Consequences of firing government employees - USDA says it accidentally fired officials working on bird flu and is trying to rehire them

[essentialsaltes]

From the "Beclowning" Files:

In a statement, the agency said it is trying to quickly reverse the firings.

"Although several positions supporting [bird flu efforts] were notified of their terminations over the weekend, we are working to swiftly rectify the situation and rescind those letters," a USDA spokesperson said in a statement.

The error is the latest in the Trump administration's attempts to rapidly shrink the size of the government by conducting mass firings of federal workers

On Friday, the administration tried to notify some nuclear safety employees who were fired last week that they are now due to be reinstated — but struggled to find them because they didn’t have their new contact information.

“They need to be more cautious,” Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb, a member of the Agriculture Committee, told NBC News of the DOGE team. “There’s an old saying, ‘measure twice, cut once.’ Well, they are measuring once and having to cut twice. Some of this stuff they’re gonna have to return back. I just wish they’d make a better decision up front.”

Some Republicans have also complained about cuts to a program that works with poultry farmers to reduce the number of birds around airports in an effort to enhance aviation safety.

see also:

Hundreds laid off at the National Nuclear Security Administration, which secures the US weapons stockpile and hunts down nukes among our adversaries

Hundreds laid off at US nuclear weapons agency: Sources The National Nuclear Security Administration ensures "the United States maintains a safe, secure, and reliable nuclear stockpile," according to its website. The agency also has a team of first responders that deploy to nuclear disasters...

www.christianforums.com

Stipulation: This topic of this thread is consequences of the Trump Administration firing lots of government workers, including but not limited to the later rescission of such firings.

 

[wing2000]

“They need to be more cautious,” Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb, a member of the Agriculture Committee, told NBC News of the DOGE team. “There’s an old saying, ‘measure twice, cut once.’ Well, they are measuring once and having to cut twice. Some of this stuff they’re gonna have to return back. I just wish they’d make a better decision up front.”

Wish?

Stop wishing and get off your but and do something about it....(Republicans in Congress).

 

[Bradskii]

Who knew that firing people could be so hard?

 

[Fantine]

That's what happens when you get a president fresh off a stint of "Celebrity Apprentice."

 

[Aryeh Jay]

Who knew that firing people could be so hard?

Actually, the firing part is really easy.

 

[Bradskii]

Actually, the firing part is really easy.

True. It's knowing who to get rid of is the hard part. Plus getting back the ones that you fired that you shouldn't have.

And have you seen this standard letter/email that goes out to these people? Something along the lines of 'it's been determined that it's in the public interest that you need to go'. I can well imagine some people telling the department where to go when they are asked to return. And for those that do return, plus those that stayed, what happens to moral? It's in the toilet.

 

[Aryeh Jay]

True. It's knowing who to get rid of is the hard part. Plus getting back the ones that you fired that you shouldn't have.

And have you seen this standard letter/email that goes out to these people? Something along the lines of 'it's been determined that it's in the public interest that you need to go'. I can well imagine some people telling the department where to go when they are asked to return. And for those that do return, plus those that stayed, what happens to moral? It's in the toilet.

I have received emails as part of mass mailing where everyone is copied about DEI and returning to the office as opposed to working from home. They didn't apply to me, I was just copied. One basically said if you are not back on Monday, don't bother coming in on Tuesday (paraphrasing).

In 2013 during a military draw down I was let go, they needed to downsize by eliminating 3300 positions. They basically went down the list alphabetically of people who were retirement eligible with out checking their actual job positions. I had just become eligible for retirement and my last name begins with C. So I got the boot and Zimmerman (actual person, and old supervisor), who had twelve years on me got to stay for another 5 years. 6 months later they realized that most of the people let go had the same skill set that was desperately needed and took years to aquire so they called me and offered me my job back, back pay, and a promotion. I did have some choices words at the time. I was in college and doing pretty good, got a degree and went to work in corporate America until outsourced 3 years later. Ended up going back to the military in December 2020 in a different branch but doing the same job.

