your personal Wheaties.

[DB]

"Government efficiency" is an oxymoron.

[Smokin Joe]

"Government efficiency" is an oxymoron.

If you want efficiency, hire a contractor, on bid, and keep them on spec.

[catfish1957]

Your statement on its face, is completely false.  You are assuming everyone working for the federal government is a slug, someone that produces little to no work.  That is completely false.

Not to brag, but I am a productivity expert.  Is the federal government overstaffed?  Yes  I believe I could go through and cut 40% from the workforce, and result in those that remain actually completing more work output than what is happening now.  But you sure as hell do not increase productivity by demoralizing and alienating your workforce, a workforce of 2.4 million voters.  DA!!!

Baloney....

I dealt with the EPA for 30 years.  I saw and fought Fedzilla.  Le't just say our perspectives are different.



There is smart, and there is stupid.  What Trump is doing is beyond idiotic.

Think hard about what I am saying, because if Trump continues down the same path he is on, get ready for Hakeem Jeffries as the 48th POTUS, about one month after Trump is impeached and this time removed from office.  And they will find a way to dump Vance too.

Hair more than 100 words, but I am tired of stupidity.

Productivity expert?  In my company I was tasked with supervision for a reorganization of one full subset of the company. Which is/was  for what was one of the biggest companies in the country.  And honestly, a bureaucrat  vs. someone in the private sector.  I'll let the peanut gallery decide that one.

[Bigun]

If you want efficiency, hire a contractor, on bid, and keep them on spec.

Which the FAA was actively doing according to my now deceased longtime friend with more than 40 years service with that organization. 

[mystery-ak]

Stephen Miller reveals a 'large' number of federal workers have accepted Trump's buyout and will resign

    White House deputy chief of staff for policy Miller spoke to reporters Friday
   

By ROB CRILLY, CHIEF U.S. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT FOR DAILYMAIL.COM AT THE WHITE HOUSE

Published: 16:28 EST, 31 January 2025 | Updated: 16:33 EST, 31 January 2025

A senior Trump adviser said Friday that 'a large number' of federal workers were going to resign after accepting buyout offers.

The Trump administration announced Tuesday it was offering payouts to millions of federal employees who agree to leave their jobs next week—marking an extraordinary effort to shrink the government overnight.

White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller told reporters that he did not know the exact number of people who had said yes.

'But I will tell you that the initial briefings that I've received suggested a large number of federal workers have accepted the buyout offer,' he said.

'And I think the point here to really underscore is that federal workers who are not happy in their jobs, who don't want to show up at work, who do not want to be in the office, who are not passionate about what they're doing are often not the kind of federal worker you want responsible for having enormous authority over the lives of the American people.'

An email sent to millions of employees said they would be entitled to about eight months of salary, but they have to make up their mind by Feb. 6.

A recent estimates suggested that the federal government employed more than three million people, or almost two percent of the entire civilian workforce.

Even a small percentage accepting the deal could reshape the economy.

more
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14348179/Stephen-Miller-reveals-large-number-federal-workers-accepted-Trumps-buyout-resign.html

[jafo2010]

I was in the private sector.

I did consulting for corporations and did consulting in the governmental sector.  They contracted me to come in and do what Trump should be doing, determining exact requirements for the NECESSARY work, for much of what government does is make work/busy work.

I did consulting for Fortune 100 companies, and you demean someone you are clueless about.  One full subset of the company?  Please.  And you saved what in terms of dollars?  I can't wait.

Trump should engage a consulting firm with the mission to reduce agencies to a smaller number than present, organizing government in functional roles, eliminating the duplication.  Including the intelligence agencies, which are whales I am certain for wasted taxpayer dollars.

[Bigun]

Stephen Miller reveals a 'large' number of federal workers have accepted Trump's buyout and will resign

    White House deputy chief of staff for policy Miller spoke to reporters Friday
   

By ROB CRILLY, CHIEF U.S. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT FOR DAILYMAIL.COM AT THE WHITE HOUSE

Published: 16:28 EST, 31 January 2025 | Updated: 16:33 EST, 31 January 2025

A senior Trump adviser said Friday that 'a large number' of federal workers were going to resign after accepting buyout offers.

