DOGE Catch-All

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Mulberry Heel said:
This is all part of the plan, and is a feature and not a bug of what they're doing. Make SS as inefficient as possible to increase public complaints and dissatisfaction, and then use those complaints as an excuse to cut or privatize it. Unfortunately Republicans have gotten really good at this sort of thing - deliberately arranging it so that government programs can't and won't function very well, then use the inevitable public complaints as an excuse to cut said program or agency even more, or just abolish or privatize it entirely.
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You should see what they are doing to vaccines/immunization.
 
www.wired.com

Trump Admin Plans to Cut Team Responsible for Critical Atomic Measurement Data

The team at the National Institute of Standards and Technology publishes measurement data crucial for advanced research in areas like astrophysics, nuclear fusion, and semiconductors.
www.wired.com www.wired.com
The US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is discussing plans to eliminate an entire team responsible for publishing and maintaining critical atomic measurement data in the coming weeks, as the Trump administration continues its efforts to reduce the US federal workforce, according to a March 18 email sent to dozens of outside scientists. The data in question underpins advanced scientific research around the world in areas like semiconductor manufacturing and nuclear fusion.

“We were recently informed that unless there is a major change in the Federal Government reorganization plans, the whole Atomic Spectroscopy Group will be laid off in a few weeks, in particular, since our work is not considered to be statutorily essential for the NIST mission,” Yuri Ralchenko, the group's leader, wrote in the email, which was seen by WIRED.

...

The Atomic Spectroscopy Group studies how atoms absorb or emit light, allowing researchers to identify the elements present in a given sample. It then collects and updates those calculations in the Atomic Spectra Database, a catalog of industry-leading spectroscopy information and measurements that plays a crucial role in fields like astronomy, astrophysics, and medicine. In a blog post published last week highlighting the importance of the database, NIST said it receives an average of 70,000 search requests worldwide each month.


It is “really difficult to overestimate” the importance of this data, says Evgeny Stambulchik, a senior staff research scientist at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel who started a petition to gather signatures from other researchers and members of the public who oppose the cuts to the atomic spectroscopy team. The petition currently has over 1,700 signatures.


Stambulchik, whose speciality is plasma spectroscopy, says that atomic spectroscopy is essentially the only tool that can be used to interpret remote objects in space, like those observed by the powerful James Webb telescope. It’s also basically the only tool for investigating “matter at temperatures reaching tens of million degrees,” he adds, such as inside a nuclear fusion reactor.
 
nycfan said:
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I didn't realize it was just one email address. That's hilarious. I thought it went to like the management of the department or something. I wonder if there was one guy that was tasked with going through 2 million five bullet point emails per week with no particular expertise in any federal agency.
 
PTOHeel said:
I still have to send the 5 bullet points each week. We've been told if we don't send it, we'll face disciplinary action for misconduct. But the 5 bullet points stuff is waaaay down my list of concerns right now.
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‪Just Jack 👊🇺🇸🔥‬ ‪@jack-e-smith.bsky.social‬
·
3h
“The 5 things Pete Hegseth did last week”
- Shared classified attack plans on an unsecured commercial chat application.
- Denied doing it.
- Denied the plans were classified.
- Denied the plans were plans.
- Attacked the journalist who proved he was lying.
 
PTOHeel said:
I still have to send the 5 bullet points each week. We've been told if we don't send it, we'll face disciplinary action for misconduct. But the 5 bullet points stuff is waaaay down my list of concerns right now.
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But if nobody is reading it, why not spend two minutes on a bullet point and call it a job well done?

And are your emails bouncing?
 
Mulberry Heel said:
... deliberately arranging it so that government programs can't and won't function very well, then use the inevitable public complaints as an excuse to cut said program or agency even more, or just abolish or privatize it entirely.
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And then hand the contracts to companies who are run by Trump's buddies/donors. Just like his dad did in Russia 20 years ago.
 
superrific said:
But if nobody is reading it, why not spend two minutes on a bullet point and call it a job well done?

And are your emails bouncing?
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I've put together 5 bullets that I can send every week. So I just send the same thing over and over. It has to go to your first line supervisor and that's who determines if you are complying or not.

