DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Palus Politicus Trump Campaign Promises Part 4

05, I hope all is well with your job. I continue to believe that at the end of the day we want good employees so you are gonna be fine. I did want to comment on your “where besides the border” is he doing well question. That is a bit like where is Ohio State football doing well besides winning the first 12 team college football playoff. In both cases that accomplishment is huge!! The border was one of the top issues in the election ! I think four years of Americans seeing mobs at the border and reading about the millions of unvented illegals Biden was dumping into our country went a long way towards electing DJT.

That said I will offer a couple of other positive issues for this administration. First, while administrations and politicians have for years waxed eloquent about the need to eliminate graft and waste, no one til now has actually taken a crack at doing it. I do not know yet how it will turn out but I hope we can save a trillion or two from future budgets. I consider this a noble effort that I hope shows results.

I consider it a different issue, though similar, that the Trump administration has tried to get federal spending under control. This is another of those elusive “everybody says they want to do it but nobody actually does it” issues. I would love it if the would take spending levels back to pre Covid levels + 1.5 trillion or so. That would allow about 35% growth over 5 years which seems ample.

I like that this administration has begun the process, and placed an emphasis on, weeding DEI out fo the government vocabulary. That stuff is donkey dung and needs to go!!

Finally I like that this administration is serious about getting males out of female sports. Keeping males out of female restrooms and locker rooms. It is weird to me that a policy supported by 80% of Americans is fought so vociferously by the dems!

Now 05, looking at those items and where we are I guess it is important to remember that Trump is 80-90 days into his administration. So a little patience is in order.

05, one more that is more a projection based upon his previous four years than on what we have seen thus far. From 2017-2020 the bottom 25% of wage earners saw increases in real wages of about 35%. This was the first real increases these folks had seen in decades. I am optimistic those folks will see that again.

05, right now the focus is on the tariffs and what they will do. I know what I hope they accomplish but we will have to see. Interestingly tariffs have historically been a democrat party policy favorite. They wanted to protect union jobs from cheap overseas labor. It is funny listening to democrats bemoaning the tariffs the see tapes of pelosi and Schumer in the 90’s decrying the Chinese taking advantage of us with tariffs and calling for us to respond. I guess what goes around comes around!

Well,05, I hope you are having a great day at work and that the move back into the office has worked out ok for you.

The vast majority of the cuts so far have not shown to be graft or waste. Nobody else has actually taken a crack at doing it?.....................

Fact Check: Clinton initiative cut over 377K federal jobs in the 1990s. It's not comparable to Trump's effort

Claim:

During his time in office, U.S. President Bill Clinton oversaw the termination of 377,000 federal employees.

Rating:

True

Context:

According to testimony from Elaine Karmarck, the director of Clinton's initiative, it eliminated 426,200 federal roles between January 1993 and September 2000.

Looking back on the 1990s, it's strange to imagine a time when a presidential campaign was won on a promise to balance the federal budget. Bill Clinton did it, too — the U.S. federal budget had a surplus between 1998 and 2001, the only time there's been a surplus since 1970. (The government's debt is $36.22 trillion at the time of writing).

In January and February 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump began giving Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) increasing control over government services in an effort to eliminate federal government programs and dramatically slash spending.

Some media outlets claimed Trump and Musk's methodology was unprecedented. In response, social media posts appeared pointing back to a Clinton-era initiative that "oversaw the termination of 377,000 federal employees," as evidence that Trump and Musk had simply "learned from the master."

On February 7, 2000 The Washington Post reported that between 1993 and 1999, the Clinton Administration reduced the size of the federal work force by 377,000 full time employees according to the budget. Reported tonight on Fox News.

— CAB (@SDMan02) February 7, 2025

It's true that during his presidency, Clinton reduced the federal government's workforce by more than 377,000 employees as part of an initiative called the National Partnership for Reinventing Government (initially called the National Performance Review, or NPR). However, there's a key difference between how Clinton's NPR cut jobs and what Trump and Musk are trying.

In March 1993, just two months into his presidency, Clinton announced the creation of the National Performance Review, led by his Vice President, Al Gore. Its goal, according to Clinton's announcement, was "to make the entire Federal Government both less expensive and more efficient, and to change the culture of our national bureaucracy away from complacency and entitlement toward initiative and empowerment."

The review lasted six months, and made 384 recommendations to improve the federal bureaucracy. The implementation of those policies took a lot longer, and some required legislation to be passed through Congress. For instance, in 1994, Clinton signed a bill that offered federal workers buyouts of up to $25,000 in an effort to reduce the workforce by 272,000 employees. According to an April 1995 statement from Clinton, the buyouts were largely offered to management positions in an effort to "reduce the layers of bureaucracy and micromanagement that were tying Government in knots." That statement said that about 70 of the buyouts in non-Department of Defense agencies went to managers and other individuals "at higher grade levels."