The Trump administration announced Tuesday it was offering payouts to millions of federal employees who agree to leave their jobs next week—marking an extraordinary effort to shrink the government overnight.

White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller told reporters that he did not know the exact number of people who had said yes.

'But I will tell you that the initial briefings that I've received suggested a large number of federal workers have accepted the buyout offer,' he said.

'And I think the point here to really underscore is that federal workers who are not happy in their jobs, who don't want to show up at work, who do not want to be in the office, who are not passionate about what they're doing are often not the kind of federal worker you want responsible for having enormous authority over the lives of the American people.'

An email sent to millions of employees said they would be entitled to about eight months of salary, but they have to make up their mind by Feb. 6.

A recent estimates suggested that the federal government employed more than three million people, or almost two percent of the entire civilian workforce.

Even a small percentage accepting the deal could reshape the economy.

more
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14348179/Stephen-Miller-reveals-large-number-federal-workers-accepted-Trumps-buyout-resign.html

 

[Cyber Liberty]

Trump should engage a consulting firm with the mission to reduce agencies to a smaller number than present, organizing government in functional roles, eliminating the duplication.  Including the intelligence agencies, which are whales I am certain for wasted taxpayer dollars.

That sounds a lot like DOGE....

[jafo2010]

Stephen Miller reveals a 'large' number of federal workers have accepted Trump's buyout and will resign

    White House deputy chief of staff for policy Miller spoke to reporters Friday
   

By ROB CRILLY, CHIEF U.S. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT FOR DAILYMAIL.COM AT THE WHITE HOUSE

Published: 16:28 EST, 31 January 2025 | Updated: 16:33 EST, 31 January 2025

White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller told reporters that he did not know the exact number of people who had said yes.


Stephen Miller, deputy Chief of Staff does not know?  My *ss.  He knows exactly.  Miller is no dummy, he knows exactly, and if he is saying he does not know, the number is smaller than they anticipated.

The federal government has around 2.4 million folks working for it, excluding the US Postal Workers and the uniformed military.  If you assume most federal workers attempt to put 30 years in before they retire, that works out to be about 80,000 workers retiring on the average year, or about 53,000 roughly, in that eight month span where folks are being encouraged to retire with 8 months of additional time in service, without working.

If we hear what that magic number is, then and only then will I believe what Trump did with the idiot Fork in the Road email produced.  I think all he did was kick a sleeping snake.  I think the numbers are nominal, and all he did was motivate a few that were thinking about retiring to retire.  It will not be an appreciable number of folks retiring above what would have retired any how.

'And I think the point here to really underscore is that federal workers who are not happy in their jobs, who don't want to show up at work, who do not want to be in the office, who are not passionate about what they're doing are often not the kind of federal worker you want responsible for having enormous authority over the lives of the American people.'

To categorize the entire federal workforce this way is moronic.  Yes, there are disgruntled folks, in every workforce.  But they are a small number.  This denigration of the federal workforce, this HARASSMENT which the federal government has beaten up the corporations for and is now doing, will not produce favorable outcomes. 

[Bigun]

I was in the private sector.

I did consulting for corporations and did consulting in the governmental sector.  They contracted me to come in and do what Trump should be doing, determining exact requirements for the NECESSARY work, for much of what government does is make work/busy work.

I did consulting for Fortune 100 companies, and you demean someone you are clueless about.  One full subset of the company?  Please.  And you saved what in terms of dollars?  I can't wait.

Trump should engage a consulting firm with the mission to reduce agencies to a smaller number than present, organizing government in functional roles, eliminating the duplication.  Including the intelligence agencies, which are whales I am certain for wasted taxpayer dollars.

Why are you  over 1.5% of the voting public which already votes overwhelmingly for Democrats?

[Smokin Joe]

@jafo2010 The only person who seems to be saying that this comment about not wanting to be there applies to the ENTIRE Federal workforce is you.

I am the only member of my immediate family who has not held a Federal Job, and several other relatives have done so as well.

