Other feds just very depressed?

[Anonymous]

I felt cautiously optimistic over the last week, but that has gone out the window as of last night.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I felt cautiously optimistic over the last week, but that has gone out the window as of last night.

How much time will Elon really focus on understanding, say, overlapping roles of two HUD agencies? They will recommend some flashy exec actions like “stop funding woke research” and “make employees RTO,” and some structural reforms that will stall in Congress.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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?

Nobody can answer this for you. It really depends on the details of the merger. But generally speaking: Is Agency A has 200 employees in one specific category and Agency B has 100 in that category, and the result is a need for 200 employees, the lists get merged to 300 and the 100 with the least tenure get RIFed, regardless of original agency.

There is a LOT of nuance here though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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?

Nobody can answer this for you. It really depends on the details of the merger. But generally speaking: Is Agency A has 200 employees in one specific category and Agency B has 100 in that category, and the result is a need for 200 employees, the lists get merged to 300 and the 100 with the least tenure get RIFed, regardless of original agency.

There is a LOT of nuance here though.

Performance reviews and vet status matter too. But generally this is not the same as a corporate merger, where the larger of the two companies often is more likely to retain its employees. Even if you have a 50-employee agency merging with a 1,000-employee agency, the employees in both agencies have equal rights under the RIF process.

And in my experience with an agency merger a long time ago, we didn’t have any RIFs because we still had to do the same amount of work. The HR department in one agency can’t suddenly handle double workload, for example.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Congress writes the appropriations bills, sets the overall spending levels for the government across the 12 bills, so yes Congress will decide whether to zero out funding for, let’s say the Department of Education. Will the spending limits be tighter? Yes. Will they put riders in that will stall funding? Sure. Will they maybe zero out certain programs? Most likely but just slash and burn the entire federal government and cut $2 trillion in discretionary spending? Congress can’t and won’t do that. E/V need a lesson in the appropriations process.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Congress writes the appropriations bills, sets the overall spending levels for the government across the 12 bills, so yes Congress will decide whether to zero out funding for, let’s say the Department of Education. Will the spending limits be tighter? Yes. Will they put riders in that will stall funding? Sure. Will they maybe zero out certain programs? Most likely but just slash and burn the entire federal government and cut $2 trillion in discretionary spending? Congress can’t and won’t do that. E/V need a lesson in the appropriations process.

+1. Adding that most of this money does not go to the evil bureaucrats in DC, but to the members’ districts. The same members who put out press releases bragging about the money they got for back home.

[Anonymous]

Without statutory approval, this DOGE will have no more access to government information than the general public. It is difficult to see it being able to do the necessary analysis for informed recommendations.

[Anonymous]

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

Elon and Vivek will do it for free.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any other DOD folks want to weigh in on the proposed new SECDEF?

He will get rid of wokism.

What does that mean? Are you capable of articulating an actual thought?

You know what that means. Use your own thought process. Few words says a lot.

[Anonymous]

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.

The fact that you believe that all this can be done in 18 months is hilarious.

Well you will know everyday where the process stands as Elon is going to give constant updates on x of what they are finding and direction they are going. They will be done in 18 months. Cuts will start way before that.

[Anonymous]

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.

How do I apply, and do they accept remote workers?

Haha no silly. DOGE is going to need to find physical space to house its staff, but that’s not wasteful at all is it?

There is plenty of vacant government space. Government spend billions maintaining empty buildings.

[Anonymous]

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.

Ramaswamy pledged to fire 75% of federal employees; dismantle civil service protections, making federal employment at-will; and abolish at least five federal agencies, including the Education Department, FBI, ATF, IRS, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and USDA's Food and Nutrition Service. He asserted that the president has the unilateral power to abolish agencies by executive order, although executive agencies and departments are created by statute, and under the Constitution, Congress has the power of the purse. He called for an eight-year term for all government employees and pledged to revoke Executive Order 10988, an order issued by President John F. Kennedy that gives federal employees the right to collectively bargain.

If Trump wanted to give Ramaswamy and Musk real power he would have given them actual appointments, not a position in a made-up agency with a joke for a name.

Trump hasn’t named his AG yet, but all of the names that have been floated are serious candidates. Do you think Mike Lee or John Ratcliffe are going to allow Vivek and Elon to tell them they have to fire 50% of DOJ’s law enforcement personnel? Come on.

Yes Ratcliff will if Trump agrees. Also, are you kidding…Elon did not want an appointed job.😂

[Anonymous]

Every decade there is a blue ribbon commission to reduce government spending and the deficit. That is what this is.

[Anonymous]

Anybody want to weigh in on the likelihood they would offer buyouts to get people to retire? We are early sixties and would consider if the price was right

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anybody want to weigh in on the likelihood they would offer buyouts to get people to retire? We are early sixties and would consider if the price was right

I think high. They are claiming they will offer substantial severance packages, but I have a hard time believing Congress will approve that.