Posted on 01/18/2017 6:35:45 PM PST by AndyJackson
When the Department of Energy was asked by the Agency Review Team to identify employees who work on climate change — one of the critical challenges of our time — our workforce rightly worried that the incoming team would judge them on ideology rather than merit.
When the House voted to bring back the Holman Rule — allowing Members of Congress to selectively target individual federal workers or departments — our workforce became vulnerable to judgment based on ideology. When possible federal hiring freezes are mentioned casually, our workforce is concerned about its capacity to support our critical responsibilities. And when vilifying civil servants becomes the norm, the ability to recruit talented workers will vanish. Instead of considering public service, our brightest minds will look elsewhere for a meaningful career.
The Federal Government can only effectively serve the American people when staffed by qualified and dedicated public servants. This is true at DOE, where I have served as the Deputy Secretary for the past two years, and across all departments and agencies. At DOE, civil servants, military service members, and contractors solve our nation’s toughest challenges and keep us safe. Yet it has become common to disparage this workforce — sometimes through rhetoric, but increasingly through actions. This trend is dangerous for our country.
The people of DOE do pioneering work that contributes to our national security, provides opportunities for entrepreneurs, ensures the safety, security, and effectiveness of our nuclear deterrent, keeps the power on in partnership with industry, and inspires young people to pursue STEM careers. These missions are critical to our success as a Nation, and we need talented people to take on these important responsibilities.
When I began my tenure at DOE, I made it a priority to visit all of our National Laboratories and nuclear security sites. I met the workers charged with unglamorous but essential jobs such as assembling and dismantling our nuclear weapons, cleaning up our Nation’s Cold War legacy to keep communities safe, generating technological solutions to counter cyber threats, and improving our energy systems to make them more resilient and efficient. These essential technical areas need an influx of young and talented workers.
To reinforce the federal talent pipeline we have to de-politicize the rhetoric about the federal workforce. There are many issues that unite us across partisan lines, including the need to respond to national security challenges with innovation and intellectual vigor. At DOE, I have worked with industry leaders and Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle to provide the scientific analysis and technological capabilities that help our nation meet major challenges. Without a strong federal workforce, those valuable tools would be lost to us — to the benefit of our rivals.
We must also make changes that set this workforce up for success. It is aging, and we must develop a new generation of professionals to compensate for upcoming retirements. DOE and the broader federal government need to attract that new generation by managing an exciting mission space and embracing the values that make today’s workplaces successful, productive, and motivating. Young people entering the workforce want to be part of organizations that are inclusive and provide professional development opportunities. These are areas where we can do better.
Finally, the next Administration must be held accountable to make these changes. Secretary Moniz and I have endeavored to stand with our workforce in meaningful ways, including by updating our policy on scientific integrity just this last week to uphold the independence of the scientific process moving forward and last year launching a diversity and inclusion campaign to empower the people of DOE. My incoming colleagues who will lead DOE and the rest of the federal enterprise have a tremendous opportunity to build on these efforts, allay the fears engendered by this transition, improve recruitment and retention, and recognize the contributions of this remarkable workforce to our security and prosperity.
Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall is Deputy Secretary of Energy.
Translation:
How dare you judge us politically as we take actions that are political, and enable political figures to judge you.
I plan on sending a snail mail card welcoming them to the White House, as tough as Trump is, he needs to know we are here for him.
And.....the leftist scum needs to know it as well. The fake news would have us believe that everyone is against Trump, but we know that is not true, or else he would have lost.
Every attempt to make Trump fail is an attempt against We The People, every perceived or actual act of violence is against We The People, and by golly, We The People should not...will not....allow it.
I was on a flight with Eric Trump recently, many folks asked him questions, are you Christian? etc...One lady asked him what has hurt his Father the most in the election..he said, “he is very hurt when folks say he is anti american, he did not have to do this, he knew what was coming, he loves the country deeply”
“Recently, I believe that the number of those working in government surpassed those working in manufacturing. Terrible.”