The initiative continued to make recommendations for government reform. According to a 1999 article on an archived version of NPR's website, it reduced the federal workforce by 351,000 between 1993 and 1998. An archived FAQ page from 2000 said 377,000 jobs were cut between 1993 and 1999. In a 2013 appearance before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, former National Performance Review leader Elaine Karmarck said the agency cut 426,200 jobs by September 2000.

But the buyouts offered by Clinton's NPR and Trump and Musk's Department of Government Efficiency are not the same. Clinton's buyout plan had overwhelming bipartisan support from Congress, and the law was signed after a review period. Meanwhile, Trump and Musk offered the buyouts just one week into Trump's term, with no review process.

Federal employee labor unions have sued, questioning the legality of the buyout, and a federal judge has temporarily blocked the offer in order to review the lawsuit.
Sources:

Brief History of the National Partnership for Reinventing Government. https://govinfo.library.unt.edu/npr/whoweare/history2.html. Accessed 7 Feb. 2025.

Department, Paul Richter Paul Richter covered the State, et al. "Clinton Signs Federal Worker Buyout Plan." Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 1994, https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-03-31-mn-40541-story.html.

"Fact Check: Did Clinton Set the Precedent for Mass Federal Worker Buyouts?" Al Jazeera, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025...ecedent-for-mass-federal-worker-buyouts. Accessed 7 Feb. 2025.

Frequently Asked Questions About the National Partnership for Reinventing Government. https://govinfo.library.unt.edu/npr/library/papers/bkgrd/q-n-a.html. Accessed 7 Feb. 2025.

History of the Debt — TreasuryDirect. https://treasurydirect.gov/government/historical-debt-outstanding/. Accessed 7 Feb. 2025.

Judge Halts Trump's Government Worker Buyout Plan. 7 Feb. 2025, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2q1g3evzqo.

"Judge Temporarily Blocks Trump Plan Offering Incentives for Federal Workers to Resign." AP News, 6 Feb. 2025, https://apnews.com/article/buyout-o...orkers-ce854b19c41b90cd657f75cf09511e96.

"Lessons for the Future of Government Reform." Brookings, https://www.brookings.edu/articles/lessons-for-the-future-of-government-reform/. Accessed 7 Feb. 2025.

"Reinventing Government -- Two Decades Later." Government Executive, 26 Apr. 2013, https://www.govexec.com/management/2013/04/what-reinvention-wrought/62836/.

Remarks by President Clinton Announcing the Initiative to Streamline Government. https://govinfo.library.unt.edu/npr/library/speeches/030393.html. Accessed 7 Feb. 2025.

Statement on the Buyout Program for Federal Employees | The American Presidency Project. https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-the-buyout-program-for-federal-employees. Accessed 7 Feb. 2025.

"Trump Gives Musk Unprecedented Access to Federal Systems." PBS Newshour Classroom, 4 Feb. 2025, https://www.pbs.org/newshour/classr...unprecedented-access-to-federal-systems.

Vice President Gore's National Partnership for Reinventing Government. https://govinfo.library.unt.edu/npr/index.htm#Archive. Accessed 7 Feb. 2025.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/fact-check-clinton-initiative-cut-140000196.html

Of course as was mentioned in the article, a study was actually done by experts in the field to find where these job cuts should be made. It was a process. Nobody just walked in on day one with a chainsaw and started hitting departments that helped the most vulnerable like we're seeing today.

I'm not sure of your age so I'm not sure if you were unaware of this because of your age or if the places you get your news simply refused to inform you of this. But either way, there you go.

And to add, republicans in congress are trying to pass a budget that will greatly increase the deficit, not balance it.

Yes I had forgotten BC “ending welfare as we know it”. I do not specifically remember who helped pass the stuff he did, but I am pretty sure the lefty dems of today would fight him tooth and toenail.

Of course I love what he did and I hope this administration does something even more impressive!!

j/c

FEMA will stop matching 100% of Helene recovery money in North Carolina

Gov. Stein: ‘I am extremely disappointed and urge the President to reconsider FEMA’s bad decision, even for 90 days.’

FEMA has denied North Carolina’s request to continue matching 100% of the state’s spending on Hurricane Helene recovery.

In a letter to Gov. Josh Stein on Friday, acting FEMA administrator Cameron Hamilton wrote that the agency had determined the full cost share was “not warranted.”

“The need in western North Carolina remains immense — people need debris removed, homes rebuilt, and roads restored,” Stein said in a statement.

“I am extremely disappointed and urge the President to reconsider FEMA’s bad decision, even for 90 days. Six months later, the people of western North Carolina are working hard to get back on their feet; they need FEMA to help them get the job done.”