One left for private business, another's contract was fulfilled, and two retired, one from the Navy as a civilian, the other from a three letter agency. At no time have I ever questioned their dedication to their jobs, and they did well, the two who retired well up in the GS number when they did. There ARE dedicated Federal people, and I presume they are intelligent enough to know that a comment like:

"...federal workers who are not happy in their jobs, who don't want to show up at work, who do not want to be in the office, who are not passionate about what they're doing are often not the kind of federal worker you want responsible for having enormous authority over the lives of the American people."

...does not apply to them. That simple. If you are competent, If you do show up, if you are passionate about doing your job, then you don't fit the criteria laid out in the quote.

Sheesh! enough

If the shoe doesn't fit, don't even pick that SOB up!

[catfish1957]

I was in the private sector.

I did consulting for corporations and did consulting in the governmental sector.  They contracted me to come in and do what Trump should be doing, determining exact requirements for the NECESSARY work, for much of what government does is make work/busy work.

I did consulting for Fortune 100 companies, and you demean someone you are clueless about.  One full subset of the company?  Please.  And you saved what in terms of dollars?  I can't wait.

Trump should engage a consulting firm with the mission to reduce agencies to a smaller number than present, organizing government in functional roles, eliminating the duplication.  Including the intelligence agencies, which are whales I am certain for wasted taxpayer dollars.

Hey, you are the one started the flaming, so stay on your crazy course of defending the government largess.  I'd be defensive too in your position.  To be on record, I never claimed to be a efficiency expert, so take your outrage for what it is worth

A point to add...and what I am known for

Early in my career, I was the Envrionmental Manager at a Plant in Houston.  At that location... 

We were regulated, permitted, and dealt with enforcement at the same time  from:

1. The City of Houston
2. Harris County Pollution Control
3. TACB and TWC, which was consolidated into TCEQ (state)
4. EPA

Defend this one for me.  Government for so long has detrimental to the Economic Engine of what this country could be.  Fedzilla needs tough medicine, and I say take the ax to it.

This was a level of redundacy and idiocracy that made operating pure hell.  Shit, we had to deal with infighting even within the agencies.  No telling how much of this crap takes place all over the country.

So understand while I am such a radical 10th amendment adherent.  If they allowed me to administer DOGE, I'd eliminate every single governmental department and  agency except for Defense, Treasury, and State.  Delegate everything else to the States, and then form more a Dept of Logistics that would  function as a intermediary across state lines.  And those minor one-offs, that still might need a level of Fed oversight.

I see you have ties to the Swamp, so my apologies if I struck a nerve.

[jafo2010]

I

sailedawayfromFR...

This country's greatest problem is the attacks to our country from within, not by politicians but by the bureaucrats who control the politicians. Little of what you describe here relate to eliminating the Deep State that is destroying us.

We have to take these people out to get anything done, period.

Good Lord, hasn't the Presidency of Biden brought that out into the open for the world to see?

With the will to do that, little else will be consequential as those actions of which you speak will not be undertaken but will be undercut by them.

If only patriotic people operate government, most of the actions you describe will be taken care of by concerned bureaucrats who place the country above their personal agenda.

You seem to equate politics with everything.  The greatest decisions are made by people doing the right thing and are unafraid of the political consequences.

We damn near lost our country until the 2024 election, and we need to clear house to mitigate being that close again.

This country's greatest problem is the attacks to our country from within, not by politicians but by the bureaucrats who control the politicians. Little of what you describe here relate to eliminating the Deep State that is destroying us.

And who do the bureaucrats work for if not the politicians?  And who do the politicians work for?  Us right?

If we make the politicians do their job, there would not be a problem with the bureaucrats.  Treating the federal employees as Trump is presently doing will accomplish a big fat nothing.  Yes, a few will bail because they find something elsewhere, but this approach in the long term will not produce substantive results.

And the Deep State IMHO is allowing intelligence agencies to grow to a point of not being controlled as intended.  I applaud Trump removing the security clearance of the 50 that signed that disclaimer of Hunter's laptop.  I am 100% certain all 50 knew the exact truth.   Trump should restrict all 50 from entering any federal facility, not just Brennan.

Good Lord, hasn't the Presidency of Biden brought that out into the open for the world to see?

The only thing the Biden presidency did was prove resoundingly that even a completely senile person can be MADE POTUS.  Yes, he was MADE, not elected!  And what have we done to ensure that crap does not happen again?  NOTHING!!!

