Other feds just very depressed?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Elon and Vivek will run the Dept. of Efficiency. They plan identify the waste and inefficiencies and get the cuts to budgets approved by congress which will be republican within 1st yr.

Also noted the work will be done by July 2026 - 18 months. The “they can’t get it done in 4 years” chatter is clearly wishful thinking.

I have no doubt that this new commission will
propose massive changes. But they need Congressional approval for much of it. Even if they eliminate the filibuster, GOP only has a few-vote majority in the House and Senate.

They definitely don’t need congressional approval to spend *less* lol. Again - bunch of wishful thinking on this thread.

They….absolutely do. There’s been two impeachments over impoundment, which is what you are describing. The executive directing the agency to not spend funds lawfully appropriated by the Congress. And if anyone thinks that the appropriators—even republican ones— will roll over for them has little insight into congressional relations.

There is nothing at all preventing a President from implementing a hiring freeze or hiring restrictions. There is even less preventing a Presidentially-appointed agency head from choosing not to fill vacant positions. There is nothing at all preventing an agency from conducting a RIF because the agency is not doing any type of work that is not line-itemed in a federal budget (which is a huge proportion).

[Anonymous]

So wait DOGE is private and privately funded? So just another think tank thing that will make recommendations to OMB?

[Anonymous]

I think a lot of loafer feds should put in their retirement papers to save younger and ambitious feds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think a lot of loafer feds should put in their retirement papers to save younger and ambitious feds.

+100

[Anonymous]

I wonder if DOGE doing the work for free is even legal. I thought legally the government could not accept work for free.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the “DOGE” to have any actual powers, Congress would need to pass a law, with 60 votes in the Senate. Otherwise its only powers are advising Trump, like the other WH offices.

It’s cute that we still think the filibuster will survive. Dear leader doesn’t like it, so it will be removed.

Just like Kamala was going to do, but Trump will not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Top way to boost efficiency: mandate RTO so that the government has to spend billions more on office space, etc. Brilliant.

Please, most of the spoiled brats that are the DC elite will quit, and you know it. They are banking on that, I hope you that as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This Musk thing is a terrible idea, as is a stark RTO mandate, but let's be clear on what it actually is and isn't:

1. DOGE is a set of private advisors, just like the thinktanks like Heritage that have been and will continue advising.
2. DOGE is not "wasteful" in the way that matters, because government funds will not be spent. It will be Musk-funded, so no tax-payer dollars.
3. No need for Congress to weigh in or approve DOGE in any way.
4. If they make recommendations before midterms, many of them will be approved by Congress. Some of them will not require Congressional approval. The executive branch has rule-making authority and many many "compliance" related requirements are rules or EOs.
4. Blanket RTO will cost little to no money in real estate because people will be crammed in to existing buildings. GSA has vacant buildings, they will reshuffle who goes where at no additional cost.
5. Executive agencies absolutely can spend less than their annual appropriation in personnel. It has happened before, many times. It is not illegal.
6. Sure a lot of this will be litigated, but injunctions will be minimal.
7. The unions will be of very little help, though I am sure they will try. Complying during grievance/arbitration/litigation is required in almost all instances. Thee are loopholes all over the language in CBAs. And the FLRA will be stacked in the Administration's favor.

Should this happen? Absolutely not.
Will it happen? Absolutely yes.

.

Remember, they cannot fire an individual easily, but they can do away with entire divisions or departments. I'm sure this is where they are headed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This Musk thing is a terrible idea, as is a stark RTO mandate, but let's be clear on what it actually is and isn't:

1. DOGE is a set of private advisors, just like the thinktanks like Heritage that have been and will continue advising.
2. DOGE is not "wasteful" in the way that matters, because government funds will not be spent. It will be Musk-funded, so no tax-payer dollars.
3. No need for Congress to weigh in or approve DOGE in any way.
4. If they make recommendations before midterms, many of them will be approved by Congress. Some of them will not require Congressional approval. The executive branch has rule-making authority and many many "compliance" related requirements are rules or EOs.
4. Blanket RTO will cost little to no money in real estate because people will be crammed in to existing buildings. GSA has vacant buildings, they will reshuffle who goes where at no additional cost.
5. Executive agencies absolutely can spend less than their annual appropriation in personnel. It has happened before, many times. It is not illegal.
6. Sure a lot of this will be litigated, but injunctions will be minimal.
7. The unions will be of very little help, though I am sure they will try. Complying during grievance/arbitration/litigation is required in almost all instances. Thee are loopholes all over the language in CBAs. And the FLRA will be stacked in the Administration's favor.

