Has something like this ever happened before? Did it feel this bad last time around?
This seems especially spooky.
Deferred resignation email to federal employees
91–100 of 167 posts
Re: Deferred resignation email to federal employees
#92Earlier quoted context omitted.
> and it’s clear it’s run by the ultra wealthy. The people are just bystanders. The first part is true, the second is not. Yes, it's run by the ultra wealthy. But the people wanted this. The election wasn't in debate, and this wasn't a case of a popular vote/electoral college split. Also, for all of Trump's faults, hidden agendas really aren't one of them. People know exactly who he is, he said pretty much exactly wh…
The people did not want this. A majority of voters voted for not Trump. He also spent the bulk of his campaign — aided by the press — distancing himself from project 2025. I’m on the left and I’m not resigned to this. I still have some fight left in me.
> The people did not want this. A majority of voters voted for not Trump.
He won the popular vote though, unless I'm misunderstanding your point.
> He also spent the bulk of his campaign — aided by the press — distancing himself from project 2025.
What specific media companies did this?
I heard nothing but negative things about Trump and constant pointing out ties to project 2025 by all major news networks, cable and textual.
Except maybe Fox, but I don't watch it nor know anyone that does. (Well, not that many people I know even watch or read mainstream news in the first place anymore...)
Re: Deferred resignation email to federal employees
#93Earlier quoted context omitted.
> this is just a way to reduce headcount by the end of this FY It's not just a way to reduce headcount, as the next four years will make abundantly clear. People will be hired back into these jobs under the new Schedule Policy/Career -- the replacement for Trump's Schedule F. Basically: the people getting the offer now have protections set up by Biden in response to Trump's Schedule F, that Trump would like to buy th…
> Basically: the people getting the offer now have protections set up by Biden in response to Trump's Schedule F, that Trump would like to buy them out of. This offer has gone out to all feds, not just those falling under Schedule F. You've not been paying attention if you believe the statements you've written.
Of course it has. I read that.
But that's exactly the point, isn't it!?
Many, many of these jobs going up the seniority scale will reappear but be recreated as Schedule Policy/Career.
(Schedule F no longer exists, I think)
I mean, I might be wrong. But wait and see: I don't think I am going to be wrong. It is abundantly clear that Trump and the people around him are trying to create a civil service that is loyal to the President specifically.
He tried before to do this which is why Biden produced legislation to make it difficult.
Trump's stated aim in this presidency, as well as in his prior presidency, has been to radically expand the range of jobs that fall under Schedule F.
If you don't know that, then you have not been paying attention. It's safe to assume he will use every lever possible to remake roles as political appointments, and this will be one of those levers.
ETA: Speaking to CNN on Tuesday, Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff for policy, said the government's two million workers were "overwhelmingly left of centre", adding it was "essential" for Trump to "get control of government".
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cnvqe3le3z4o
So it is clear -- from the mouth of Goebbels 2.0 himself -- that Trump intends to use this process to reshape the political slant of federal government.
Any "it's purely about the cost" argument is dead in the water. There will be recasting of roles as political, there will be loyalty pledges, there will be litmus tests.
Re: Deferred resignation email to federal employees
#94Earlier quoted context omitted.
[flagged]
Did you miss the part where the mob that stormed the capital was fully pardoned despite the incredible violence? This is dictator shit. He's telling his supporters violence is okay against his political enemies and he will cover for you.
Is this not exactly what Biden also did in his last month in office?
So far both presidents have blanket pardoned a mix of political allies, family members, and rioters right in front of the American public and no one's talking about it...
I feel like I'm going crazy, are people really this oblivious?
Re: Deferred resignation email to federal employees
#95Earlier quoted context omitted.
Genuinely, who are you expecting to stand up against it? The Democrats in Congress? Massive public demonstration? It feels all but inevitable to me
I doubt public demonstrations would do it. They'd have to start losing MAGA cult people for them to change course themselves. But if we can hold out for 2 years (big if) there's a very strong chance we'll retake the house. And if things continue down this path (i think it will get worse) we could maybe take back the senate. but the map is very hard. That would give power to fight back. If we get a once in a generatio…
> I doubt public demonstrations would do it.