If only patriotic people operate government, most of the actions you describe will be taken care of by concerned bureaucrats who place the country above their personal agenda.

Who ever said only patriots work for the government?  Most folks working for the government, it is nothing more than a job as it would be for folks in the corporate side of the fence.  Patriotism does not enter into what they do.  Unfortunately, government workers answer to politicians, and it is the politicians that think they answer to no one. 

As I have mentioned, I have done extensive consulting, going into organizations to streamline them.  Included are some of America's larger newspapers.  The one department excluded everywhere was the Editorial Department.  They remained untouched, until recent years, and they have been cut back throughout the country.  Even publishers have had their heads handed to them.  Where there once was a publisher for each of about 2,000 newspapers, now there is one publisher for 20 newspapers for those smaller than the top 200 or so.

The federal government has not had to constrict like corporations through the years.  If Trump were serious about reducing resources in government, I think he would take a more analytical approach.  Determine exact numbers needed rather than attempting to scare the bajesus out of his workforce hoping they will resign.  The only folks resigning will be those with 19 years and 4 months of service +, folks that qualify for a 20 years+ pension.  The person with 29 years and 5 months of service will say, yes, I will leave with 30 years of service, a 30 year pension.  Adios!

I am certain he has pissed off more than he enticed to leave.  Folks sitting there saying, I 'll be damned if I will let that smuck chase me from my career of X years.

Just bad form on the part of Trump.  Again, government is not operated the same as for profit corporations, but that does not mean they cannot be cut back with accuracy and well grounded thought versus Trump's bull in the China shop bullsh*t.

You seem to equate politics with everything.  The greatest decisions are made by people doing the right thing and are unafraid of the political consequences.

Would agree if I thought for a second what he is doing is the right approach.  I have done this many times, and he is doing the wrong thing and the political consequences will be brutal and actually produce an outcome contrary to what you and me want.

We damn near lost our country until the 2024 election, and we need to clear house to mitigate being that close again.

First off, it is my contention that without free elections, we are no longer a republic.  Trump's own slogan proves me right.  What did he say, something like 'to big a win to fix'.   Well, he was right.  And just maybe, the ones that control the election process decided not to cheat THIS TIME.  When Trump begins fixing the electoral process in earnest, then I will believe he is hard at work about ending the DEEP STATE.  But so far, I have seen zero effort over the last four years to fix the wrongs of a fixed election, which took place in 2020.  Nothing has changed, and I see no effort to do so.

[IsailedawayfromFR]

White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller told reporters that he did not know the exact number of people who had said yes.

If we hear what that magic number is, then and only then will I believe what Trump did with the idiot Fork in the Road email produced.  I think all he did was kick a sleeping snake.  I think the numbers are nominal, and all he did was motivate a few that were thinking about retiring to retire.  It will not be an appreciable number of folks retiring above what would have retired any how.

We can use this to compare with what eventually happens

In recent years, approximately 115,000 to 150,000 federal employees have retired annually, with 114,505 federal employees retiring between September 2021 and 2022. The number of retirements can vary based on eligibility and economic factors.
https://www.opm.gov/retirement-center/retirement-statistics/

[jafo2010]

catfish1957...

I like jafo, but I don't think he understands that what Trump might loose in the Dead Head Fed vote will be more than compensated by millions of Americans who a cheering him on that have dealt with the unbearable bureacracy of IRS, EPA, FDA, OSHA, etc. etc. etc. etc,

Governmental agencies have made millions of lives pure hell.  Time to gut this son of a bitch.

I agree to everything above.  All true of course.  Why do we even need the IRS, annual tax returns etc.  I say end that bullsh*t now.  And yes, agencies have made many lives miserable with abuses of their power.

But you are ASSUMING he will meet with success.  Many of these actions will have him losing in the courts.  You know it too.  He could accomplish what he wants, with no drama, and actually have the workforce largely supporting his efforts.  But his mad cap nonsense will end in his being slapped up the side of the head in court.

Take his disavowing the union agreement made by Biden.  it was done in spite.  Biden knew where Trump was headed and he threw a curveball.  But Trump does not have the  power to undo an agreed union contract.   Waste of time and again, more phony rhetoric from a man that routinely lies.

