Friday, January 20, 2017

Reason #5398 Trump Was Elected

Federal workers - Survey: 1/3 of federal workers still “considering” quitting after Trump Inauguration
Last October, during the heat of the election, we looked at a survey of federal employees which claimed that 35% of them were actively considering leaving their jobs if Donald J. Trump were to be elected president. At the time I had reservations about how serious this trend was because partisans tend to say all sorts of things during a contentious race. (Just recall all the celebrities who were supposedly fleeing the country during that same period and yet we’re still stuck with every last one of them.) But now the deed has been done and it’s time for everyone to put their resignation letter where their mouth is.

Have things changed? According to the latest rendition of the same survey, not very much. There are still more than a quarter of current federal workers who claim they’re looking toward the exits. And the primary reason given is that they object to Donald Trump’s declared plans to implement a federal hiring freeze and reduce the workforce. (Government Executive)
Less than two-thirds of the federal workforce is firmly committed to staying on the job following the election of Donald Trump as president, according to a new survey.
More than one in four federal workers, or 28 percent, will definitely or possibly consider leaving their jobs after Jan. 20 when Trump is sworn into office and becomes leader of the executive branch, according to a new Government Business Council/GovExec.com poll. Sixty-five percent of feds say they will not consider ending their federal service…
For those who opt to leave government, their jobs could remain vacant for an extended period of time as Trump has vowed to freeze hiring across agencies immediately upon taking office. Just 15 percent of feds said they hold a positive view of that proposed policy, while 67 percent expressed a negative view.
So let me get this straight. You object to Donald Trump’s plan to reduce the federal workforce, so you’re going to protest that policy by… reducing the federal workforce for him?
Pair with: Oh, baby. “Dramatic” cuts are coming to federal government
The next couple of days may be filled with speeches, ceremonies, a few galas and a raft of executive orders, but come next week the actual work of reducing the size (and cost) of the federal bureaucracy is set to begin. A list of items on the chopping block has leaked out this week and it’s far more than lip service. Assuming that these are the final plans, you’re going to see heads exploding in the big government cheerleading sector and a chorus of cheers coming from small government conservatives. The Hill has a list of much of what Trump is planning on taking an ax to and it contains some targets familiar to conservatives dating back to Reagan’s era.
Donald Trump is ready to take an ax to government spending.
Staffers for the Trump transition team have been meeting with career staff at the White House ahead of Friday’s presidential inauguration to outline their plans for shrinking the federal bureaucracy, The Hill has learned.
The changes they propose are dramatic.
The departments of Commerce and Energy would see major reductions in funding, with programs under their jurisdiction either being eliminated or transferred to other agencies. The departments of Transportation, Justice and State would see significant cuts and program eliminations.
The cuts to the departments of Transportation, State and Justice were already expected. Several of their functions can easily be streamlined or combined into other departments. The Department of Energy under Rick Perry can have several of its more expensive functions reduced or transferred as well. (One possibility which has been under discussion this week is moving the control and maintenance of the nuclear arsenal into Defense where it would seem to make a lot more sense anyway.)

But it’s some of the other cuts which are probably going to draw gasps of horror from Trump’s more liberal detractors. Currently on the list is the complete elimination of the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities. Additionally, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting would be privatized. If you thought there were going to be liberal marches in the streets tomorrow, just wait until those three go into effect.

The total savings to the federal government’s bottom line from all of these moves? How about $10.5 trillion over 10 years.
I hope so, but I'll believe it when I see it.

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