No bounce backs for me so far.
 
gtyellowjacket said:
I didn't realize it was just one email address. That's hilarious. I thought it went to like the management of the department or something. I wonder if there was one guy that was tasked with going through 2 million five bullet point emails per week with no particular expertise in any federal agency.
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Probably
 
gtyellowjacket said:
I didn't realize it was just one email address. That's hilarious. I thought it went to like the management of the department or something. I wonder if there was one guy that was tasked with going through 2 million five bullet point emails per week with no particular expertise in any federal agency.
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It’s not just one email address. It purports to all come from hr@opm.gov, but when you reply it adds a number to the hr so for example hr7@opm.gov. This was done for this exact reason, the problem is they didn’t create enough boxes and nobody is clearing them out. It was not setup in a way that actually makes this work as a weekly tasker. Nobody is actually reading them either, it’s just part of Elon’s psychological warfare against federal employees. Some agencies have provided their employees a list of pre-approved bullets to pick from and people just send those. The same 5, every week.
 
UNCBAdookJD said:
It’s not just one email address. It purports to all come from hr@opm.gov, but when you reply it adds a number to the hr so for example hr7@opm.gov. This was done for this exact reason, the problem is they didn’t create enough boxes and nobody is clearing them out. It was not setup in a way that actually makes this work as a weekly tasker. Nobody is actually reading them either, it’s just part of Elon’s psychological warfare against federal employees. Some agencies have provided their employees a list of pre-approved bullets to pick from and people just send those. The same 5, every week.
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Efficiency! What a joke.
 
gtyellowjacket said:
I didn't realize it was just one email address. That's hilarious. I thought it went to like the management of the department or something. I wonder if there was one guy that was tasked with going through 2 million five bullet point emails per week with no particular expertise in any federal agency.
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You actually thought this was well-organized?
 
Not 100% Doge but a depressing read from Heather Cox Richardson 😐

heathercoxrichardson.substack.com

March 27, 2025

Today, Wired reported that it had found four more Venmo accounts associated with the Trump administration officials who participated in the now-infamous Signal chat about a planned military attack on the Houthis in Yemen.
heathercoxrichardson.substack.com heathercoxrichardson.substack.com
 

Most employees at US Institute of Peace mass-fired over late-night email​

Congressionally created and funded thinktank taken over by ‘Doge’ seeks to prevent and resolve global conflicts

www.theguardian.com

Most employees at US Institute of Peace mass-fired over late-night email

Congressionally created and funded thinktank taken over by ‘Doge’ seeks to prevent and resolve global conflicts
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com

“… The emails, sent to personal accounts because most staff members had lost access to the organization’s system, began going out about 9pm, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of fear of reprisal.

One former senior official at the institute said that among those spared were several in the human resources department and a handful of overseas staffers who had until 9 April to return to the United States. The organization employs about 300 people.

Others retained for now are regional vice-presidents who will be working with the staff in their areas to return to the US, according to one employee who was affected. …”
 
nycfan said:

Most employees at US Institute of Peace mass-fired over late-night email​

Congressionally created and funded thinktank taken over by ‘Doge’ seeks to prevent and resolve global conflicts

www.theguardian.com

Most employees at US Institute of Peace mass-fired over late-night email

Congressionally created and funded thinktank taken over by ‘Doge’ seeks to prevent and resolve global conflicts
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com

“… The emails, sent to personal accounts because most staff members had lost access to the organization’s system, began going out about 9pm, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of fear of reprisal.

One former senior official at the institute said that among those spared were several in the human resources department and a handful of overseas staffers who had until 9 April to return to the United States. The organization employs about 300 people.

Others retained for now are regional vice-presidents who will be working with the staff in their areas to return to the US, according to one employee who was affected. …”
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“…A White House spokesperson, Anna Kelly, said in an email Saturday that the institute “has failed to deliver peace” and that Trump “is carrying out his mandate to eliminate bloat and save taxpayer dollars”.

The letter to employees said that as of Friday, “your employment with us will conclude”, according to one longtime employee who shared part of the communication. A second email, obtained by the AP, said the terminations were at the direction of the president. …”
 
nycfan said:
“…A White House spokesperson, Anna Kelly, said in an email Saturday that the institute “has failed to deliver peace” and that Trump “is carrying out his mandate to eliminate bloat and save taxpayer dollars”.

The letter to employees said that as of Friday, “your employment with us will conclude”, according to one longtime employee who shared part of the communication. A second email, obtained by the AP, said the terminations were at the direction of the president. …”
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They failed to deliver peace? 🤦‍♂️
 
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