 

[BPPLEE]

I have received emails as part of mass mailing where everyone is copied about DEI and returning to the office as opposed to working from home. They didn't apply to me, I was just copied. One basically said if you are not back on Monday, don't bother coming in on Tuesday (paraphrasing).

In 2013 during a military draw down I was let go, they needed to downsize by eliminating 3300 positions. They basically went down the list alphabetically of people who were retirement eligible with out checking their actual job positions. I had just become eligible for retirement and my last name begins with C. So I got the boot and Zimmerman (actual person, and old supervisor), who had twelve years on me got to stay for another 5 years. 6 months later they realized that most of the people let go had the same skill set that was desperately needed and took years to aquire so they called me and offered me my job back, back pay, and a promotion. I did have some choices words at the time. I was in college and doing pretty good, got a degree and went to work in corporate America until outsourced 3 years later. Ended up going back to the military in December 2020 in a different branch but doing the same job.

Efforts to fix things often have unintended consequences. I worked for a police department where step increases in pay were based on political connections and brown nosing.
They decided to fix it and went to 12 hour shifts. This cut the number of officers on duty because working 24 hours was not allowed, no one could work overtime for a full shift.
To fix the pay they decided you would get your step increase (raise) on your annual date.
Well someone fresh out of the academy who was hired in January got a step increase. I had been there 5 years but I was hired in December, so first year rookies made more than me and would keep making more than me as long as I stayed there

 

[Maria Billingsley]

From the "Beclowning" Files:

In a statement, the agency said it is trying to quickly reverse the firings.

"Although several positions supporting [bird flu efforts] were notified of their terminations over the weekend, we are working to swiftly rectify the situation and rescind those letters," a USDA spokesperson said in a statement.

The error is the latest in the Trump administration's attempts to rapidly shrink the size of the government by conducting mass firings of federal workers

On Friday, the administration tried to notify some nuclear safety employees who were fired last week that they are now due to be reinstated — but struggled to find them because they didn’t have their new contact information.

“They need to be more cautious,” Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb, a member of the Agriculture Committee, told NBC News of the DOGE team. “There’s an old saying, ‘measure twice, cut once.’ Well, they are measuring once and having to cut twice. Some of this stuff they’re gonna have to return back. I just wish they’d make a better decision up front.”

Some Republicans have also complained about cuts to a program that works with poultry farmers to reduce the number of birds around airports in an effort to enhance aviation safety.

see also:

Hundreds laid off at the National Nuclear Security Administration, which secures the US weapons stockpile and hunts down nukes among our adversaries

Hundreds laid off at US nuclear weapons agency: Sources The National Nuclear Security Administration ensures "the United States maintains a safe, secure, and reliable nuclear stockpile," according to its website. The agency also has a team of first responders that deploy to nuclear disasters...

www.christianforums.com

Stipulation: This topic of this thread is consequences of the Trump Administration firing lots of government workers, including but not limited to the later rescission of such firings.

Lots of reversals going on in the government. Trial and error before us now.

 

[Paulos23]

If they where not in such a rush they could have looked at the department and what it does and then determine what to cut.

As it is now, it looks like a child cutting up a paper doll to reduce weight and then trying to reattach the arms and legs.

 

[essentialsaltes]

JFK Library closes indefinitely, then reopens, amid chaos from federal cuts​

The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston closed abruptly Tuesday afternoon, with staff escorting visitors out of the building after the Trump administration ordered the firing of five employees who were critical to its operation.

[F]ive out of six employees on the JFK library’s visitor services team were fired because of their probationary status. T

No one left on staff knew how to use the ticketing system, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to speak publicly.

The library, which is run by the National Archives, at first said it would remain closed indefinitely.

Hours later — after pushback from members of the Kennedy family and the public — the National Archives said the library and museum would open Wednesday. [It's not entirely clear how, and the Archives did not respond to questions.]

