Vought wanted feds in trauma, that works for me

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Vought wants to hold federal employees accountable for poor performance. For some federal employees, accountability is an alien concept, which they equate to trauma. However, in the real world (i.e., private sector), accountability is life and nothing new.

Welp, he's now having to pay professionals at my agency overtime to work on administrative priorities, because over 10% quit (in addition to those being DOGEd) and now there aren't enough people left to meet deadlines.

[Anonymous]

Not a Trump voter, but the federal workforce size is still larger than in the pre-pandemic era. Biden ballooned the workforce and it seems like Trump is right sizing it albeit in a horrific way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not a single one of you would make it in the private sector. He is absolutely right.

Then why did 10% of my agency leave for the private sector? They appear to be doing really well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not a Trump voter, but the federal workforce size is still larger than in the pre-pandemic era. Biden ballooned the workforce and it seems like Trump is right sizing it albeit in a horrific way.

https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CES9091000001

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not a Trump voter, but the federal workforce size is still larger than in the pre-pandemic era. Biden ballooned the workforce and it seems like Trump is right sizing it albeit in a horrific way.

And who is to decide what is the “right” size? Many agencies can’t perform critical functions because of lack of workers (among other reasons).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a lot of external parties who very much want my agency component to move quickly and well. I tell them outright - would love to move more quickly on that for you, but I cannot even check my email at home without going to my director for permission, and we are down by 30% of our staff since the trauma started. So sorry!

This is the right attitude. I am happy to work overtime from home but can't/won't from the office - they can decide whether a task is important enough to authorize telework. Funnily enough, when they need something done they find the flexibility.
OP, when the workforce shrinks the workload has to shrink too. Do what you can do and let your manager set the priorities.

My supervisor is a good person, and our work is truly a team effort. If I do less, it means others have to take on more, because the work still needs to get done. I also understand that managers carry even more pressure. It’s like a family — we take care of each other.

DP. But you have to have boundaries. There is only so much I am willing to do. And if everyone agrees to not overdo it then we are all in the same boat. I do have a coworker who tries to give me her work and I just say “no.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not a Trump voter, but the federal workforce size is still larger than in the pre-pandemic era. Biden ballooned the workforce and it seems like Trump is right sizing it albeit in a horrific way.

And who is to decide what is the “right” size? Many agencies can’t perform critical functions because of lack of workers (among other reasons).

How did these agencies perform critical functions in 2019? There’s more people working for the feds now than in 19.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not a Trump voter, but the federal workforce size is still larger than in the pre-pandemic era. Biden ballooned the workforce and it seems like Trump is right sizing it albeit in a horrific way.

This is demonstrably not true. There are fewer feds now than in 2020. The ratio of feds to population is also lower (e.g., we have fewer feds now than during WW2, but also many more people being served).

Also, the "prepandemic era" is just Trump term #1 so that's a weird place to draw the line for "right sizing." The right size is the number of people Congress authorized funds to pay for and are needed to carry out the tasks Congress has mandated or authorized.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not a Trump voter, but the federal workforce size is still larger than in the pre-pandemic era. Biden ballooned the workforce and it seems like Trump is right sizing it albeit in a horrific way.

And who is to decide what is the “right” size? Many agencies can’t perform critical functions because of lack of workers (among other reasons).

How did these agencies perform critical functions in 2019? There’s more people working for the feds now than in 19.

I can cherry pick too- per PP's chart, there were more feds in the late 60's than there are now. Again in the late 80's. And the population has grown how much since that time?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a lot of external parties who very much want my agency component to move quickly and well. I tell them outright - would love to move more quickly on that for you, but I cannot even check my email at home without going to my director for permission, and we are down by 30% of our staff since the trauma started. So sorry!

This is the right attitude. I am happy to work overtime from home but can't/won't from the office - they can decide whether a task is important enough to authorize telework. Funnily enough, when they need something done they find the flexibility.
OP, when the workforce shrinks the workload has to shrink too. Do what you can do and let your manager set the priorities.

