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Trump / Musk (other than DOGE)
- Thread starter nycfan
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Mass firings have begun at federal agencies
Mass firings have begun at federal agencies, with terminations of probationary employees underway at the Department of Education and the Small Business Administration, federal employees and union sources told CNN Wednesday.
The mass firings mark the first from the Trump administration as President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency aim to dramatically shrink the federal workforce. Until now, federal employees across all government agencies had only been placed on paid administrative leave.
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Trump and Musk Hunt for Corruption, Very Selectively
Spending that the White House does not like is being labeled fraudulent. At the same time, President Trump is rolling back anticorruption efforts and ethical standards for himself and allies like Elon Musk.GIFT LINK —> Trump and Musk Hunt for Corruption, Very Selectively
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“… In a little over three weeks in office, Mr. Trump’s Justice Department has dropped a case against former Representative Jeffrey Fortenberry of Nebraska, who was charged with lying to the F.B.I. in an investigation of illegal campaign donations, and federal prosecutors withdrew from a campaign finance investigation of Representative Andy Ogles, Republican of Tennessee, leaving the future of the case uncertain.
Just this week, the department also moved to drop bribery charges against Mayor Eric Adams of New York, who has cozied up to Mr. Trump since the election.
Mr. Trump pardoned former Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich of Illinois, who was convicted of a scheme to sell an appointment to the U.S. Senate.
The president has nominated Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law Jared Kushner, to be ambassador to France despite a conviction for tax evasion and witness retaliation. (Mr. Trump commuted Mr. Blagojevich’s sentence and pardoned Mr. Kushner in his first term.)
The re-elected president also fired as many as 17 inspectors general from around the government, purging the very officials whose mission is to uncover the kind of waste and abuse that Mr. Trump says he is out to eradicate. In so doing, he defied the provisions of law governing the dismissal of such inspectors, prompting a lawsuit Wednesday by some of those who were fired.…”
Just this week, the department also moved to drop bribery charges against Mayor Eric Adams of New York, who has cozied up to Mr. Trump since the election.
Mr. Trump pardoned former Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich of Illinois, who was convicted of a scheme to sell an appointment to the U.S. Senate.
The president has nominated Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law Jared Kushner, to be ambassador to France despite a conviction for tax evasion and witness retaliation. (Mr. Trump commuted Mr. Blagojevich’s sentence and pardoned Mr. Kushner in his first term.)
The re-elected president also fired as many as 17 inspectors general from around the government, purging the very officials whose mission is to uncover the kind of waste and abuse that Mr. Trump says he is out to eradicate. In so doing, he defied the provisions of law governing the dismissal of such inspectors, prompting a lawsuit Wednesday by some of those who were fired.…”
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So now as long as you're going after a "criminal" you can kill them without worry of prosecution.Two MPD Officers Sentenced for 2020 Murder of Karon Hylton-Brown and Subsequent Coverup
“Terence D. Sutton Jr., 40, a Fourth District police officer, was sentenced today to 66 months in prison and Andrew Zabavsky, 56, an MPD lieutenant, was sentenced to 48 months in prison, in connection with an unauthorized police pursuit that ended in a collision on Oct. 23, 2020, that caused the death of Karon Hylton-Brown, 20, in Northwest Washington D.C. The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist of the Washington Field Office.
Sutton was found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt by a unanimous federal jury on December 21, 2022, following a nine-week trial, of second-degree murder, conspiracy to obstruct, and obstruction of justice. The same jury found Zabavsky guilty of conspiracy to obstruct and obstruction of justice. In addition to the prison terms, U.S. District Court Judge Paul L. Friedman ordered each defendant to serve three years of supervised release. …”
Trump pardons two D.C. officers convicted in fatal chase and cover-up
David Shurtz, an attorney representing the estate of Karon Hylton-Brown, 20, said the president’s decision was “outrageous” and “ill-advised.”
Trump pardons two D.C. officers convicted in fatal chase and cover-up
David Shurtz, an attorney representing the estate of Karon Hylton-Brown, 20, said the president’s decision was “outrageous” and “ill-advised.”www.nbcnews.com
“… ‘They were arrested, put in jail for five years because they went after an illegal,’ Trump said Tuesday.
‘And I guess something happened where something went wrong, and they arrested the two officers and put them in jail for going after a criminal.’ …”
Trump wants every day to be the purge.
