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Eyeing the new boss warily, federal workers prepare for deep cuts under Trump
baltimoresun.com ^ | John Fritze

Posted on 01/09/2017 8:19:46 AM PST by RoosterRedux

Federal workers in Maryland and across the nation are bracing for reductions in head counts, civil service protections and even salaries when President-elect Donald Trump and Congress turn their attention to government spending later this year.

Trump, who ran on a promise to "drain the swamp," has identified hiring freezes at most federal agencies as a top priority for his early days in office. Republican lawmakers, many of whom have long advocated for reducing Washington's footprint, are looking to cut benefits and make it easier to fire poor performers.

The threats and preliminary steps taken by Congress have created anxiety for many of the government's 2.1 million employees, including some 300,000 who live in Maryland.

"People don't know what to believe, and they're in a state of uneasiness," said Witold Skwierczynski, a Catonsville man and the head of the American Federation of Government Employees council that oversees Social Security Administration field offices. "That's the feeling I hear. People are unsettled."

Fiscal conservatives, long stymied by President Barack Obama in their efforts to trim the government workforce, have read the November election as affirmation that voters want a slimmer federal bureaucracy. Though government employee issues were not discussed much during the election, federal regulations and spending were central to Trump's campaign.

(Excerpt) Read more at baltimoresun.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: federalemployees; federalgovernment; maryland; trump
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To: xzins
He can unilaterally impose a hiring freeze or order attrition after retirement, departure, death.

I'd prefer he treated them like the Fat Broad in BC Comics treated the snake, but your solution is probably more practical. :-)

41 posted on 01/09/2017 9:11:41 AM PST by Madame Dufarge
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To: RoosterRedux

DC area has become the wealthiest in the country due to big gubmint graft.

EXACTLY what the founding fathers intended to avoid by building DC.

Time for Trump to roll it back


42 posted on 01/09/2017 9:12:33 AM PST by varyouga
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To: tennmountainman

I thought there was a poll that showed 25% of Federal Workers
would quit if Trump won.

This would be a good time for them to quit.


Yes, right after the election, a friend’s son who works for Treasury said they were all leaving because Trump won...guess they aren’t so cocky now...


43 posted on 01/09/2017 9:12:40 AM PST by Freedom56v2
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To: RoosterRedux

he could start with half the IRS, half the EPA, half the DOE, half of the 30000 slugs at the DNI, 3/4ths of the 5000 CIA lawyers, half the BLM, and so on thru the useless bloated alphabet of government bureaus.... totalling 2.3 million government “workers”.......

GOVERNMENT “WORKERS” ARE ESSENTIALLY OVERPAID GLORIFIED WELFARE RECIPIENTS .... DOING VIRTUALLY NOTHING PRODUCTIVE AND A DRAG ON THE ECONOMY SUCKING TAXPAYERS DRY..... desk jockeys paper shufflers and slugs hanging out waiting for their fat pensions...


44 posted on 01/09/2017 9:12:46 AM PST by zzwhale
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To: RoosterRedux
Trump must freeze hiring. Then move employees around to fill necessary openings. When a department is remove from service give pink slips to the employees, just like private industry. Another important item is to remove unions from all government agency.,
45 posted on 01/09/2017 9:15:09 AM PST by Logical me
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To: varyouga

DC area has become the wealthiest in the country due to big gubmint graft.

EXACTLY what the founding fathers intended to avoid by building DC.

Time for Trump to roll it back


For the past 8 years, DC has reminded me of the Capitol City in the Hunger Games movie. Opulence, conspicuous consumption, etc.

Drain the swamp!!


46 posted on 01/09/2017 9:15:11 AM PST by Freedom56v2
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To: mythenjoseph
Cut 2/3rds of the contractors and put the work in house as it once was that alone will dry up the pay to play BS.

Can't bring the work in-house. The federal employees were hired to satisfy AA mandates. Then they had to bring in contractors who knew how to actually do the work.

47 posted on 01/09/2017 9:16:41 AM PST by PapaBear3625 (Big government is attractive to those who think that THEY will be in control of it.)
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To: RoosterRedux

END THE “SPEND IT OR LOSE IT” MENTALITY

Reward SAVINGS with bonuses. If you spend less than your budget you get to keep 10% of it as a bonus.

Reward whistle blowers with cash for revealing fraud.

One year- amnesty for anyone who reveals government fraud they participated in. NO JAIL TIME, but restitution mandatory. Lifetime ban on working for the government.

WELFARE MUST GET TO 85% EFFICIENCY OR BE DISSOLVED!
Right now less than 30% of welfare money goes to families. That means there is the equivalent of one government employee making $70K for each family receiving $30K in welfare benefits


48 posted on 01/09/2017 9:17:15 AM PST by Mr. K ( Trump kicked her ass 2-to-1 if you remove all the voter fraud.)
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To: DoodleDawg

Hope youre wrong...really I do. Nothing spells Liberty as much as a tiny govt work force.