“Closing government libraries to try to fund a tax cut for the wealthy seems like a really bad way to balance the budget. But par for the course for this administration,” Joe Kennedy, a former congressman and the grandnephew of the former president, said in an interview. [Not if you don't like libraries!]

The rapid closing and reversal illustrates the broader confusion and chaos stemming from President Donald Trump’s efforts to slash the size of the federal government. Sweeping orders have left farmers scrambling for grant funds they were promised and led to the mistaken terminations of workers who bolster the nation’s nuclear defense.

 

[seeking.IAM]

It seems like we could take a little more time and care to figure out what we are doing - who we need and who we don't - before capriciously trimming employees, whether they be nuke technicians or bird flu scientists.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Long lines and canceled rentals: Firings bring chaos to national parks​

Trump’s purge of federal employees is already harming the visitor experience at national parks across the country.

At California’s Yosemite National Park, the Trump administration fired the only locksmith on staff on Friday. He was the sole employee with the keys and the institutional knowledge needed to rescue visitors from locked restrooms.

The wait to enter Arizona’s Grand Canyon National Park this past weekend was twice as long as usual after the administration let go four employees who worked at the south entrance, where roughly 90 percent of the park’s nearly 5 million annual visitors pass through.

And at Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania, last week’s widespread layoffs gutted the team that managed reservations for renting historic farmhouses. Visitors received notifications that their reservations had been canceled indefinitely.

“It’s chaos everywhere,” said Kristin Jenn, a former seasonal park ranger at Alaska’s [presumably soon-to-be Mount McKinley] National Park and Preserve. “I don’t know what the next couple of months are going to bring.”

 

[essentialsaltes]

FEMA is losing as many as one thousand employees. What does that mean for disaster recovery?​

Hundreds of Federal Emergency Management Agency employees were fired as part of a wave of terminations of federal workers over the holiday weekend and Tuesday, according to agency officials. The cuts, which come in addition to the firing of more than 200 last week, target probationary and contract employees and could affect people across the country who are struggling to rebuild and prepare for disasters.

“Under President [Donald] Trump’s leadership, we are making sweeping cuts and reform across the federal government to eliminate egregious waste and incompetence that has been happening for decades at the expense of the American taxpayer,” said a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA, in a statement. “We are actively identifying other wasteful positions and offices that do not fulfill DHS’ mission.”

When hurricanes Helene and Milton hit the Southeast back-to-back in the fall, FEMA officials said, they had to pull staff from other disasters to support the immediate needs of millions of people in North Carolina, Florida and other states. Few workers were left in the agency’s reserves, and FEMA had to hire more people. As a result, the officials continued, losing hundreds of workers is likely to hinder the agency’s ability to handle multiple simultaneous catastrophes while processing tens of thousands of cases.

One of the agency staffers who was fired, Christopher Page, started at the agency in 2010 and recently accepted a new position as a chief for the National Flood Insurance Program.

The cuts also targeted entire teams and contractors. FEMA created the initiative a few years ago because it realized that tribal and rural areas were falling through the cracks.

“These are mostly rural and tribal communities. They’ll all be notified soon that their projects will essentially have to be done on their own, something not feasible for nearly all of them,” said a FEMA employee working in mitigation.

If the agency loses a significant portion of its workforce, officials say, it is likely to result in a slower disaster response, longer waits for payouts, and worse customer service — issues that disaster victims have been complaining about for years.

[FEMA] was activated again Sunday, when Trump approved an emergency declaration for Kentucky, where severe flooding from heavy rains has killed at least 14 people.

 

[Aryeh Jay]

HA HA HA! Your gloom and doom posts mean nothing! The American people have spoken and with President Trump’s landslide win and mandate, he will make American one big United States!

 

[essentialsaltes]

Cuts raise questions about science's future in U.S.​

Zoom in: On Tuesday, 168 employees were dismissed at the NSF, or about 10% of the agency's staff.

