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

[essentialsaltes]

Judge orders Trump administration to explain why order to restore Voice of America wasn't followed​

“Without more explanation, the court is left to conclude that the defendants are simply trying to run out the clock on the fiscal year, without putting the money Congress appropriated toward the purposes Congress intended,” Lamberth wrote.

[85% of staff are gone, per Kari Lake, who (in this timeline) is in charge of VOA.]

 

[essentialsaltes]

Justice Department fired official whose husband operated controversial ICEBlock app​

Carolyn Feinstein said she initially thought the message sent to her private email address on a late Friday afternoon was a scheme or a prank. It turned out that she was being fired from her federal job. Once Feinstein read the email, she discovered her work cellphone was no longer operating.

Feinstein's decade of work as a forensic auditor for the Justice Department's Office of Trustee — which helps oversee bankruptcies — ended on July 18, when her employment was terminated in a three-paragraph message sent by an agency administrator.

In the days after the ICEBlock app was publicized in reporting by CNN and later by Trump ally and social media figure Laura Loomer, Feinstein said she notified her employers about threats she and her husband had been receiving from critics.

Feinstein said she was fired days after, with the Justice Department alleging the termination was "based on your lack of candor during an internal inquiry."

 

[essentialsaltes]

Weather Service is now hiring back hundreds of positions that got cut in the DOGE chaos​

Whoops! I know many people in the thread have opined that we don't need these people, but now the Administration disagrees, considering these roles important to public safety.


The National Weather Service has received permission to hire hundreds of employees, CNN reported Tuesday. That includes 450 meteorologists, hydrologists, and radar technicians to replace the ones that were let go from the agency at the behest of former DOGE chief Elon Musk.

The National Weather Service has received permission to hire 450 meteorologists, hydrologists and radar technicians just months after being hit hard by Department of Government Efficiency-related cuts and early retirement incentives.

 

[Bradskii]

Weather Service is now hiring back hundreds of positions that got cut in the DOGE chaos​

Whoops! I know many people in the thread have opined that we don't need these people, but now the Administration disagrees, considering these roles important to public safety.


The National Weather Service has received permission to hire hundreds of employees, CNN reported Tuesday. That includes 450 meteorologists, hydrologists, and radar technicians to replace the ones that were let go from the agency at the behest of former DOGE chief Elon Musk.

The National Weather Service has received permission to hire 450 meteorologists, hydrologists and radar technicians just months after being hit hard by Department of Government Efficiency-related cuts and early retirement incentives.

To be fair, the situation has changed. They're now actually checking to see if these positions are necessary, as opposed to randomly sacking people.

What this does to morale is anyone's guess.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Trump administration fires McGruff the Crime Dog​

Now, the Trump administration has ended federal funding for a program that in recent years worked to bring McGruff into present-day efforts to protect young people from harm caused by fentanyl and counterfeit prescription pills. Advocates fear any cuts to public education drug programs threaten to reverse progress in the 21st century war on drugs.

 

[BPPLEE]

Trump administration fires McGruff the Crime Dog​

Now, the Trump administration has ended federal funding for a program that in recent years worked to bring McGruff into present-day efforts to protect young people from harm caused by fentanyl and counterfeit prescription pills. Advocates fear any cuts to public education drug programs threaten to reverse progress in the 21st century war on drugs.

I used to play McGruff at schools, and during Red Ribbon Week did demos at all the schools with our dogs and talked about the dangers of drug use.

 

[essentialsaltes]

US veterans agency lost thousands of ‘core’ medical staff under Trump, records show​

Departures are exacerbating existing shortages and creating ‘very unsafe’ conditions for patients, veterans and health workers say

The Department of Veterans Affairs has lost thousands of healthcare professionals deemed “core” to the system’s ability to function and “without which mission-critical work cannot be completed”, agency records show.

The number of medical staff on hand to treat veterans has fallen every month since Donald Trump took office. The VA has experienced a net loss of 2,000 registered nurses since the start of this fiscal year, the data show, along with approximately 1,300 medical assistants, 1,100 nursing assistants and licensed practical nurses, 800 doctors, 500 social workers and 150 psychologists.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Trump administration cuts to terrorism prevention departments could leave Americans exposed
Staff at the State Department’s Office of Countering Violent Extremism and Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations, which led U.S. anti-violent extremism efforts, were laid off, the units shuttered, on July 11, 2025.