Should this happen? Absolutely not.
Will it happen? Absolutely yes.

.

Remember, they cannot fire an individual easily, but they can do away with entire divisions or departments. I'm sure this is where they are headed.

They can eliminate whatever they want but ultimately it’s up to Congress and there aren’t enough crazies in congress to implement this crap. What they will do is make lives miserable for federal employees in the meantime

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This Musk thing is a terrible idea, as is a stark RTO mandate, but let's be clear on what it actually is and isn't:

1. DOGE is a set of private advisors, just like the thinktanks like Heritage that have been and will continue advising.
2. DOGE is not "wasteful" in the way that matters, because government funds will not be spent. It will be Musk-funded, so no tax-payer dollars.
3. No need for Congress to weigh in or approve DOGE in any way.
4. If they make recommendations before midterms, many of them will be approved by Congress. Some of them will not require Congressional approval. The executive branch has rule-making authority and many many "compliance" related requirements are rules or EOs.
4. Blanket RTO will cost little to no money in real estate because people will be crammed in to existing buildings. GSA has vacant buildings, they will reshuffle who goes where at no additional cost.
5. Executive agencies absolutely can spend less than their annual appropriation in personnel. It has happened before, many times. It is not illegal.
6. Sure a lot of this will be litigated, but injunctions will be minimal.
7. The unions will be of very little help, though I am sure they will try. Complying during grievance/arbitration/litigation is required in almost all instances. Thee are loopholes all over the language in CBAs. And the FLRA will be stacked in the Administration's favor.

Should this happen? Absolutely not.
Will it happen? Absolutely yes.

.

Remember, they cannot fire an individual easily, but they can do away with entire divisions or departments. I'm sure this is where they are headed.

They can eliminate whatever they want but ultimately it’s up to Congress and there aren’t enough crazies in congress to implement this crap. What they will do is make lives miserable for federal employees in the meantime

You keep holding onto the idea that Congress is the be all, end all in this situation. They had four years to figure this out, it's not like the last time. Go forward taking care of your situation and preparing for whatever is coming, but thinking your job is protected would be a mistake.

[Anonymous]

Most of Musk’s talk about DOGE so far has been particularly “wasteful” gov projects like research on trans monkeys. Not hearing “We need to eliminate HUD.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most of Musk’s talk about DOGE so far has been particularly “wasteful” gov projects like research on trans monkeys. Not hearing “We need to eliminate HUD.”

The dollar amounts he mentions can not be achieved by narrow targeted cuts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if DOGE doing the work for free is even legal. I thought legally the government could not accept work for free.

It is legal. The White House can solicit and accept recommendations from anywhere. Heritage plays a huge role in Republican administrations and Center for American Progress played a huge role in the Obama administration.

https://time.com/archive/6936601/inside-obamas-idea-factory-in-washington/
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/12/presidents-and-think-tanks/548765/


The difference here is that Trump is very publicly owning it and giving it a quasi-government name. That is all branding and optics. But fundamentally it is not a new concept.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most of Musk’s talk about DOGE so far has been particularly “wasteful” gov projects like research on trans monkeys. Not hearing “We need to eliminate HUD.”

The dollar amounts he mentions can not be achieved by narrow targeted cuts.

They also could not be achieved by eliminating most domestic gov agencies.

[Anonymous]

I’m at an agency that could be a target to merge with a related agency. In cases like that, does a RIF policy apply across the board? Or does one agency get preference over the other?