I am still waiting for the end of the H1-b Visa Program, promised to happen DAY ONE of the 1st term for Trump.  Now, the lying bugger is fully supporting the H1-b Visa Program and promises increases in the numbers.  Any wager how high he goes?  From 1.6 million to 2 million?  3 million?  And almost every person a direct violation of standing federal law.

Trump says a lot of things that end with nothing.  How about he make a real effort of unifying the Republicans behind him to accomplish something in Congress?  Hell, he was condemning Rep Chip Roy weeks ago, and he is more conservative in his little toe than Trump would ever wish to be in his entire body.

I want what you want:   RESULTS

But Trump's antics are not going to produce results, and if he stays on the path he is on, the electorate will once again say the guy is a bullsh*t artist, and then you will wish he did not alienate 2.4 million ++++++++ voters, who are federal employees, with spouses and children that vote, with friends that vote, etc.

[IsailedawayfromFR]

I

This country's greatest problem is the attacks to our country from within, not by politicians but by the bureaucrats who control the politicians. Little of what you describe here relate to eliminating the Deep State that is destroying us.

And who do the bureaucrats work for if not the politicians?  And who do the politicians work for?  Us right?

If we make the politicians do their job, there would not be a problem with the bureaucrats. 

Now you are spinning both sides, wanting Congress to do its job, but also believing there is 0% chance of them doing so

And more importantly, he cannot reduce spending by himself.  Congress decides what is spent on what, and I have

                        0 %     C  O  N  F  I  D  E  N  C  E

...in Congress reducing spending.  Republicans spend like Democommies do, without control, totally unchecked.

https://www.gopbriefingroom.com/index.php/topic,552422.msg3133174.html#msg3133174

[jafo2010]

bilo...

The last I heard they expect about 10% of the workforce to accept the offer. I would bet there is at least another 20% that will see their dept.'s eliminated and will have wished they accepted the offer.

It's stunning how fast and decisively Pres. Trump is moving. We are seeing the reassertion of the unitary executive and people are shocked. It seems to me Pres. Trump recognizes that Congress is largely worthless and he's going to have to do the heavy lifting on his own. DOGE is finding all kinds of savings and they've only just begun.

As far as people losing their govt. jobs goes I don't believe they are going to get a lot of sympathy. The federal govt is not all that popular and as people see services remain the same, or improve they will care even less.

20% of the departments will not be eliminated.  While I believe comfortably that 40% of the federal workforce can be reduced, with the current approach, I am equally comfortable that Trump will lose in the courts.  And with each loss, his effort will lose steam.   How long before Musk abandons this DOGE effort?  Seriously?

And talk about productivity, Trump has many thousands of federal workers ordered to do nothing.  Collecting full salary and sitting at home doing nothing.  Now, that is brilliant.  And guess what, their departments will not be eliminated.  All nonsense.

[jafo2010]

Hoodat...

The Dead Head Fed vote already sways 95% Democrat.

I don't believe that number.  I have never read any where that indicated a 95% favorability for the Democommies.  Journalists at NPR, yeah.

My wife works with highly educated folks, and they are all Republicans.  ALL!

[bilo]

20% of the departments will not be eliminated.  While I believe comfortably that 40% of the federal workforce can be reduced, with the current approach, I am equally comfortable that Trump will lose in the courts.  And with each loss, his effort will lose steam.   How long before Musk abandons this DOGE effort?  Seriously?

And talk about productivity, Trump has many thousands of federal workers ordered to do nothing.  Collecting full salary and sitting at home doing nothing.  Now, that is brilliant.  And guess what, their departments will not be eliminated.  All nonsense.

As I understand it, DOGE has already found dept.'s that are listed in the federal registry that haven't done anything in years and have no employees attached to them. Then you have dept's like USAID that is doing all kinds of things their not supposed to and very little of their funding actually could be considered aid. As the audit continues I think we are going to be stunned at how great the waste really is and how few employees are really needed.

I think the number of employees not returning is going to go higher as word gets out that those who return to work have to certify they weren't working any other jobs.

I think the dept.'s that won't be eliminated will be those that are mandated by law. However, I suspect what will happen is those dept.'s will be either unmanned, or incorporated into another dept which can handle their duties and won't require two sets of employees.

