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

[essentialsaltes]

The FAA’s Troubles Are More Serious Than You Know​

That same day [as Trump blamed DEI for the DC plane-helicopter crash], FAA employees including air-traffic controllers, safety inspectors, and mechanical engineers received an email advising them to leave their job under a buyout program announced just two days before.

More than 1,300 FAA employees replied to the email, out of a workforce of about 45,000. Most of those who responded selected “Yes, I confirm that I am resigning/retiring.”

Initially, that included about 100 air-traffic controllers who replied to the email, threatening a crucial and already-understaffed component of the workforce. Interest in the offer among air-traffic controllers was alarming, agency officials told me, because an internal FAA safety report had found that staffing at the air-traffic-control tower at Reagan airport was “not normal” at the time of January’s deadly crash. It took the agency, which is housed within the Department of Transportation, about a week to clarify that certain job categories were exempt from early retirement, including air-traffic controllers

But agency officials told me that many jobs with critical safety functions are indeed being sacrificed, with any possible replacements uncertain because of the government-wide hiring freeze.

Disruptions to U.S. airspace can have many different triggers, including severe weather, military operations, and accident investigations. Last week, disruptionsoccurred at airports from Florida to Pennsylvania because of the explosion of SpaceX’s Starship

When these disturbances occur, sometimes suddenly, it falls to aeronautical-information specialists to update charts, maps, and flight procedures that each day guide more than 45,000 flights and 2.9 million passengers across more than 29 million square miles of airspace.

Interviews and internal FAA records show that as many as 12 percent of the country’s aeronautical-information specialists have been fired or are exiting the agency ... including several supervisors

“What I’m seeing is an FAA workforce that is completely distracted and off its game,” a longtime FAA contractor told me. “Almost all interactions I have with federal staff begin with catching up on the amount of time they’re spending on personnel issues instead of their normal jobs.”

The contractor added, “To say they’re not focused on the mission at the moment would be an understatement.”

 

[DaisyDay]

Well it's not illegal until the final decision is made.

Is that true? Is breaking laws not illegal until what "final decision" gets made by who, according to what?

 

[rjs330]

someone is really serious about deficit-reduction, then defense cuts, tax hikes for the rich, and a total revamping of our social-safety net(s), (maybe UBI?), will have to happen in short succession

Thise are really nothing more than a progressive wish list. If we are really serious about deficit reduction then we go to cuts across the board, including safety nets. We revamp the the tax code so everyone pays taxes and there are no deductions. We chop out entire government agencies. We remove regulations that make it so costly for businesses to start up. We dont start new government hand outs like UBI.

But not much of that is ever going to happen. Americans are not willing to touch the third rail.

So the only way to cut the deficit is to cut spending in other areas including over seas spending. And anything that in not essential. Then we revamp the tax system so everyone pays taxes. No rich person should be paying $7 in taxes and we need to end the 50% of Americans who pay zero income tax. Everyone pays because everyone benefits.

Over all the rich ARE paying almost all of the taxes. Making them pay more will not help. They could pay all thier money in taxes and it only would fund the government for a very short period of time.

So I don't actually see a way out. But we see how progressives react when the givernment does find waste. They sue and try to make the government spend it anyway.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Is that true? Is breaking laws not illegal until what "final decision" gets made by who, according to what?

In context, SCOTUS may well get a crack at some of these. Others it will allow to stay in the lower courts. At the moment, we don't really have a 'final answer' on any of these questions of whether the Trump Administration's acts are illegal. However, some of the lower judges have used phrases like "facially" unconstitutional.

 

[rjs330]

Is that true? Is breaking laws not illegal until what "final decision" gets made by who, according to what?

As we know these types of laws are nuanced. And they can get challenged. Not every law or every facet of a law is constitutional. Sometimes these laws have to be challenged to see if they pass the test. We are talking about laws dealing with government spending and personnel. And the power of the executive to run the executive branch. These laws may or may not constitutional muster. The only way to determine that is to challenge them and let the Supreme Court be the final arbiter. And as we see the left in this country is going to keep them busy as they sue over everything the president does.

 

[rjs330]

The FAA’s Troubles Are More Serious Than You Know​

That same day [as Trump blamed DEI for the DC plane-helicopter crash], FAA employees including air-traffic controllers, safety inspectors, and mechanical engineers received an email advising them to leave their job under a buyout program announced just two days before.