I’ve read recently that there are more people in the Dept. of Agriculture than there are people employed in farming. As President Eisenhower said 75 years ago,”Farming looks might easy when your plow is a pencil and you’re a thousand miles from a cornfield!”
From my perspective, it’s long past time when we had a major, across the board RIF in all departments of our government, along with a rationalization of every single program, grant, and stipend the federal government hands out.
All federal jobs need to be justified under Congress’s constitutional Article I, Section 8-limited powers, or any other constitutionally enumerated powers.
That is the one thing I knew about President Trump...he loves this Country.
He may have differing opinions from mine, do things I may not like, but the man loves this Country, and I'm good on that alone. i will let him know that in my hand written note.
I know he'll never see it, surely there will be a social,secretary, but at least I would have tried. As we all should.
The number of workers at all levels of government (federal, state, and local), not at the federal level, exceeds the number of manufacturing workers. Federal employment hasn’t changed much in the past three decades. The big growth in government employment has occurred at the state and local levels.
1. Get coffee
2. Read email and look at calendar.
3. 15 minutes to staff mtg. Get coffee
4. Staff mtg.
5. Compose office memo on agenda for next staff mtg.
6. Go to lunch
7. Return from lunch. Check calandar.
8. 15 minutes to afternoon seminar from visiting fireman. Get coffee.
9. Seminar
10. Is it quitting time yet?
If they are called “non-essential” when the Government shuts down, why are they there in the first place?
Last time I checked, America is in the hole $20,000,000,000,000 and rising every day.
First thing, Federal Job Freeze (except for the Military, use attrition to fill so called “vital” Positions and rein in the outrageous Pension Benefits.
The Government Job scheme has to end.
Eliminate pensions
Put them into the same healthcare we use
Make compensation no more than private sector
Eliminate their union
Cut 20% of workers
Let’s see if the trend in growth in state government continues. The GOP has taken over most state legislatures, so if the number if the number of state government employees keeps going up, the GOP can’t truthfully claim that they support smaller government.
In WI, the GOP controls both houses and the gov. However, we have mostly rino extablishment republicans that are just in it for the power/influence/money game. These state government employees in Madison are entitled technocratic tyrants. Madison is an evil cursed city like other leftist bastions.
Well, I usually get here about fifteen minutes late. I use the side door so Trump won't see me. Then I just sort of space out for an hour...
We need to respect and discharge most of our federal workforce
Fed unions were started by executive order. One executive order can end them.
Here’s to that dream!
It’s usually the leftist and incompetent LEADERSHIP of these agencies that needs changing, not the good workers. Former Secy of Energy Lu (sp) was hated by his security details because he showed them no respect.
My son was on one of them (the detail was made up of mainly if not totally of Iraq and Afghan war veterans). He didn’t give them the time of day. An old sourpuss, he was.
Former British PM Tony Belair, however, went out of his way to thank the officers for their work and gave them some nice pins as mementos.
There is a difference between an English gentleman (whether you like his policies or not), and an Obama appointee.
It's Chu. He recently wrote an editorial suggesting that everyone should follow his example. He lives in Palo Alto CA and rides his bike to his lab at Stanford. Everyone else should ride a bike to work to. Tells you about the views of clueless elitists who don't understand they live a very privileged life [e.g. a mutli-million dollar home in Palo Alto near Stanford where he works, a place that is temperate 96% of the year, no heavy lifting and hauling, no groceries and kids to drive around, no tolls and supplies to haul to a job-site].
The only ones who need worry are those who engaged in junk science.
When possible federal hiring freezes are mentioned casually, our workforce is concerned about its capacity to support our critical responsibilities.
We'll decide what's critical, not you.
And when vilifying civil servants becomes the norm, the ability to recruit talented workers will vanish. Instead of considering public service, our brightest minds will look elsewhere for a meaningful career.
The brightest minds didn't apply.
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