 

[jafo2010]

catfish1957...

So, there's a good chance this has an actual political plus side to GOP chances in '26 / '28.

If Trump were successful, then certainly.  But you are counting your chicks before the eggs are hatched.  And what Trump is doing is sitting on the eggs, cracking them.

His drama will not have a desired outcome.  And stop and think about the history of 2nd terms of presidents.  If you know the history, the fact is that in every case, presidents accomplished less.  Trump has already gone down the path of alienating Congress, calling folks that are diehard supporters of his idiots, like Rep Chip Roy.  With the TINY MAJORITIES HE HAS, and in reality, it is a 50/50 split in the Senate, for Murkowski, Collins and the idiot replacement for Romney are vowed to oppose Trump, he holds little influence on Congress.

He did not accomplish much in his 1st term being at odds with Congress, you think he will do better this term?  Get real!!!

As someone upstream indicated, he knows he does not have Congress behind him, so he will go the EO route.  That means not much will happen, despite his rhetoric.  Your trust that he will scale government resources back to any significance is misplaced.  It will all be token.

And for those that believe he will cut budgets and save money, at the end of the day, he will actually spend more money, not less.  I applaud his effort to cut cost, but he has no idea what he is doing.  As one cartoon by pookie showed, it paralleled him to a bull in a China shop.  That is very accurate.

I am sitting here in fear of a Hakeem Jeffries presidency in 2 years and 1 month.

[Cyber Liberty]

@jafo2010, I reiterate this from Joe:

Sheesh! enough

If the shoe doesn't fit, don't even pick that SOB up!

We got your point the fifth time, please stop beating the dead horse! 

[jafo2010]

bilo...

As I understand it, DOGE has already found dept.'s that are listed in the federal registry that haven't done anything in years and have no employees attached to them.

Get real, Trump only took office 2 weeks ago tomorrow.  DOGE did not find a damn thing.  The things you are mentioning I suspect were common knowledge among a few on the inside. 

And while I am sure there are folks doing little to no work, that is not the case for much of the government.  That is why an analysis of every department will determine the real requirements for resources, identify those not working, etc.  But the kind of speculation going on, or Trump wiping out entire departments, that will be very limited.  Dept of Education might be the only department completely eliminated.  Others will be reduced perhaps, like the EPA, IRS, etc.

Has Trump eliminated the 82,000 recent hires in the IRS yet?  That would be something I would have done on DAY ONE.  But he did not do that, did he?

[bilo]

If Trump were successful, then certainly.  But you are counting your chicks before the eggs are hatched.  And what Trump is doing is sitting on the eggs, cracking them.

His drama will not have a desired outcome.  And stop and think about the history of 2nd terms of presidents.  If you know the history, the fact is that in every case, presidents accomplished less.  Trump has already gone down the path of alienating Congress, calling folks that are diehard supporters of his idiots, like Rep Chip Roy.  With the TINY MAJORITIES HE HAS, and in reality, it is a 50/50 split in the Senate, for Murkowski, Collins and the idiot replacement for Romney are vowed to oppose Trump, he holds little influence on Congress.

He did not accomplish much in his 1st term being at odds with Congress, you think he will do better this term?  Get real!!!

As someone upstream indicated, he knows he does not have Congress behind him, so he will go the EO route.  That means not much will happen, despite his rhetoric.  Your trust that he will scale government resources back to any significance is misplaced.  It will all be token.

And for those that believe he will cut budgets and save money, at the end of the day, he will actually spend more money, not less.  I applaud his effort to cut cost, but he has no idea what he is doing.  As one cartoon by pookie showed, it paralleled him to a bull in a China shop.  That is very accurate.

I am sitting here in fear of a Hakeem Jeffries presidency in 2 years and 1 month.

It hasn't been two weeks.

We've got 1 ISIS leader dead.

Panama just announced that their contract with China will not be renewed.

Quantanamo is going to receive the worst of the criminals being deported.

Venezuela returned 6 hostages and agreed to take back all their illegals.

J6 political prisoners are pardoned and FBI/DOJ employees involved in their persecution have been, or are being, dismissed.

The govt workforce is being downsized.