More than 1,300 FAA employees replied to the email, out of a workforce of about 45,000. Most of those who responded selected “Yes, I confirm that I am resigning/retiring.”

Initially, that included about 100 air-traffic controllers who replied to the email, threatening a crucial and already-understaffed component of the workforce. Interest in the offer among air-traffic controllers was alarming, agency officials told me, because an internal FAA safety report had found that staffing at the air-traffic-control tower at Reagan airport was “not normal” at the time of January’s deadly crash. It took the agency, which is housed within the Department of Transportation, about a week to clarify that certain job categories were exempt from early retirement, including air-traffic controllers

But agency officials told me that many jobs with critical safety functions are indeed being sacrificed, with any possible replacements uncertain because of the government-wide hiring freeze.

Disruptions to U.S. airspace can have many different triggers, including severe weather, military operations, and accident investigations. Last week, disruptionsoccurred at airports from Florida to Pennsylvania because of the explosion of SpaceX’s Starship

When these disturbances occur, sometimes suddenly, it falls to aeronautical-information specialists to update charts, maps, and flight procedures that each day guide more than 45,000 flights and 2.9 million passengers across more than 29 million square miles of airspace.

Interviews and internal FAA records show that as many as 12 percent of the country’s aeronautical-information specialists have been fired or are exiting the agency ... including several supervisors

“What I’m seeing is an FAA workforce that is completely distracted and off its game,” a longtime FAA contractor told me. “Almost all interactions I have with federal staff begin with catching up on the amount of time they’re spending on personnel issues instead of their normal jobs.”

The contractor added, “To say they’re not focused on the mission at the moment would be an understatement.”

In response to questions about workforce reductions, the FAA said in a statement, “The agency has retained employees who perform safety critical functions.”

the Department of Transportation, about a week to clarify that certain job categories were exempt from early retirement, including air-traffic controllers, according to a February 5 email I reviewed. That guidance arrived in agency inboxes only after Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy had announced it on cable television, saying on February 2, “We’re going to keep all our safety positions in place.”

in a post on X last week, the company disputed that it was seeking to take over the Verizon contract, maintaining instead that it was working with the FAA and the contractor behind the 2002 upgrade to provide Starlink equipment “free of charge” for an initial testing period. The company also said it was helping the agency “identify instances where Starlink could serve as a long-term infrastructure upgrade for aviation safety.”

This article sounds again like a lot of hand wringing and Chicken Little the sky is falling.

Can you imagine what would happen if we had planes crashing into each other all over the the US because we didn't have enough controllers to keep the planes safe? And we discovered it was because Trump cut them all?

This article mentions the helicopter crash in DC which doesn't appear to be the controllers fault because they didn't have enough of them. And had ZERO to do with the retirements and probationary firings. The reporter also mentions the space X explosion which has nothing to do with the retirements and probation firings.

As usual the Atlantic is another Sky Is Falling propagandist.

 

[DaisyDay]

Thise are really nothing more than a progressive wish list. If we are really serious about deficit reduction then we go to cuts across the board, including safety nets. We revamp the the tax code so everyone pays taxes and there are no deductions. We chop out entire government agencies. We remove regulations that make it so costly for businesses to start up. We dont start new government hand outs like UBI.

But not much of that is ever going to happen. Americans are not willing to touch the third rail.

So the only way to cut the deficit is to cut spending in other areas including over seas spending. And anything that in not essential. Then we revamp the tax system so everyone pays taxes. No rich person should be paying $7 in taxes and we need to end the 50% of Americans who pay zero income tax. Everyone pays because everyone benefits.

Over all the rich ARE paying almost all of the taxes. Making them pay more will not help. They could pay all thier money in taxes and it only would fund the government for a very short period of time.

So I don't actually see a way out. But we see how progressives react when the givernment does find waste. They sue and try to make the government spend it anyway.

The big problem with DOGE is that they are not discovering, uncovering waste and fraud, they are creating it on a massive level. How wasteful is it to get rid of needed governance - throwing out ginormous amounts of training, disrupting activity that still needs performing, for months at a time - that will have to be put back in place with either this amount of manhours totally wasted for show?

They have demonstrated over and over that they are not following any sort of analysis of who/what is needed and what/who is not even though such reports are/were readily available from department audits already performed. Musk's chainsaw metaphor is entirely apt. This is just wanton destruction - while at the same time, Musk is profiting by billions on government contracts even as he sabotages his competitors' contracts. DOGE reeks of corruption.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Can you imagine what would happen if we had planes crashing into each other all over the the US because we didn't have enough controllers to keep the planes safe? And we discovered it was because Trump cut them all?