 

[essentialsaltes]

CNN Made FOIA Request About DOGE—Only to Learn FOIA Staff Was Fired​

"Definitely never seen this type of response to a FOIA request," quipped one journalist.
When CNN put in a Freedom of Information Act request with the Office of Personnel Management for information related to security clearances for billionaire Elon Musk and other personnel at the so-called Department of Government Efficiency who have been allowed access to sensitive or classified government networks, the outlet got an unexpected response.

"Good luck with that, they just fired the whole privacy team," an OPM email address wrote back, according to Tuesday reporting from CNN. An OPM official told the outlet that the federal government's human resources agency did not layoff the entire privacy team, but did not comment further on the matter.

"Definitely never seen this type of response to a FOIA request," quipped CBS News journalist Jim LaPorta reacting to the news on X.

According to CNN, OPM's privacy team "is tasked with ensuring the agency's data privacy practices meet legal requirements and protect the trust of the public." Members of the agency's communications staff and employees who handle FOIA requests were also terminated, per CNN, which cited two unnamed sources.​

 

[public hermit]

Some fired probationary feds are receiving unexpected emails: 'You're re-hired'​

Employees caught in the back and forth expressed relief to have their jobs back, but uncertain of what the future would hold.

“Honestly I’m just waiting to be re-fired,” the Energy employee said.

Some fired probationary feds are receiving unexpected emails: 'You're re-hired'

Some offices within federal agencies are backtracking on their recent firing sprees.

www.govexec.com

There's no need for anyone to feel uncertain. This is what outstanding efficiency looks like. It's big league, brilliant, and great! Besides, we should all be grateful for those who are fired so that we can receive the savings in stimulus checks. Who doesn't like to be enriched from the misfortune of others? This is winning!

 

[essentialsaltes]

Whoops!

Trump administration backtracks on eliminating thousands of national parks employees​

Last month, prospective seasonal employees — the people who collect the entrance fees, clean the trails and restrooms and help rescue injured hikers — received emailssaying their job offers for the 2025 season had been rescinded.

This week, a memo sent from the Department of Interior to park service officials said the agency could hire 7,700 seasonal employees this year, up from the roughly 6,300 who have been hired in recent years.

The memo addressed only temporary seasonal employees. It said nothing about the roughly 1,000 members of the National Park Service’s permanent workforce who were fired Friday.

After he was fired on Feb. 14, Yosemite maintenance worker Olek Chmura went on Instagram to ask whether he and his modestly paid colleagues were really an example of the kind of wasteful spending Trump and his appointed efficiency expert, Elon Musk, claim they are trying to eliminate.

“I make just over $40,000 a year; scrape [poop] off toilets with a putty knife nearly every day,” Chmura wrote. “Somehow, I’m the target.”

[His pithy commentary earned him some virality]

Conservative friends from Ohio, who have seen him on Instagram and TV, have reached out and said, “This is not what I voted for, this is ... insane,” Chmura said.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Georgia congressman confronted by angry crowd over support for Trump’s agenda​

U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick was peppered with boos and catcalls throughout a town hall meeting in Roswell late Thursday, as hundreds of critics jeered the Republican for backing President Donald Trump’s agenda during his first month in office.

The Suwanee Republican’s staff expected a robust turnout for his first town hall since Trump took office. But they seemed caught off guard by the massive crowd of hundreds that gathered outside Roswell City Hall.

--

At one point, McCormick, who represents the state’s 7th Congressional District, was pointedly asked about the firings of hundreds of workers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is based in Atlanta: “Why is a supposedly conservative party taking such a radical and extremist and sloppy approach to this?”

"A lot of the work they do is duplicitous [sic?] with AI,” McCormick said. The mention of AI led to “no’s” and murmurs from the crowd, leading the Republican representative to say, “I happen to be a doctor. I know a few things.”