Trump's DERP State

toomuchbaloney · Mar 6

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2025/03/05/VA-plans-fire-83000-employees-musks-help-eliminating-pact-act-staffing-increase.html

Quote

In the memo, VA Chief of Staff Christopher Syrek said the department's "initial objective" is to return to 2019 staffing levels of 399,957 employees -- or about 83,000 fewer employees than the VA has right now.

If implemented, the layoffs would bring the department down to the level of employees it had before the PACT Act, the wide-ranging 2022 law that expanded VA health care and benefits for millions of veterans exposed to toxic substances during their military service. After the law was passed, the VA under the Biden administration embarked on a massive hiring spree in order to ensure the department could handle the influx of new patients and benefits claims.

I'm sure this won't delay service to veterans, will it?

toomuchbaloney · Mar 7

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/06/us/politics/embassies-consulates-closures.html

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Senior State Department officials have drawn up plans to close a dozen consulates overseas by this Summer and are considering shutting down many more missions, in what could be a blow to the U.S. government's efforts to build partnerships and gather intelligence, American officials say.

The department also plans to lay off many local citizens who work for its hundreds of missions. Those workers make up two-thirds of the agency's work force, and in many countries they form the foundation of U.S. diplomats' knowledge of their environments.

The shrinking is part of both President Trump's larger slashing of the federal government and his "America First" foreign policy, in which the United States ends or curtails once-important ways of exercising global influence, including through democracy, human rights and aid work.

The moves come at a time when China, the main rival of America, has overtaken the United States in number of global diplomatic posts. China has forged strong ties across nations, especially in Asia and Africa, and exerts greater power in international organizations.

Who needs alliances and allies when we have Elon, right?

Hahaha

It's great entertainment to watch the dismantling of American diplomacy and global influence by the crazy fascist and his billionaire sidekick.

toomuchbaloney · Mar 7

https://wjla.com/news/local/war-heroes-and-military-firsts-are-among-26000-images-flagged-for-removal-in-dei-purge-pentagon-military-diversity-equity-inclusion-social-media-post-removal-archives

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References to a World War II Medal of Honor recipient, the Enola Gay aircraft that dropped an atomic bomb on Japan and the first women to pass Marine infantry training are among the tens of thousands of photos and online posts marked for deletion as the Defense Department works to purge diversity, equity and inclusion content, according to a database obtained by The Associated Press.

I think it's intentionally sloppy but the outcome will be the same.

toomuchbaloney · Mar 7

Trump and Musk seem interested in stopping any government function which is designed to serve the people rather than the wealthy.

https://fedscoop.com/exclusive-gsa-to-reduce-tech-services-arm-by-50-eliminate-non-statutory-work/

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All non-critical and non-statutorily required work will cease at the General Services Administration's Technology Transformation Services as part of a 50% reduction of the office, according to Director Thomas Shedd.

In his prepared remarks for a Thursday afternoon town hall, which were obtained by FedScoop, Shedd said that to deliver technology at GSA in a "more focused and streamlined way,” moving forward TTS will support only work that is required by statute and policy, fits into the Trump administration's definition of critical, and is prioritized by the leadership at GSA "in accordance with the priorities of the administration.” Everything else will be eliminated, per Shedd.

"What this means is that in short order TTS will be smaller in size – at least 50% smaller,” he said.

Additionally, any contracts that support the work that falls outside of the established bounds "will be terminated" and any job functions that are deemed non-essential will be cut

https://tts.gsa.gov/

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Every interaction with the public is an opportunity to improve trust in the government.

GSA's Technology Transformation Services (TTS) exists to design and deliver a digital government with and for the American public.

Well that explains it. It's designed to benefit We the People and not the billionaires so team Trump views it as waste.

toomuchbaloney · Mar 7

https://apnews.com/article/collective-bargaining-agreement-tsa-homeland-security-e3eb1d5e0ae8e1b4a6fdb87cd7f6bd39

Kristi Noem had some time in her photo op and marketing schedule to make some important changes to our national security.

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The Department of Homeland Security said Friday that it is ending the collective bargaining agreement with the tens of thousands of frontline employees at the Transportation Security Administration, marking a major attack on worker rights under the Trump administration.

The department, in a statement announcing the termination, criticized the union whose staffers are responsible for keeping weapons off of airplanes and protecting air travel. The department said that poor performers were being allowed to stay on the job and that the agreement was hindering the ability of the organization "to safeguard our transportation systems and keep Americans safe" — an assessment that faced immediate pushback from a top Democrat in Congress.

"This action will ensure Americans will have a more effective and modernized workforces across the nation's transportation networks,” the agency said in a statement. "TSA is renewing its commitment to providing a quick and secure travel process for Americans.”