I hope we don't find out. Likewise if the cuts of aeronautical-information specialists result in suboptimal outcomes.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Nasa announces shuttering of two departments and office of chief scientist​

The office of technology, policy and strategy that advises Nasa on important leadership decisions was also shuttered and an unspecified number of workers laid off, according to a memo to employees signed by Janet Petro, Nasa’s acting administrator.

[It] was established in 2021 within the office of the administrator to “bring together diverse, multidisciplinary experts to provide Nasa leadership with analytic, strategic, and decisional insights”.

It housed the agency’s chief technologist and chief economist, and its analysis of Nasa policies was recognized as a critical check and balance.

Many will see the elimination of Nasa’s office of the chief scientist as an abrupt U-turn in the agency’s climate policy, and another attack by conservatives on science and evidence-based decision making.

[DEIA also gone]

 

[essentialsaltes]

Let's hope the tornadoes show up 9 to 5.

And the radar is operational.

DOGE cancels lease for NOAA Radar Operations Center in Norman, OK​

According to their website, the Radar Operations Center is tasked with servicing radar operations and improvements nationwide.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Education Department to cut roughly half its staff​

Sheria Smith, president of American Federation of Government Employees Local 252, said the Trump administration has misled the public on what the department does and services the public relies on.

"So we must ask our fellow Americans: do you want your and your children’s rights enforced in school?" Smith said in a statement. "Do you want your children to have the ability to play sports in their school districts? Do you need financial aid for college? Are you a fellow civil servant that relies on student loan forgiveness? Does your school district offset property taxes with federal funding? If yes, then you rely on the Department of Education, and the services you rely on and the employees who support them are under attack."

We shall see what the consequences are (if any).

 

[essentialsaltes]

From the "Feature not a Bug" files:

IRS staff cuts mean less scrutiny for ultra-wealthy, officials warn​

The Internal Revenue Service’s burgeoning efforts to more closely inspect the taxes of some of the country’s richest people and most powerful companies are stalling, thanks to layoffs imposed by the Trump administration, say current and former IRS employees.

It’s a sharp turnaround from 2022, when Congress gave the IRS $80 billion over a decade under the Inflation Reduction Act, including funds to beef up its auditing of the wealthiest Americans.

see also

IRS reports collecting $1 billion from rich households’ back taxes​

For years, the tax agency simply didn’t try collecting sizable debts owed by 1,600 people with annual incomes of at least $1 million.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Judge orders Trump administration to reinstate thousands of fired employees at VA, Defense Department and other agencies​

The preliminary injunction issued from the bench by US District Judge William Alsup requires the departments of Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Defense, Energy, Interior and Treasury to rehire the employees. The judge said that he might extend the order to cover other federal agencies at a later time.

Alsup, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton, said he was making the ruling because he believes the Office of Personnel Management unlawfully directed the agencies earlier this year to lay off the probationary employees, who generally have been on the job for less than a year.

“The court finds that Office of Personnel Management did direct all agencies to terminate probationary employees with the exception of mission critical employees,” he said, rejecting arguments from the Justice Department that OPM merely issued “guidance” to the agencies that then led to the firings.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Let's hope the tornadoes show up 9 to 5.

Biggest tornado event of year to impact 100 million Americans as forecasters give chilling warning

The severe weather threat has been increased to "high levels" for Friday and Saturday and could bring "significantly strong" tornadoes as it's set to spread more than 500,000 square miles in a region of the central and southern US home to more than 100 million people, AccuWeather meteorologists warn. The powerful weather system is forecast to last until Sunday and is set to shift eastward each day, moving from the Great Plains to the Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee valleys, the southern and central Appalachians, and the Gulf and Atlantic coasts.

 

[rjs330]

Judge orders Trump administration to reinstate thousands of fired employees at VA, Defense Department and other agencies​

The preliminary injunction issued from the bench by US District Judge William Alsup requires the departments of Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Defense, Energy, Interior and Treasury to rehire the employees. The judge said that he might extend the order to cover other federal agencies at a later time.

Alsup, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton, said he was making the ruling because he believes the Office of Personnel Management unlawfully directed the agencies earlier this year to lay off the probationary employees, who generally have been on the job for less than a year.