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Biden being wrong or overusing pardons doesn't make trump's actions acceptable.
Biden is gone, we are living with the current administration and how they are fucking up the country.
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- 1,384
That situation illustrates two things to me...that Trump is absolutely reprehensible yet again AND that unions have no use for me. None of them. Not a single one. And police unions are the worst of the worst.
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State Dept. Plans $400 Million Purchase of Armored Tesla Cybertrucks
The department plans to buy armored Tesla vehicles. Elon Musk, who is leading efforts to cut government spending, has won more than $13 billion in government contracts in the past five years.
State Dept. Plans $400 Million Purchase of Armored Tesla Cybertrucks
The department plans to buy armored Tesla vehicles. Elon Musk, who is leading efforts to cut government spending, has won more than $13 billion in government contracts in the past five years.
“… The purchase of Cybertrucks, an atypical choice for government armored transport, is likely to raise conflict of interest issues, especially as Mr. Musk trumpets his own efforts to root out what he regards as unnecessary spending.
…
Mr. Musk is already a major government contractor. Companies he owns or controls have secured $13 billion in federal contracts over the past five years. SpaceX, the rocket company he founded, collects most of that money and is one of the biggest government contractors.
The State Department procurement forecast was published in December, after Mr. Trump won the election but before he took office. Plans to purchase Cybertrucks were reported earlier on Wednesday by Drop Site News.
Sales of the Cybertruck have been modest since its introduction in late 2023. Tesla sold 39,000 last year, according to estimates by Cox Automotive. With a starting price of $80,000, the vehicle is too expensive for many buyers. …”
Carolina Fever
Inconceivable Member
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And it is so obvious what is going on. Congress and the courts need to stop this now. Trump and Musk are raping the government and the country.
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It's not like the government is simply offering charity to Musk. His companies make quality products and this benefits the US. I mean, SpaceX is spearheading this country's space program and is needed to rescue to stranded NASA astronauts. Starlink is providing assistance to folks in WNC, Ukraine and in rural areas.
I have no issue with a third party reviewing the Cybertruck contract (or other Musk contracts) to determine if it is worth the money the US is paying.
I have no issue with a third party reviewing the Cybertruck contract (or other Musk contracts) to determine if it is worth the money the US is paying.
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Cybertrucks are horribly unreliable, with dismal off-road performance, so now we’re going to pay Grifter in Chief Musk $400 mil to slapdash on some heavy ass armor? It’s going to get service people hurt or killed, and those things will likely take up acres of garage spaces, to get trotted out for North Korean style parades, only. Oh, and the likelihood is high that contract ends up doubled and the product delayed.
If Musk wants to pursue government contracts and compete with other companies for those contracts fine. But he shouldn't be allowed to be a part of the administration and in charge of making decisions on expenditures while at the same time gulping up government funds.
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LOL, the cybertruck is PLAGUED with issues and this likely will be a lifeline that continues its existence. It would otherwise be extinct in 2 years. It also likely buoys TESLA stock which has been hammered lately as the rest of the world has realized that Tesla vehicles are among the absolute worst EV's.
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Musk team kicks off federal layoffs as White House eyes big cuts
The Trump administration’s plan for shrinking the civilian workforce is coming into increasingly clear view.“Billionaire Elon Musk’s team has initiated sweeping layoffs of federal employees, as the Trump administration races to shrink the government’s civilian workforce.
An official with the Office of Personnel Management, which is now run by Musk allies, emailed staff Wednesday morning stating that widespread layoffs — known as “reductions in force” — have begun and are already overwhelming the small agency that functions as a human resources department for the government, according to a copy of the message obtained by The Washington Post. OPM has also begun to assert more control over all federal hiring, according to four employees of the agency and additional internal communications also obtained by The Post.
… Career staff and U.S. DOGE Service aides have clashed over efforts to freeze new hires. A backlog of unfilled positions is building even in critical agencies — such as the Department of Veterans Affairs, where badly needed doctors and nurses have been blocked from final approval to start work even though they are supposed to be exempt from a hiring freeze Trump ordered. …”
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Continued — https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2025/02/12/musk-trump-federal-layoffs/
“… Employees at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, for instance, received an email Tuesday saying they were being terminated while on their probationary period.