FEMA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The agency’s decision means that North Carolina will lose a critical share of federal assistance in what’s expected to be a years-long rebuild process.

After Helene struck in late September, the Biden administration gave the green light for FEMA to reimburse North Carolina on 100% of disaster relief assistance — particularly with debris removal and emergency protective services. The cost-share allowed state officials to plow ahead on time-sensitive needs more quickly.

In December, FEMA also set the federal cost-share for all other categories of assistance at 90%. But the 100% period for debris cleanup and other services was set to end after six months.

Local and state officials have requested repeatedly that it be extended — preferably another six months — in order to speed up recovery from the deadliest hurricane in state history. But the agency, now under the authority of a president who has floated the idea of dismantling it altogether, will no longer shoulder full costs for that work.

U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards, the Republican congressman who represents western North Carolina, told the Asheville Citizen-Times that an extension was “unprecedented.”

“Instead, I’m focusing on other ways I can make a tangible difference in helping the citizens of western North Carolina recover more quickly,” he said in a statement to the newspaper.

“This includes continuing to assist survivors with FEMA casework and working with the administration to find additional avenues to alleviate the financial stress our communities and the state of North Carolina are facing.”

The state can appeal FEMA’s ruling within 30 days.

Actual denial letter from FEMA posted here at the link

https://ncnewsline.com/2025/04/12/f...-helene-recovery-money-in-nc-stein-says/

It was widely passed on a bipartisan basis. You know, not mandated by an EO as if he were a king.

I am sure this is somehow Bidens fault

Thanks for the kind words, Keith, and I always hope you are doing well. I'm still chugging along.

I do get that Trump is brief into the administration, but I am skeptical of the spending. He spent like a drunken sailor in his first admin, but that's not really just a knock on him, as the previous two admins also did the same, and so did the one after. It's a pervasive problem spanning both parties.

With what I see on a daily basis, I do think DOGE is doing a terrible job. They have already walked back their goal very significantly from where they initially preached it would be, and there appears to be no significant savings. They also have been inaccurate in what they say they have saved. Based on spending trends, I don't hold out much hope that savings will actually hit. I think it's all talk and no action basically. Well, there has been action, and it's been to remodel a house with a chainsaw. Now we have a mess and morale has really gone down for those of us on the inside.

I think what frustrates me most is that there are some rather easy things that could be done in order to save significant funds, but none of those have actually been implemented. I don't think they will be implemented either until a political appointee (from either party) is actually someone who understands the inner workings, organically. Not some donor who doesn't really care at all, and not some hot shot who thinks they know everything either. That's not pointed at any one person, but pretty much everyone who has come in. And like we've talked about before, it really will take an act of Congress. You can eliminate entire agencies, departments, etc. but if you still have Congress appropriating funds, as is their power, they will find a way to appropriate wastefully. It should be the third leg of the stool: Death, taxes, and Congress wasting money.

Even with the amounts that are to be expended, if we expended them in better ways, there are huge amounts of sums we could save, such as doing things like fixed price incentive firm contracts vs firm fixed price. That would go a loooooooong way into putting money back in the treasury for major acquisitions.

I think what I'm getting at is that I'm tired of a lot of form and no substance. I actually do think POTUS' admin has diagnosed a lot of problems correctly...it's the "how do they fix it" part that leaves me scratching my head often.

jc

i wonder how much is spent on these pony shows they call 'cabinet meetings'. It's obvious nothing productive is actually being done. That's something you see on NK and Russian state media.

I don’t know the exact answer to that, but the Republicans spend more than the Dems….


https://www.opensecrets.org/news/20...funded-travel-than-democrats-since-2023/


House Republicans outspent their Democratic counterparts in taxpayer-funded travel expenditures by nearly $8 million since the start of 2023, a new OpenSecrets analysis found.

Eight out of the top ten biggest spenders between the start of 2023 to March 2024 were Republican members of Congress. They accounted for 7% of total taxpayer-funded travel spending by GOP members of Congress and with each of the top spenders spending two to five times more than the average House office.

The total travel spending reported by House Republicans’ offices exceeded $23 million from January 2023 to March 2024 — nearly $8 million more than House Democrats spent on travel during the same period. Despite having only a seven-member majority, House Republicans have significantly outspent Democrats. Congressional offices of House Republicans spent around $102,000 on average for travel during that period, while the average spent by House Democrats sat around $70,000, according to the House Statement of Disbursements.

Well they werent traveling back home for town hall meetings thats for sure

Wall Street Journal defends Powell from Trump attacks

The Wall Street Journal editorial board has Jerome Powell’s back following President Trump’s blistering social media criticism of the Federal Reserve chair this week after he offered negative economic predictions over Trump’s tariffs.

“The problem for Mr. Trump is that Mr. Powell spoke the truth,” the conservative-leaning board wrote in an editorial published Friday. “The main lesson from Trump vs. Powell is that the central bank can’t make up for the economic policy errors of politicians.”

Trump bashed Powell, whom he appointed to the position during his first term in 2018, in a Truth Social post early Thursday morning, writing “Powell’s termination cannot come fast enough!”

“If I want him out, he’ll be out of there real fast, believe me,” Trump told reporters later that day. “I’m not happy with him. I let him know it.”

Powell drew Trump’s ire after he offered a grim assessment Wednesday of the economic outlook in light of Trump’s massive tariff overhaul announced April 3. The remarks prompted a steep drop in securities markets.

“The level of the tariff increases announced so far is significantly larger than anticipated,” Powell told the Economic Club of Chicago. “The same is likely to be true of the economic effects, which will include higher inflation and slower growth.”

Ahead of Powell’s speech, Trump pushed for the Federal Reserve to quickly lower interest rates, but Powell said the independent body needs “greater clarity” on the impact of Trump’s policies before it acts.

The Wall Street Journal board agreed with Powell’s assessment but wasn’t surprised Trump lashed out against him.

“President Trump’s tariff war isn’t going well, with market ructions and evidence of a slowing economy. So it was probably inevitable that Mr. Trump would demand that the Federal Reserve ride to his rescue by cutting interest rates,” the board wrote. “The hard decision for the Fed is whether to look past that one-time increase and assume it won’t become part of consumer inflation expectations.”

Trump accused Powell of being “too late and wrong” in the Fed’s interest rate decisions.

The editorial board acknowledged that the central bank, under Powell’s leadership, has been wrong in the past — notably fostering “a gusher of federal pandemic spending” that led to sky-high inflation, but cosigned Powell’s cautious approach this time.

“The Fed has been trying to claw back from that mistake, with some success,” the board wrote in its editorial. “But the Fed hasn’t reached its target inflation rate of 2%, so Mr. Powell is right to be wary of trying to offset the impact of tariffs by easing money too much or too soon.”

https://thehill.com/homenews/5255821-wall-street-journal-powell-trump-tariffs-interest-rates/

This is the trump M.O. If someone doesn't do what he tells them to or he wants them to he throws a tantrum and attacks them. Same as it ever was.

Real talk, that’s part of the reason I left the party. They constantly have been running on a campaign of reduction in spending and lower taxes, which is a conservative ideal, but the end result has been sharp increases in spending with lower taxes that benefit the wealthy more than others.

If you’re conservative, then freaking act conservative. Republicans have not acted that way in a long time.

Some of my same pet peeves with the Party. They no longer pledge to support the constitution. They pledge to support one criminal

US FDA suspends food safety quality checks after staff cuts

Cuts of as many as 20,000 HHS staff upend public health research
FDA's program to improve bird flu testing in food also suspended
Suspension affects tests for Cyclospora in spinach, glyphosate in barley
Trump aims to cut $40 billion from HHS budget

WASHINGTON, April 17 (Reuters) - The Food and Drug Administration is suspending a quality control program for its food testing laboratories as a result of staff cuts at the Department of Health and Human Services, according to an internal email seen by Reuters.

The proficiency testing program of the FDA's Food Emergency Response Network is designed to ensure consistency and accuracy across the agency's network of about 170 labs that test food for pathogens and contaminants to prevent food-borne illness.

The firing and departure of as many as 20,000 HHS employees have upended public health research and disrupted the agency's work on areas like bird flu and drug reviews. President Donald Trump hopes to slash as much as $40 billion from HHS.

"Unfortunately, significant reductions in force, including a key quality assurance officer, an analytical chemist, and two microbiologists at FDA's Human Food Program Moffett Center have an immediate and significant impact on the Food Emergency Response Network (FERN) Proficiency Testing (PT) Program," says the email sent on Tuesday from FERN's National Program Office and seen by Reuters.

The program will be suspended at least through September 30 and means the agency will be unable to do planned quality control work around lab testing for the parasite Cyclospora in spinach or the pesticide glyphosate in barley, among other tests, the email says.

"These PTs and Exercises are critical to demonstrating the competency and readiness of our laboratory network to detect and respond to food safety and food defense events," the email says.
HHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Food safety laboratories rely on these types of tests to meet standards for accreditation, said a source familiar with the situation, who was not aware of other ready alternatives to the FDA to provide such testing.

The FDA in early April suspended an effort to improve its testing for bird flu in milk, cheese and pet food, as a result of staff cuts.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us...lity-checks-after-staff-cuts-2025-04-17/