Govt. waste is being exposed.

Birthright citizenship is finally being challenged.

The borders are closed and the wall is being finished.

Cartels have been designated terrorist organizations. Our military is gearing up to help on the border.

I know I missed a bunch of things. The point is in less than two weeks Pres. Trump has asserted himself as the unitary executive he is and even if Congress fails us we will be better off for it.

[Cyber Liberty]

@jafo2010 we get it.  You have made it clear you think Trump is stupid for some time now, and you often never read posts from other posters.  This is suboptimal.

[IsailedawayfromFR]

Frivolity on this thread is way overdue

Entire Federal Workforce Replaced By One 16-Year-Old Chick-Fil-A Employee

Feb 1, 2025 · BabylonBee.com
WILMINGTON, DE — President Donald Trump announced this morning that he has officially replaced the entire federal workforce with one single teenage Chick-Fil-A employee.

In a move expected to drastically improve the efficiency of government services, sixteen-year-old Bryan Sanders of Wilmington will take over the jobs of all 3 million current federal employees starting on Monday.

"With Bryan's work experience running the drive-through at Chick-Fil-A, we expect his taking over three million federal jobs to be seamless," said Trump's Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. "We believe Bryan will also provide a massive upgrade in terms of how pleasant it will be to interact with government employees. He is just so darn polite."

Sanders will remain enrolled in high school and plans to squeeze in doing the entire work of the federal government each evening before his homework. "Of course, we don't want Bryan doing three million people's jobs to interfere with his studies, but we think he will handle it just fine," said Sander's mom Julie. "If he can handle the lunch rush at Chick-Fil-A, doing the work of a million bureaucrats will be a cinch."

At publishing time, Trump had reportedly asked Sanders if he could go ahead and start tomorrow, but Sanders informed the President that he does not work on Sundays.

[Wingnut]

@jafo2010 we get it.  You have made it clear you think Trump is stupid for some time now, and you often never read posts from other posters.  This is suboptimal.

He does seem to have a bug up his ass.

[DB]

He does seem to have a bug up his ass.

The dude has a major headache. Just look at the image of that poor soul.

[Cyber Liberty]

He does seem to have a bug up his ass.

I hope he cools off.  I like him as a poster, so I hope he returns.  I also hope he listens to Admins.

[DB]

Seriously, I like him too. I appreciate his posts even if I disagree with some of them. I wish him well.

[Wingnut]

The dude has a major headache. Just look at the image of that poor soul.

I posted before that my wife worked for the SBA before retiring. She was passed over for many promotions because she looked white.  Well she was whitish.  But her agency head was predisposed to advance unquailed women who had ghetto back stories. 

[Bigun]

I posted before that my wife worked for the SBA before retiring. She was passed over for many promotions because she looked white.  Well she was whitish.  But her agency head was predisposed to advance unquailed women who had ghetto back stories.

The Post office staff here was pretty diverse 20 years ago. Today it is 100% black. I'll let you guess why that is.

[DB]

I posted before that my wife worked for the SBA before retiring. She was passed over for many promotions because she looked white.  Well she was whitish.  But her agency head was predisposed to advance unquailed women who had ghetto back stories.

It sounds like what his wife does takes actual expertise and works with like-minded people who show up to work. People that have to actually produce something. The other ninety some odd percent of the federal government work force is something else. The reported percentage of people who actually show up to work at the federal government was 6%. That's pathetic. There is no way they are properly supervised. And we pay dearly for all that.

[Wingnut]

The Post office staff here was pretty diverse 20 years ago. Today it is 100% black. I'll let you guess why that is.

Yup.  Same at her office.  The only reason she was able to stay was because she showed up every day to work when the darker people missed work (often)and she spoke Spanish and could translate it for her supervisor.  They all hated  (her Boss) she had an MBA and most of the office had GED's.

[Bigun]

Yup.  Same at her office.  The only reason she was able to stay was because she showed up every day to work when the darker people missed work (often)and she spoke Spanish and could translate it for her supervisor.  They all hated  (her Boss) she had an MBA and most of the office had GED's.

About 20 years ago a lady of color got promoted to postmaster here and, as they say, the rest is history.

I never worked there myself, but I have several acquaintances who did.