Trump Eyes 10% Spending Cuts, 20% Slash Of Federal Workers

The Washington Examiner ^ | 01/17/17 | PAUL BEDARD

[American in Israel]

How will they survive? OH NOES!

[Sacajaweau]

you mean non-working.........

[plain talk]

Cuts? I believe what he means by cuts is a reduction in the amount of growth of the baseline budget and we are fully prepared to work with the President on that.

[Sacajaweau]

I agree with you. Cereal and milk....and get out to the bus....

Make your own damn lunch...tuna, bologna, pb&j....is that so hard??

[LibWhacker]

You can’t make America great again without popping the leeches off the taxpayers’ necks. Go Trump!

[sphinx]

Over 60 percent of federal spending is entitlements, and that is where virtually all the growth is to be found. Another 16 percent is defense, which Trump wants to increase. Federal domestic discretionary spending certainly has programs that can be cut, but it also includes the Coast Guard, the National Park Service, NASA, the FBI, the federal court system, the border patrol (don't think Trump wants to cut that), federal transportation spending, and so on. Most of this is the "good government" stuff that we all take for granted. These are the routine functions that government should be doing, and can do competently. They are being cannibalized to put off the reckoning on entitlements. That's a losers' game.

Sure, we could raise a big pot of change if we eliminated federal highway spending while keeping the federal gasoline tax in place, and putting the receipts into the general fund. Let the states pick up the slack. We can trim some chump change at USDA, but most of USDA's budget is food stamps, and that's an entitlement. We could walk away from NASA; Obama already killed the manned space program, so we could content ourselves with bumming rides from the Russians and save enough money to finance a few weeks of the expected growth in Medicare and Medicaid spending. But you are simply not going to find enough money in these areas to make the slightest difference if entitlements aren't reined in.

[pfony1]

I agree with you in principle.

But I think President Trump has to pick his targets very carefully, since he can be sure that a firestorm of resistance will launched by the media, the Democrats and the RINOs. IMHO, President Trump cannot afford to “lose” many of these fights.

For example, those entities now claim that the Federal Elections Commission failed America in the last election. OK, then! Shrink it! Eliminate its power to meddle in state and local elections! Consider if that commission needs to exist at all!

And so forth...

[SPRINK]

I hope this happens...Trump also needs to target the pension system of federal workers

[SPRINK]

I hope this happens...Trump also needs to target the pension system of federal workers

[EnglishOnly]

Trump Administration should triple these figures....

Federal Unions, Government Unions are illegal.....Regan proved that much.

GO TRUMP GO!! -— DRAIN IT and POUR DRAIN-O down the Drain!!

[SgtHooper]

“The teams also are looking at staffing cuts over four years through attrition, a hiring freeze and reorganization.”

NO! I am a babyboomer, and I want it RIGHT NOW! :-)

[SgtHooper]

“If people fear for their jobs they will perform better.”

Maybe true, but for a government worker, that might be a 1% improvement. Dump ‘em!

[DCBryan1]

decimation

I wish we could impose REAL Roman decimation on federal workers in certain agencies. Start with the EPA/IRS/ATF:

[SgtHooper]

LOL! Dilbert is the BEST!!

[SgtHooper]

It needs to be done! Anything less is what got us into this mess to begin with.

[PapaBear3625]

The nice thing about real layoffs, is that under civil service seniority rules, the last hired would be the most vulnerable.

So everybody hired during the Obama administration could potentially be eliminated.

[1Old Pro]

To make this necessary reduction in government popular it needs to get the support of taxpayers: Make it tangible

For every 100 million in savings, provide electronic tax credits to people who can add them up throughout the year and use them the following year on their taxes.

[Mr. Douglas]

I agree, but it will take amazing courage and power. I’m concerned that there is nobody with that combination.

And, truth be told, if someone DOES have that much courage and power, I start worrying about revelation unfolding before us.

[chatham]

If the Average American worker doesn’t get Retirement monies in their Paycheck neither should Federal Employees.
Case Closed.

[itsahoot]

I’ve always thought that instead of encouraging pork barrel spending so a rep can justify his or her reelection

You realize that the first thing these guys did was meet behind closed doors and vote to restore earmarks right? Trump shamed them publicly and they backed down but it will come back.