Posted on 01/29/2017 9:08:37 AM PST by markomalley
When likely EPA Secretary Scott Pruitt walks into his first day at the office, “He’ll have 16,000 employees working against him,” Sen. James Lankford told a large gathering of libertarian donors Saturday evening.
“And I expect a flood of lawsuits over everything he does.”
Pruitt, who has been nominated to lead the EPA by President Donald Trump, is the attorney general of Lankford’s state, Oklahoma. He has faced fierce opposition from the environmentalist left.
Lankford, who chairs the Senate Oversight Subcommittee on Energy Policy, Health Care and Entitlements, was joined on stage by Sens. Mike Lee and Pat Toomey. Their panel, moderated by Americans for Prosperity President Tim Phillips, was during a dinner on day one of Charles and David Koch’s libertarian Seminar Network in Palm Springs, Calif.
Held twice a year, the seminars are a gathering place for the Seminar Network, a large group of wealthy donors interested in libertarian causes. This weekend’s seminar, held in the temperate desert outside of Los Angeles, will be the first since Trump’s election and inauguration. The network spent hundreds of millions on advertising and advocacy for limited-government politicians — namely, Republicans — running for the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives, but notably stayed out of the presidential primaries and race. The network is co-chaired by Charles Koch Institute President Brian Hooks and Mark Holden, general counsel for Koch Industries.
Of the three senators, Lankford was the only tepid backer of Trump, saying he would support the nominee and frequently dodging press requests to weigh in on specific incidents. Toomey withheld endorsement of Trump, though didn’t rule it out, and was a frequent critic. On Election Day, he said he was voting for Trump. Lee, who is a close friend of Sen. Ted Cruz and represents Utah’s quieter, more conflict-adverse Mormon Republican electorate, urged Trump to quit in October and declined to endorse him throughout the election.
Called “A Time to Lead,” the meeting is hosted at the Renaissance Indian Wells Resort and Spa, and is focused on local, grassroots initiatives Americans can take in what Hooks called “the key institutions of society”– “education, community, business and government.”
There are around 550 individuals included in the “principals” network meeting, which requires at least $100,000 donation to the network. In addition to these invited people, there are approximately 150 staff and speakers, Seminar Network spokesman James David told reporters. There is also a larger press presence than any previous conference has allowed.
Abolish the EPA and have no EPA employees mad at you.
I like their logic.
One of his biggest tasks is to stop the EPA from polluting our rivers.
How can 16,000 unemployed job seekers be a problem for the EPA?
They can be assigned to pick up trash left on the border by illegals. That will keep them busy for a while.
Can you say “air traffic controllers”?
“President Trump should ask Congress for free hand to fire anyone and everyone working in the government. Make the government Right-to-Work.”
Absolutely! There is no more important reform that could be made than to eliminate the job security that allows these countless mendacious bureaucrats to deliberately work against the interests and will of the American voter.
As Mark Steyn has so brilliantly remarked: “You don’t need a president-for-life when you have a bureaucracy-for-life.” And as Donald Trump has so brilliantly remarked on more than one occasion: “You’re Fired!”
And, when the new head of the EPA works with his boss to determine the budget for the following year and they decide at least half of those positions will fall to budget cuts and there’s nothing they can do about it and they’ll be forced to find a job where they’ll actually have to work and be held accountable for their performance, what then?
then 14,000, then 12,000, then 10,000, then 8,000.
Then pause and ask if there are any others who wish to lose their cushy govt job.
No, Attu.
If one’s boss gives an order and the subordinate refuses to do it, as long as it is a legitimate order pertaining to work, it must be obeyed.
Failure to follow instructions can result in at the least, transfer to an less important position and a damaging annual review...which can be cause of dismissal.
Why does any gubamint agency have 16K employees.. Does it produce anything besides fines and regs? Certainly not education, its track record is nothing to crow about.
Reagan fired 11-THOUSAND air traffic controllers in 1981.
It can be like Obama did to the Military, keep firing the top people until the rest get the message and fall into line. As they did.
16000 more people who can now go and work on a Wall in Texas and Arizona. Just reassign them.
True in the private sector, but hardly ever true in govt. it will be interesting to see how this plays out. I’d love to see a replay of Reagan’s firing of all the Air Traffic Controllers to establish the fact that Trump isn’t fooling around.
16,000 employees. and 100,000 contractors. This is the money spigot for the corruptocrat left.
Ha - I was going to say, it'll be 8000 by the end of next week.
16,000 job openings coming soon.
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