DOGE Day One - They close your agency — what do you do

[Anonymous]

So my agency is in cross hairs. I hear that they may be concerned about regulations or continuity. They might move HQ to South Dakota or something.

But I believe that an unaccountable pair of billionaires who are taking on this task with glee will likely just throw the hand granade and just recommend the agency cease operations. They have no power of course, but Trump stands to attention and issues an EO that Agency N will end on Feb 1.

What do people plan to do? Keep working and ignore crazy? Stay home and risk AWOL designation? File a lawsuit?

Personally I would keep going to work until til I can’t badge in or have another job lined up.

[Anonymous]

You will get official notification and proceed based on that.

[Anonymous]

This cannot happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You will get official notification and proceed based on that.

So official notification even if unlawful will protect against AWOL designation?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This cannot happen.

Anything is on the table. Get real. Look at SK!

[Anonymous]

Don't give in and let this happen until it happens.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This cannot happen.

Anything is on the table. Get real. Look at SK!

Sigh. Definitely panic and freak out, then. I don’t care.

[Anonymous]

I really wish I could take a bet here. I bet OP a million dollars that this won’t happen.

There has to be a bookie somewhere taking bets on this. I need in on this action.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This cannot happen.

Anything is on the table. Get real. Look at SK!

But it didn't work in SK. Yoon tried to declare martial law, the entire parliament voted to rescind it, he tried to ignore them, people started taking to the streets, Yoon backed down. The whole thing lasted a few hours.

On the one hand it's scary to watch that unfold but on the other hand it shows how democratic processes can operate to protect themselves by creating a framework by which people have a voice.

If Trump tries to shutter a whole agency without Congressional action it will immediately be tied up in the courts for years and simply won't happen. He would need Congress to pass legislation removing the agency's funding which is highly unlikely to happen even for something like CFPB -- once an agency is in place then people come to rely on it for things and Congress has to confront the actual consequences of denying voters resources they have come to rely on. Plus something like CFPB has almost no budget -- it's not actually worth cutting.

If you're at something like Department of Ed, even better -- they mostly just administer very popular grant programs and then do a small amount of policy making. Even if they tried to get rid of the agency it's unlikely they'd defund its operations -- they'd just transfer them back to HHS and other agencies that handled them before Ed was created in the 70s. Union contracts would make it incredibly hard for them to fire staff even if they technically dissolved the department -- you'd just transfer. It would suck but unless you are a political appointee or in one of the purely policy roles (of which there are few) then you are likely safe because the programs you work on are safe. They aren't going to stop Title 1 funds which benefit rural schools in red states enormously, for instance. And if you do happen to work in policy I think you could find a job at a think tank or with a teachers union or a variety of other orgs that work on education policy and then likely get rehired by the feds when a less stupid administration is in charge and they realize that work is actually valuable again.

The situation is not good but it's not dire. We can do this. But you have to not give up and you have to put your faith and trust in democratic systems that are older and tougher than people like Donald Trump and Elon Musk. South Korea's democracy is only like 40 years old and look how well it stood up to tyranny! We can do this.

[Anonymous]

I don’t waste time or energy thinking about thing that won’t happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You will get official notification and proceed based on that.

So official notification even if unlawful will protect against AWOL designation?

You will be notified that they are shutting the agency; and then a minute later you will be informed that plan was stopped by the court. The Litigation will take years.

If Musk is as good at DOGE as he is making cars, we have nothing to worry about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This cannot happen.

Anything is on the table. Get real. Look at SK!

But it didn't work in SK. Yoon tried to declare martial law, the entire parliament voted to rescind it, he tried to ignore them, people started taking to the streets, Yoon backed down. The whole thing lasted a few hours.

On the one hand it's scary to watch that unfold but on the other hand it shows how democratic processes can operate to protect themselves by creating a framework by which people have a voice.

If Trump tries to shutter a whole agency without Congressional action it will immediately be tied up in the courts for years and simply won't happen. He would need Congress to pass legislation removing the agency's funding which is highly unlikely to happen even for something like CFPB -- once an agency is in place then people come to rely on it for things and Congress has to confront the actual consequences of denying voters resources they have come to rely on. Plus something like CFPB has almost no budget -- it's not actually worth cutting.

If you're at something like Department of Ed, even better -- they mostly just administer very popular grant programs and then do a small amount of policy making. Even if they tried to get rid of the agency it's unlikely they'd defund its operations -- they'd just transfer them back to HHS and other agencies that handled them before Ed was created in the 70s. Union contracts would make it incredibly hard for them to fire staff even if they technically dissolved the department -- you'd just transfer. It would suck but unless you are a political appointee or in one of the purely policy roles (of which there are few) then you are likely safe because the programs you work on are safe. They aren't going to stop Title 1 funds which benefit rural schools in red states enormously, for instance. And if you do happen to work in policy I think you could find a job at a think tank or with a teachers union or a variety of other orgs that work on education policy and then likely get rehired by the feds when a less stupid administration is in charge and they realize that work is actually valuable again.

The situation is not good but it's not dire. We can do this. But you have to not give up and you have to put your faith and trust in democratic systems that are older and tougher than people like Donald Trump and Elon Musk. South Korea's democracy is only like 40 years old and look how well it stood up to tyranny! We can do this.

You are truly a welcome voice. I’ve greatly appreciated your posts.

[Anonymous]

Saving this to come back because this will not happen day one or month one or year one if it happens at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Saving this to come back because this will not happen day one or month one or year one if it happens at all.

This

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This cannot happen.

Anything is on the table. Get real. Look at SK!

what's SK?