This dismantling of the country’s terrorism and extremism prevention programs began in February 2025. That’s when staff of USAID’s Bureau of Conflict Prevention and Stabilization were put on leave.

In March, the Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships at the Department of Homeland Security, which worked during the Biden administration to prevent terrorism with a staff of about 80 employees, laid off about 30% of its staff. Additional cuts to the center’s staff were made in June.

And on July 11, the countering violent extremism team at the U.S. Institute of Peace, a nonpartisan organization established by Congress, was laid off. The fate of the institute is pending legal cases and congressional funding.

What remains of the U.S. capability to respond to terrorism rests in its military and law enforcement, which do not work on prevention. They react to terrorist events after they happen.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Judge orders Trump administration to explain why order to restore Voice of America wasn't followed​

[85% of staff are gone, per Kari Lake, who (in this timeline) is in charge of VOA.]

Or is she? Duh duh DAH

Is Kari Lake a CEO? Her agency said so. The law suggests not​

Trump administration official Kari Lake told a federal judge Wednesday that she's just doing her job in forcing out nearly the entire workforce of the Voice of America.

That's despite a congressional mandate that the 83-year-old international network serve as a consistently reliable and authoritative source of news overseas.

In a sworn declaration filed in court Wednesday afternoon, Lake attested she is the acting chief executive of Voice of America's federal parent, simply fulfilling President Trump's wishes.

NPR can find no public evidence that Trump has ever named Lake to the job. And under U.S. law, it does not appear that she is eligible to hold it, according to former federal officials.

 

[Pommer]

Or is she? Duh duh DAH

Is Kari Lake a CEO? Her agency said so. The law suggests not​

Trump administration official Kari Lake told a federal judge Wednesday that she's just doing her job in forcing out nearly the entire workforce of the Voice of America.

That's despite a congressional mandate that the 83-year-old international network serve as a consistently reliable and authoritative source of news overseas.

In a sworn declaration filed in court Wednesday afternoon, Lake attested she is the acting chief executive of Voice of America's federal parent, simply fulfilling President Trump's wishes.

NPR can find no public evidence that Trump has ever named Lake to the job. And under U.S. law, it does not appear that she is eligible to hold it, according to former federal officials.

Does she have pay-stubs?

 

[essentialsaltes]

DNI Tulsi Gabbard Gutting Almost Half of Her Workforce in Massive New Cuts​

Gabbard reportedly described the “ODNI 2.0” effort as “the start of a new era focused on serving our country, fulfilling our core national security mission with excellence, always grounded in the U.S. Constitution, and ensuring the safety, security, and freedom of the American people.”

 

[Pommer]

DNI Tulsi Gabbard Gutting Almost Half of Her Workforce in Massive New Cuts​

Gabbard reportedly described the “ODNI 2.0” effort as “the start of a new era focused on serving our country, fulfilling our core national security mission with excellence, always grounded in the U.S. Constitution, and ensuring the safety, security, and freedom of the American people.”

To be fair, how many people do we need to vet information that comes from TЯusted sources?

 

[essentialsaltes]

IRS scrambles to rehire thousands of workers in 'significant reversal' of Trump layoffs​

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has dramatically reversed course, shelving widespread layoffs under President Donald Trump's administration and scrambling to refill mission-critical roles, Government Executive reported Thursday.

Leadership shifts further underscore instability. IRS has had seven different leaders so far this year; the latest ousted include the director of online services, while the most recent permanent head lasted just two months.

Efficiency!

 

[essentialsaltes]

US veterans agency lost thousands of ‘core’ medical staff under Trump, records show​

Departures are exacerbating existing shortages and creating ‘very unsafe’ conditions for patients, veterans and health workers say

The Department of Veterans Affairs has lost thousands of healthcare professionals deemed “core” to the system’s ability to function and “without which mission-critical work cannot be completed”, agency records show.

VA cancels plans for employee satisfaction survey this year​

Veterans Affairs leaders will not conduct their annual employee surveys this year, stating that they are confident that the majority of the workforce is happy with the direction of the department.
The survey is mandated under federal code and provides an annual snapshot of employee satisfaction.

In 2012, the results ranked the department as the second-worst large federal agency to work for, out of 19 departments. By 2024, that ranking had risen to fifth-best.