“The court finds that Office of Personnel Management did direct all agencies to terminate probationary employees with the exception of mission critical employees,” he said, rejecting arguments from the Justice Department that OPM merely issued “guidance” to the agencies that then led to the firings.

Well, total over reach by the judicial system. It doesn't matter if the agencies were ordered to or offered guidance.

This will get over turned.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Judge orders Trump administration to reinstate thousands of fired employees at VA, Defense Department and other agencies​

A second judge has hit the firings.

Second federal judge orders temporary reinstatement of thousands of probationary employees fired by the Trump administration​

In addition to requiring the departments of Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Energy, Interior and Treasury to rehire the employees, as Alsup earlier ordered, [Senior Judge James] Bredar’s ruling applied to several other agencies, including the Department of Health and Human Services, the Environmental Protection Agency and the US Agency for International Development.

Bredar on Thursday rejected the administration’s arguments that the terminations fit into a category not requiring notice because the employees were fired because of their substandard performance. [probably because it was a transparent falsehood]

The upshot of Bredar’s ruling, as he acknowledged at a hearing Tuesday, is that the administration would be allowed to lay off the employees en masse if it went through the proper RIF procedures, including the advance notice. His ruling also noted the administration is free to fire individualized employees without following the RIF rules if they are being fired for cause, “on the basis of good-faith individualized determinations.”

Whaddya know? If they obey the law, judges won't give them any grief.

 

[essentialsaltes]

North Carolina town hall erupts in boos as congressman escorted from building, angry constituents​

“How do you justify cuts to staff of the VA helping veterans, especially those with long term care needs,” asked one constituent who was met with a standing ovation from the raucous crowd in Asheville, North Carolina.

“So first of all, there have been no cuts to the staff at VA as of this point. Like him or not, Elon Musk has brought a lot of really smart people,” Edwards responded as he was met with a round of boos.

“What are you doing to ensure the protection of our Social Security benefits,” asked on constituent to a round of applause.

Replied Edwards: “I'm not going to vote to dissolve your Social Security. I'm not looking to disrupt Social Security at all.”

[Right, but Musk is calling the shots now on cutting things. Will the GOP Congress stand up to him?]

Republican leadership has told their members to avoid in-person town halls like these after several members were grilled in their home districts.

Edwards, however, went against their advice on Thursday.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Critics warn staff cuts at federal agencies overseeing US dams could put public safety at risk​

“Without these dam operators, engineers, hydrologists, geologists, researchers, emergency managers and other experts, there is a serious potential for heightened risk to public safety and economic or environmental damage,” Lori Spragens, executive director of the Kentucky-based Association of Dam Safety Officials, told the AP.

 

[rjs330]

Yup, I believe it wasn't a mistake to lay these people off. The mistake was in not following proper procedures. It is interesting that probationary employees still need advance notice. In most places including where I work and have worked which is in the public sector for a city and the state, probationary employees can be let go immediately for no reason at all. It's too bad the Federal Government doesn't have that.

 

[rjs330]

Critics warn staff cuts at federal agencies overseeing US dams could put public safety at risk​

“Without these dam operators, engineers, hydrologists, geologists, researchers, emergency managers and other experts, there is a serious potential for heightened risk to public safety and economic or environmental damage,” Lori Spragens, executive director of the Kentucky-based Association of Dam Safety Officials, told the AP.

The sky is certainly falling. We are going to have planes crashing on a daily basis killing thousands each year. We are going to have tornados and hurricanes killing thousands more because of NOAA or whatever cuts. We are going to have Chernoble type accidents causing thousands more deaths and radiating the cou try side. We now are going have dams bursting and complete electricity stoppage around the country. All because we laid off some employees.

Yes this is all Trump's plan to destroy America and kill as many prople as possible. Hahahahahahahahahaha! Yes, that is the goal. It's not to Make America Great Again at all. Make America a Wilderness Again. MAWA.

Something I think the left ought to be all for. A reduction in population to save earth. With all the planes crashing no one will fly thus reducing carbon. Killing everyone with hurricane and tornados will reduce population and carbon footprints and the need for more energy. We all know dams are really bad for the environment and the produce energy. They have to go. Nuclear plants well, that's not so good. They will kill the environment along with the people.

But hey whatever it takes to save the planet! Who knew Trump was such an undercover environmentalist along with being a homicidal maniac. All because he laid off a few government workers.I can't wait until he does his Trump dance after he destroys everything and dances on the bodies of those killed by the bird flu because he wouldn't allow a vaccine.

Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!