But the email, signed by HR representative Adam Martinez, included unfinished placeholders, addressing the memo to “[EmployeeFirstName] [EmployeeLastName]” and noting, “I am removing you from your position of [JobTitle],” according to a copy obtained by The Post.
Similarly, probationary employees at the Small Business Administration received emails Friday and Monday notifying them of their termination — before receiving a second email Monday revoking the dismissal, according to copies obtained by The Post. The Monday email said the notification was “sent in error — and as such, is not currently in effect.”
“If you are in receipt of the initial notice,” the email read, “your employment has not been terminated as was erroneously indicated in the initial notice.”
On Tuesday, the employees received a third email: Once again, they were let go. …”
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Contd
“… At DOGE’s bidding, developers at OPM last week installed a road bump in an online hiring system that requires each new hire to be personally approved by a political appointee in the office of the agency’s acting director, Charles Ezell, who works from a regional office in Macon, Georgia, three OPM employees said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss private talks. Because of the change, the USAStaffing module for new hires across the government has been locked down for at least a week, multiple OPM employees said. …”
“… At DOGE’s bidding, developers at OPM last week installed a road bump in an online hiring system that requires each new hire to be personally approved by a political appointee in the office of the agency’s acting director, Charles Ezell, who works from a regional office in Macon, Georgia, three OPM employees said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss private talks. Because of the change, the USAStaffing module for new hires across the government has been locked down for at least a week, multiple OPM employees said. …”
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There is so little thought to these layoffs it’s breathtaking — they are firing all probationary period workers first because they have fewer protections, but doing so en masse with little to no view as to whether those workers fill a difficult to replace skill set or a specific area of need or are replacements for folks about to or that have retired.
“… Musk’s team has begun cutting staff by dismissing workers in their probationary periods, which, depending on the agency, can last one or two years. These workers typically have little protection from being fired without cause, and they amount to about 7 percent of the government’s civilian workforce of more than 2 million.
About 10 percent of the FBI’s workforce is in its probationary period, for instance, as is 6.5 percent of the Internal Revenue Service.
Some agencies have submitted to OPM lists of probationary employees that exceed 45 percent of their entire workforces, said one person familiar with the issue, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss matters not yet made public. …”
And it isn’t really about cost savings, it is about control:
“… Even cutting 1 in every 4 government workers would only reduce federal spending by about 1 percent. But if it makes it easier for the Trump administration to implement other changes without resistance, the layoffs could provide the basis for much bigger unilateral spending cuts, said Jessica Riedl, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a right-leaning think tank. …”
“… Musk’s team has begun cutting staff by dismissing workers in their probationary periods, which, depending on the agency, can last one or two years. These workers typically have little protection from being fired without cause, and they amount to about 7 percent of the government’s civilian workforce of more than 2 million.
About 10 percent of the FBI’s workforce is in its probationary period, for instance, as is 6.5 percent of the Internal Revenue Service.
Some agencies have submitted to OPM lists of probationary employees that exceed 45 percent of their entire workforces, said one person familiar with the issue, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss matters not yet made public. …”
And it isn’t really about cost savings, it is about control:
“… Even cutting 1 in every 4 government workers would only reduce federal spending by about 1 percent. But if it makes it easier for the Trump administration to implement other changes without resistance, the layoffs could provide the basis for much bigger unilateral spending cuts, said Jessica Riedl, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a right-leaning think tank. …”
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“… Probationary workers at the Technology Transformation Services arm of the General Services Administration were also laid off Wednesday afternoon, according to multiple people familiar with the matter, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel.
The unit is a software-focused arm of the GSA headed by a Tesla alumnus, Thomas Shedd, who has described it as one of “two pillars of technical talent.”
Many workers had been reinterviewed about keeping their jobs in recent days. Workers were told they had a final chance to accept the deferred resignation offer, according to one person familiar with the discussion. Those who didn’t accept would lose their positions. …”
The unit is a software-focused arm of the GSA headed by a Tesla alumnus, Thomas Shedd, who has described it as one of “two pillars of technical talent.”
Many workers had been reinterviewed about keeping their jobs in recent days. Workers were told they had a final chance to accept the deferred resignation offer, according to one person familiar with the discussion. Those who didn’t accept would lose their positions. …”