About 72% of VA employees surveyed said they were satisfied with their jobs in 2024, up from about 55% a decade before. Officials from President Joe Biden’s administration frequently cited the survey as evidence that they were making workforce improvements throughout VA.

[I assume the official who runs the survey doesn't want to get fired.]

 

[essentialsaltes]

Is Kari Lake a CEO? Her agency said so. The law suggests not
Trump administration official Kari Lake told a federal judge Wednesday that she's just doing her job in forcing out nearly the entire workforce of the Voice of America.

Kari Lake can’t fire Voice of America director, judge says
The ruling states that Abramowitz can only be removed from his position as director by a majority vote of the International Broadcasting Advisory Board.
[I don't think this helps all the rest of the staff.]

 

[essentialsaltes]

Trump fires Doug Emhoff and other Biden appointees from Holocaust Museum board​

The former second gentleman, who is Jewish, said in a statement that "Holocaust remembrance and education should never be politicized."
But Trump has a mandate from the American voters to politicize the Holocaust and antisemitism!

Upcoming 'upgrade' to Holocaust Museum exhibit on US response to Nazi Germany sparks some staff concerns: Sources​

On Sept. 2, the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., is scheduled to temporarily close its "Americans and the Holocaust" exhibit through Feb. 2026 to conduct an "upgrade," according to an internal email sent to staff in June and obtained by ABC News.

Sources tell ABC News that news that the temporary closure of the "Americans and the Holocaust" exhibit has increased concerns among some staffers who had been worried about the museums' direction under the new administration, after Trump in April fired and replaced five Democrats appointed to the board of the museum. [The message about the closure came weeks after the new board was installed.]

A White House official told ABC News, "There are no plans to review the Holocaust Museum" and said that the closure of the exhibit is unrelated to the administration's review of the Smithsonian museums.

The "Americans and the Holocaust" exhibit, introduced in 2018 to mark the museum's 25th anniversary, presents a critical look at how the United States responded to the Holocaust and how factors like "the Depression, isolationism, xenophobia, racism, and antisemitism shaped responses to Nazism and the Holocaust in the United States," according to the museum's public website.

One section of the exhibit examines "Obstacles to Immigration" and details how the 1924 National Origins Act was "designed to exclude 'undesirable' European immigrants, especially Italians, Slavs, and Jews."

The exhibit states that world-renowned physicist Albert Einstein, "himself a refugee from Germany," said in 1941 that the United States had created a "wall of bureaucratic measures" that prevented immigration.

 

[essentialsaltes]

NOAA firings [from a meteorologist]

I don't get involved with politics on this page, but I can't stay silent anymore. DOGE today announced a 10% staff reduction at NOAA which includes the National Weather Service, Storm Prediction Center, National Hurricane Center, River Forecast Centers along with several other agencies. Around 1000 people at NOAA lost their jobs (with potentially more to follow), including ones that issue tornado warnings, produce aviation forecasts, and develop/maintain/improve our weather forecast models...scientists who are tasked "to protect life and property from natural disasters by providing weather forecasts and warnings".

TIL another job NOAA does is to inspect seafood entering the country. How might that harm people if staffing is down? Let Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana explain it.

He warned that shrimp is not being inspected – as it is supposed to be – by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a US government agency tasked with ensuring the safety and quality of seafood entering the country.

‘This is what you could end up looking like if you eat the raw frozen shrimp being sent to the United States by other countries.'
[I mean, you should certainly cook any raw frozen shrimp you intend to consume. Or at least thaw it for ceviche.]

‘How could you end up looking like the alien in the “Alien”?

‘Because the shrimp was radioactive. I kid you not… It will kill you even if it does not turn you into the alien. If you eat this, I guarantee you that you will grow an extra ear.’

 

[tampasteve]

TIL another job NOAA does is to inspect seafood entering the country

That's not accurate. Most is inspected by other agencies, primarily the FDA and USDA. NOAA only inspects as a fee for service and grading, and it is voluntary. The overwhelmingly vast majority is inspected by the FDA, including visiting other countries facilities. The NOAA service is centered around helping fisheries provide a product that is graded and can be advertised as such.

 

[essentialsaltes]

That's not accurate. Most is inspected by other agencies, primarily the FDA and USDA.

Well, given what else Senator Kennedy had to say, I should have questioned his statements about NOAA.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Well, given what else Senator Kennedy had to say, I should have questioned his statements about NOAA.

Much better photo than the one I saw earlier: