Government Efficiency (1 Viewer)

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    RobF

    RobF

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    I think this topic deserves its own thread, both to discuss generally the topic of government efficiency, and specifically the so-called 'Department of Government Efficiency' and the incoming Trump administration's aims to "dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures and restructure Federal Agencies".

    The announcements have been covered in the The Trump Cabinet and key post thread, but to recap, Trump has announced that Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will work together on a not-actually-an-official-government-Department of Government Efficiency, which is intended to work with the White House and Office of Management & Budget to "drive large scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach to Government never seen before," with the 'Department' to conclude its work "no later than July 4, 2026."

    Musk has previously said that the federal budget could be reduced by "at least $2 trillion", and Ramaswarmy, during his presidential campaign, said he would fire more than 75% of the federal work force and disband agencies including the Department of Education and the FBI.
     
    More sabotage of The United States' ability to provide service to the American People.

    18F was doing exactly the type of work that DOGE claims to want – yet we were eliminated.​

    When former Tesla engineer Thomas Shedd took the position of TTS director and met with TTS including 18F on February 3, 2025, he acknowledged that the group is the “gold standard” of civic technologists and that “you guys have been doing this far longer than I’ve been even aware that your group exists.” He repeatedly emphasized the importance of the work, and the value of the talent that the teams bring to government.

    Despite that skill and knowledge, at midnight ET on March 1, the entirety of 18F received notice that our positions had been eliminated.​

    The letter said that 18F "has been identified as part of this phase of GSA’s Reduction in Force (RIF) as non-critical”.

    "This decision was made with explicit direction from the top levels of leadership within both the Administration and GSA," Shedd said in an email shortly after we were given notice.

    This was a surprise to all 18F staff and our agency partners. Just yesterday we were working on important projects, including improving access to weather data with NOAA, making it easier and faster to get a passport with the Department of State, supporting free tax filing with the IRS, and other critical projects with organizations at the federal and state levels.

    All of that work has now abruptly come to a halt. Since the entire staff was also placed on administrative leave, we have been locked out of our computers, and have no chance to assist in an orderly transition in our work. We don’t even have access to our personal employment data. We’re supposed to return our equipment, but can’t use our email to find out how or where.
    18f.org

    18F: We are dedicated to the American public and we're not done yet

    For over 11 years, 18F has been proudly serving the American people to make government technology work better. We are non-partisan civil servants. 18F has worked on hundreds of projects, all designed to make government technology not just efficient but effective, and to save money for American...
    18f.org 18f.org
     
    How some farmers are being hurt - specifically those who took advantage of government contracts that encouraged them to install alternate energy sources on their farms only to have Trump freeze the funds which are due for work already done.

    “Shaw was one of many rural Kansans who saw the opportunity to go green and save money. He installed solar panels on his feedyard operation to cut down on his electric bill and offset the carbon emissions produced by his operation.

    The program requires the work be done upfront. Farmers pay for the project, like installing renewable energy or planting cover crops with their own money, and the government reimburses them up to 50%.

    “If Trump doesn't want to have a solar energy program in the future, that's his business. But this is a deal that was already done long before he ever came into office,” Shaw said.

    The USDA wouldn’t confirm how many REAP grants are paused in Kansas.”

    The USDA has resumed some already promised funds, but not any that are involved in renewable energy sources. Notice the maximum transparency being practiced by the USDA. 🤬

    www.hppr.org

    Funding freeze leaves Kansas farmers unpaid for work they already completed

    Many Kansas farmers are in limbo and waiting for promised payments under contracts they signed with the federal government. It comes after a federal directive from the Trump administration paused payments at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
    www.hppr.org www.hppr.org
     
    WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Sunday that government spending could be separated from gross domestic product reports in response to questions about whether the spending cuts pushed by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency could possibly cause an economic downturn.

    “You know, that governments historically have messed with GDP,” Lutnick said on Fox News Channel's “Sunday Morning Futures.” “They count government spending as part of GDP. So I’m going to separate those two and make it transparent.”

    Doing so could potentially complicate or distort a fundamental measure of the U.S. economy's health. Government spending is traditionally included in the GDP because changes in taxes, spending, deficits and regulations by the government can impact the path of overall growth. GDP reports already include extensive details on government spending, offering a level of transparency for economists.

    Musk's efforts to downsize federal agencies could result in the layoffs of tens of thousands of federal workers, whose lost income could potentially reduce their spending, affecting businesses and the economy at large.

    The commerce secretary's remarks echoed Musk’s arguments made Friday on X that government spending doesn’t create value for the economy.

    “A more accurate measure of GDP would exclude government spending,” Musk wrote on his social media platform. “Otherwise, you can scale GDP artificially high by spending money on things that don’t make people’s lives better.”

    The argument as articulated so far by Trump administration officials appears to play down the economic benefits created by Social Security payments, infrastructure spending, scientific research and other forms of government spending that can shape an economy's trajectory.

    “If the government buys a tank, that’s GDP,” Lutnick said Sunday. “But paying 1,000 people to think about buying a tank is not GDP. That is wasted inefficiency, wasted money. And cutting that, while it shows in GDP, we’re going to get rid of that.”............

    apnews.com

    The Trump administration may exclude government spending from GDP, obscuring the impact of DOGE cuts

    Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick says he could take government spending out of his agency's reports on gross domestic product.
    apnews.com apnews.com
     
    Optimus Prime said:
    WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Sunday that government spending could be separated from gross domestic product reports in response to questions about whether the spending cuts pushed by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency could possibly cause an economic downturn.

    “You know, that governments historically have messed with GDP,” Lutnick said on Fox News Channel's “Sunday Morning Futures.” “They count government spending as part of GDP. So I’m going to separate those two and make it transparent.”

    Doing so could potentially complicate or distort a fundamental measure of the U.S. economy's health. Government spending is traditionally included in the GDP because changes in taxes, spending, deficits and regulations by the government can impact the path of overall growth. GDP reports already include extensive details on government spending, offering a level of transparency for economists.

    Musk's efforts to downsize federal agencies could result in the layoffs of tens of thousands of federal workers, whose lost income could potentially reduce their spending, affecting businesses and the economy at large.

    The commerce secretary's remarks echoed Musk’s arguments made Friday on X that government spending doesn’t create value for the economy.

    “A more accurate measure of GDP would exclude government spending,” Musk wrote on his social media platform. “Otherwise, you can scale GDP artificially high by spending money on things that don’t make people’s lives better.”

    The argument as articulated so far by Trump administration officials appears to play down the economic benefits created by Social Security payments, infrastructure spending, scientific research and other forms of government spending that can shape an economy's trajectory.

    “If the government buys a tank, that’s GDP,” Lutnick said Sunday. “But paying 1,000 people to think about buying a tank is not GDP. That is wasted inefficiency, wasted money. And cutting that, while it shows in GDP, we’re going to get rid of that.”............

    apnews.com

    The Trump administration may exclude government spending from GDP, obscuring the impact of DOGE cuts

    Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick says he could take government spending out of his agency's reports on gross domestic product.
    apnews.com apnews.com
    Click to expand...
    What a completely idiotic short-sighted opinion.
     
    This is apparently the list of offices they’re going to close between now and 9/30/2025 - just for the Dept. of the Interior.


    1740972817573.png
     
    Optimus Prime said:
    “AIDS funding cuts kill”

    GOP: AIDS infected, mostly minorities in mostly poverty stricken third world countries. What’s the problem?”
    ====================================



    Fired USAid employees and advocates for people with HIV staged a protest in a Capitol office building on Wednesday, warning that Donald Trump’s drive to dismantle the agency tasked with implementing Washington’s foreign aid agenda imperils the fight against the virus.

    Wearing white T-shirts that read “Aids funding cuts kill” and chanting “Congress has blood on its hands, unfreeze aid now”, around three dozen protesters lay down in the rotunda of the Cannon House office building, home to the offices of representatives from both parties. Capitol police said about 20 arrests were made of demonstrators who defied their orders to disperse.

    “What we are demanding of Congress is that they stop behaving like doormats in the face of this attack on humanitarian assistance that truly is highly effective and life-saving,” Asia Russell, executive director of Health Gap, a global advocacy group fighting against HIV, said prior to the protest.

    “It’s very hard to overstate what’s at stake regarding humanitarian assistance.”……..

    www.theguardian.com

    Fired USAid workers and HIV activists hold ‘die-in’ to protest Trump and Musk

    Dozens of demonstrators lie down in government office building to warn against dismantling foreign aid agency
    www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com
    Click to expand...
    Nearly 15,000 people - including more than 1,500 children - are estimated to have died already because of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s savage cuts to USAID,according to an advocacy program tracker.

    The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the global health program funded by USAID that includes HIV treatment, testing and prevention drug distribution, has saved more than 25 million lives since it began in 2003 under former President George W. Bush.

    A tracker compiled by the HIV Modeling Consortium – a network of epidemiologists, modelers, health economists and policymakers – charts the impact of the Trump administration’s freeze on funding for the AIDS’ program.

    As of January 24, an estimated 14,872 adults and 1,582 children will have died as a result of the funding freeze, according to the model.

    “The suspension impacts 222,000 people receiving daily HIV medication, 224,000 HIV tests performed daily, and essential services for vulnerable populations,” the tracker’s website says.

    “The suspension affects 190,000 healthcare workers involved in global HIV response efforts. This page estimates impact in infant and adult deaths caused by this suspension of the PEPFAR Program to date.”…..

    www.independent.co.uk

    Nearly 15,000 will have died already because of Trump cuts to USAID, program claims

    The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief has saved more than 25 million lives since it began in 2003
    www.independent.co.uk www.independent.co.uk
     

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