Trump is itching to trigger provisions of the Insurrection Act as far ahead of the mid-term elections as possible. Public demonstrations by anyone associated with the left will achieve nothing right now given the composition of Congress. The best bet is to stand down, and stand by. The ground will probably be fertile for local organizing though.
Re: Deferred resignation email to federal employees
#96Earlier quoted context omitted.
There’s also the part where Secret Service agents are going to schools, lying about who they are, and trying to arrest children for making statements critical of Trump: > "We had an incident happen in Chicago on Friday where there were some federal agents that showed up at a school asking to come in to interview an 11-year-old who had posted an anti-Trump video on TikTok. > "They presented their credentials, they sai…
I am reminded of my colleague who grew up in the USSR, and said agents would come to their class and show kids pictures of western cartoon characters (Mickey, etc.) to see who had disloyal parents.
We're not far from that happening here. There is currently an attempt to discontinue students' ability to check out mobile hotspots because access to the Internet could, "censor kids' exposure to conservative viewpoints." [1]
[1] https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/01/senator-ted-cruz...
Re: Deferred resignation email to federal employees
#97Anyone else think it’s likely America ends up without being a meaningful democracy by the end of this? I am skeptical the stated goal is efficiency it’s loyalty to MAGA. Imagine how extreme they will get if you can never vote them out.
This is a pro-democracy move!
Elections being accompanied by a large scale shakeup to help the elected president enact the agenda people voted for is a good thing actually. Ideally, every federal employee would respond to an election by maximally pushing to achieve the president’s agenda, like at a startup. That would be responsive democracy, where voting yields immediate and visible changes.
If you mean something other than “democracy” then say it.
Re: Deferred resignation email to federal employees
#98Earlier quoted context omitted.
> and it’s clear it’s run by the ultra wealthy. The people are just bystanders. The first part is true, the second is not. Yes, it's run by the ultra wealthy. But the people wanted this. The election wasn't in debate, and this wasn't a case of a popular vote/electoral college split. Also, for all of Trump's faults, hidden agendas really aren't one of them. People know exactly who he is, he said pretty much exactly wh…
I think the left are resigned because the reason people were so fine with a "shake it up" Trump presidency is we've been run by billionaires over citizens for thirty+ years already, regardless of the party in power. The Dems are part of the path that lead us to this moment and aren't doing much of anything to reverse things. To me, it felt at the time like I was either making my last fair vote now, or they kick the c…
You're talking about them as separate groups, but it's likely that the majority of Americans who consider themselves part of "the left" have been voting for these piss-poor Dem candidates that have indeed willfully have led to this, for at least the last 3+ elections.
If no one considering themselves part of "the left" would've gone out and voted for HRC and the dems got sent home with 40% of the vote back then, the path may have changed. They voted for her, and for Biden, meaning the path never changed. There were zero punishments for the DNC's despicable behaviour.
I have a lot of sympathy for those who did the opposite and did not vote for these candidates. You did the right thing.
Re: Deferred resignation email to federal employees
#99Anyone else think it’s likely America ends up without being a meaningful democracy by the end of this? I am skeptical the stated goal is efficiency it’s loyalty to MAGA. Imagine how extreme they will get if you can never vote them out.
Ends up…i think it’s just happened. Been on this path for a while but the simple fact its treaties mean nothing totally trashes any reputation that was left, and it’s clear it’s run by the ultra wealthy. The people are just bystanders.
Trump literally got up on stage with Elon promising to do what he’s doing. Elon spent the entire last week before the election in Pennsylvania, a major swing state, telling people what the administration was to do. Trump also got up on stage with many of his key appointees, who were outspoken about what they were going to do. Now, they’re all doing those things.
Like, you can say his policies are bad and you don’t like them for whatever reason. But the “false consciousness” argument applies to Trump the least of any president in my lifetime. He won spending less money both times, with the uniform hostility of big, centralized media. Trump’s big thing this campaign was in person rallies and podcasts.
I don’t watch mainstream media. I listen to some podcasts twice a week driving to work, and follow some people on X. Nothing Trump has done came as any surprise at all to me.
Re: Deferred resignation email to federal employees
#100Federal employees have statutory no-cause termination protection, and the President presumably can't simply reclassify the federal workforce as "at-will".