49 posted on 01/09/2017 9:20:13 AM PST by 556x45
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To: RoosterRedux

The gravy train that the federal employees and their unions have been riding is about to get derailed.


50 posted on 01/09/2017 9:21:34 AM PST by Starboard
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To: varyouga

DC area has become the wealthiest in the country due to big gubmint graft.


And the hundreds of thousands of jobs about to go bye-bye will only affect DC metro and NOVA. Just like not a penny of that City-State’s wealth trickled out to us, the pain of the cuts will be entirely local.


51 posted on 01/09/2017 9:24:24 AM PST by txhurl (Break's over, kids, back to WAR.)
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To: DoodleDawg

After what Trump has done to every establishment entity during the primaries and the general election (from the msm to the gop establishment to the dems to the soros goons to the political consultant class, etc. etc.), you really think congress is gonna stymie Trump? Really?

Yeah, Congress is supposed to serve as a check and balance to the Presidency, but only if the presidency intends to harm the citizens. Trump intends to help the citizens. The citizens know it, and they’re the ones who have a say over future congressional careers.


52 posted on 01/09/2017 9:26:05 AM PST by Vision Thing (You see the depths of our hearts, and You love us the same...)
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To: RoosterRedux

There should never be 2.1 million federal employees unless they are wearing military uniforms.


53 posted on 01/09/2017 9:26:27 AM PST by txrefugee
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To: DoodleDawg

Congress isn’t going to cut as deeply as he wants. They never do.

************

That’s a valid historical point. However...things may be a little different this time. Our national debt is wildly out of control and there are redundancies in the government that we can no longer afford. The bureaucracy is slow, costly and unresponsive; it badly needs to be reformed. I think Trump will make some deep cuts through the process of restructuring the government into a leaner, more efficient, and citizen responsive organization.

You are probably right in that he won’t get all the cuts he wants. Agencies have powerful constituencies, strong allies in the media, and they know how to protect their turfs. Plus, congress is not inclined to reduce jobs if they think it may impact the voters back home.

That said, its time to drain the swamp and remove as many denizens as possible while he has the political capital to do it.


54 posted on 01/09/2017 9:30:20 AM PST by Starboard
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To: vette6387

What kind of an American given name is Witold??? The problem is we have imported flies to the DC manure pile since someone determined we didn’t have enough here.


55 posted on 01/09/2017 9:30:38 AM PST by txrefugee
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To: Iron Munro
He will actually expect them to show up and do the job they are paid to do

If he does that, then he won't need to fire everyone. Most will quit, and leave for sectors where they don't ever need to show results, or be held accountable.

Like academia, for the moment at least.

Heck, Trump will make VA red again, and might even shift MD too.

56 posted on 01/09/2017 9:31:20 AM PST by wbill
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To: tennmountainman

I thought there was a poll that showed 25% of Federal Workers would quit if Trump won.

*************

24.9% of those same “workers” lied.


57 posted on 01/09/2017 9:32:46 AM PST by Starboard
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To: DoodleDawg
Perhaps you should avail yourself to reviewing this EO:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_Order_10988

Federal unions were never recognized by legislation or enacted into law. By rescinding the EO, the union with whom the employment contracts were negotiated would no longer exist as a legal party.

Oh sure, employees could continue to contribute - 1A freedom of association - but it would no longer legally represent their interests.

Once the federal union(s) were eliminated, Trump's management team could impose performance improvement plans (PIP) throughout each department. Once employees are "pip"ed, it's pretty straightforward to enacting wholesale termination notices.

Trump really needs to both reduce overall headcount and eliminate certain departments. The federal bureaucracy is an internal enemy to every citizen's interests, and has been weaponized to maximize the globalist's ability to destroy freedom & liberty.

58 posted on 01/09/2017 9:35:25 AM PST by semantic
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To: Mr. K
If you spend less than your budget you get to keep 10% of it as a bonus.....like your ideas, except this one.

It's a good idea, given a just and moral workforce. Reality, though, will be: "Mr K, we'd like to give you that heart transplant that's covered under Medicare, but my office needs to make numbers this year. And next. Try again in 2019."

Hate it, but that's reality. How about instead..."Spend less than or equal to your budget, and you get to keep your job." That's more in line with the private sector.

59 posted on 01/09/2017 9:35:33 AM PST by wbill
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To: Rusty0604

That’s because these unionized federal employees want the higher wages, job security and cushy benefits that only democrat politicians will give them.”

Really simple solution. Just make all federal employees pay for their own health insurance and benefits. Same as the rest of us.


60 posted on 01/09/2017 9:37:20 AM PST by EQAndyBuzz (Too. Much. Winning.)
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