My supervisor is a good person, and our work is truly a team effort. If I do less, it means others have to take on more, because the work still needs to get done. I also understand that managers carry even more pressure. It’s like a family — we take care of each other.

Ugh, no it is not a family. I have a family, they are at my home and that's why I need to leave on time.

I like my job and my supervisor, but hurting myself and my family because of bad decisions my employer made is worse for everyone. It undermines my agency's ability to hire and retain people, it leads to burnout and sloppy work, and it papers over bad planning and budgeting which leads to more of the same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not a Trump voter, but the federal workforce size is still larger than in the pre-pandemic era. Biden ballooned the workforce and it seems like Trump is right sizing it albeit in a horrific way.

https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CES9091000001

Over the years, programs have increased a lot, efficiency has also increased a lot (mainly due to technology), the size of workforce does not really change a lot.


AI Overview
The number of U.S. federal programs has increased significantly over the years, from 1,019 in 1970 to 1,425 in 2000 and 2,418 by 2023. The official Federal Program Inventory (FPI) is a more recent initiative, with an online version launched by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in February 2024 that includes over 2,000 programs and details on spending for fiscal years 2022, 2023, and 2024. While this new inventory is not yet complete, it provides the most current, accessible data on domestic assistance programs.
Key points on the Federal Program Inventory by year:
Growth in the number of programs: The total number of federal programs has seen a consistent increase over decades.
1970: 1,019 programs
2000: 1,425 programs
2023: 2,418 programs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a lot of external parties who very much want my agency component to move quickly and well. I tell them outright - would love to move more quickly on that for you, but I cannot even check my email at home without going to my director for permission, and we are down by 30% of our staff since the trauma started. So sorry!

This is the right attitude. I am happy to work overtime from home but can't/won't from the office - they can decide whether a task is important enough to authorize telework. Funnily enough, when they need something done they find the flexibility.
OP, when the workforce shrinks the workload has to shrink too. Do what you can do and let your manager set the priorities.

My supervisor is a good person, and our work is truly a team effort. If I do less, it means others have to take on more, because the work still needs to get done. I also understand that managers carry even more pressure. It’s like a family — we take care of each other.

Everyone needs to do less. Think like you have an abusive parent. Do what you can to survive until you can move out.

Agreed. I have a silly coworker who worked extra hours on the weekends during the shutdown. There was no budget or prior approval for overtime pay, and we were in non-pay status to begin with. Her job is not important and could easily be done by AI. I'm unsure of what she was trying to prove.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Presidential Crimes Commission will include — hell, Featured — Vought in its investigation and charges. Along with Stephen Miller and Steven Cheung.

If true I guess Republicans are chumps if they don’t crank lawfare to an 11 right now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Vought wanted feds "in trauma", that works for me, more or less. This administration has been very distressing for me, to the point where I feel anxious about coming to work. A lot of staff have already left the agency through VERA and DRP, and many others chose regular retirement shortly after the five-day RTO requirement was announced. Now everyone is stretched extremely thin, and without the option to telework—especially with the added commute time—it has become very difficult.

In the meantime, I still need to deal with the potential USDA relocation and look for other opportunities. I feel exhausted.

I want to quit, but the job market is tough at the moment. Still have three more years to go under this administration, and I’m hoping things will return to normal by 2029.

Stay strong, OP. Many are with you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Vought wants to hold federal employees accountable for poor performance. For some federal employees, accountability is an alien concept, which they equate to trauma. However, in the real world (i.e., private sector), accountability is life and nothing new.

Pray tell what has Vought done that specifically addresses poor performance?

The dead wood is still here, they hang on because they know they won’t get hired anywhere else. The talented hardworking people have left.

I also work for a component that this administration very much wants to work hard and get a lot done. But they are also traumatizing us and morale is in the pits. So much winning…