Imagine calling other people "poor performers" when you answer to Trump. Hahaha

That guy's performance record is crazy full of failure and bad ideas.

toomuchbaloney · Mar 9

Musk Cuts Efficiency Programs in Name of Efficiency.  

Apparently Musk only needs to convince the crazy old guy that he's making things more efficient and that guy is clearly very easily convinced of things that he already wants to believe.

Home Health Columnist / Guide · Mar 9

Gismodo March 9, 2025

DOGE Threat: How Government Data Would Give an AI Company Extraordinary Power

U.S. executives have complained that China's centralized system gives its AI efforts access to extraordinary government data.

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...The White House press secretary said government data that DOGE has collected isn't being used to train Musk's AI models, despite Elon Musk's control over DOGE. However, evidence has emerged that DOGE personnel simultaneously hold positions with at least one of Musk's companies.

At the Federal Aviation Administration, SpaceX employees have government email addresses. This dual employment creates a conduit for federal data to potentially be siphoned to Musk-owned enterprises, including xAI. The company's latest Grok AI chatbot model conspicuously refuses to give a clear denial about using such data....

As a political scientist and technologist who is intimately acquainted with public sources of government data, I believe this potential transmission of government data to private companies presents far greater privacy and power implications than most reporting identifies. A private entity with the capacity to develop artificial intelligence technologies could use government data to leapfrog its competitors and wield massive influence over society.

BINGO!

toomuchbaloney · Mar 10

NRSKarenRN said:

Gismodo March 9, 2025

DOGE Threat: How Government Data Would Give an AI Company Extraordinary Power

U.S. executives have complained that China's centralized system gives its AI efforts access to extraordinary government data.

BINGO!

But we're supposed to believe they are looking for fraud and waste. How can people be so naive and gullible? No, don't tell me. I already know.

toomuchbaloney · Mar 10

https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5186579-cfpb-doge-takeover-chaos/

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Adam Martinez, chief operating officer of the CFPB, took the stand Monday in a lawsuit challenging his agency's apparent dismantling as a Justice Department witness, testifying to the changes at the agency amid competing accounts from staff and leadership.

The account, which painted a less dire picture of the current state of affairs within the agency, marks the most detailed explanation of DOGE's efforts to cut back costs within the agency yet after several declarations cast into question the scope of changes.

"DOGE came in with a very hard fist, so to speak,” Martinez said, adding, "When the [Office of Management and Budget] director's team came in, I felt the adults were around the table at that point.”

Martinez, who has worked in government across five administrations, said DOGE-affiliated employees first arrived at the CFPB on Feb. 6, with agency staff receiving less than an hour heads up.

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He testified that DOGE's work at the agency felt like a formal audit of its operations, leaving him with the impression that they knew "exactly what they wanted to do" and "how they wanted to do it.”

DOGE's arrival at the consumer watchdog was "very contentious,” Martinez said. A CFPB employee confronted DOGE staffers who were meeting with agency officials, demanding to see their IDs. Four security guards were called down, and the employee ultimately left.

Days later, acting CFPB Director Russell Vought took control of the agency and ordered staff to "stand down" from all work. Dozens of CFPB employees were fired, and the agency's headquarters were closed. The building's lease was later terminated.

Any government function to benefit or protect We the People is targeted as waste by the fascist billionaire and his mentally ill enabler.

Beerman, BSN · Mar 10

toomuchbaloney said:

https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5186579-cfpb-doge-takeover-chaos/

Any government function to benefit or protect We the People is targeted as waste by the fascist billionaire and his mentally ill enabler.

A beautiful example of government waste that Trump is ridding us of. Nice work!

https://www.heritage.org/markets-and-finance/commentary/the-consumer-financial-protection-bureau-undermines-economic-freedom

nursej22, MSN, RN · Mar 11

Beerman said:

A beautiful example of government waste that Trump is ridding us of. Nice work!

https://www.heritage.org/markets-and-finance/commentary/the-consumer-financial-protection-bureau-undermines-economic-freedom

https://www.nclc.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/FINAL-CFPB-Fact-Sheet-CFPB-by-the-Numbers-Dec-2024.pdf

toomuchbaloney · Mar 11

Beerman said:

A beautiful example of government waste that Trump is ridding us of. Nice work!

https://www.heritage.org/markets-and-finance/commentary/the-consumer-financial-protection-bureau-undermines-economic-freedom

Honestly, asking the Heritage Foundation for an opinion on their own political agenda seems silly. I guess that's where you would turn if you were just looking for something to support what is happening.