Key figures accused of harassment, bullying and attacks as US employees work without pay to keep services running
As the US federal shutdown enters its second month, government workers are accusing the Trump administration of being “out of control” and bullying people who are “simply trying to do their best”.
The shutdown surpassed 35 days this week, beating the previous record set under Donald Trump’s first presidential term. About 700,000 federal employees are furloughed without pay, and about 700,000 additional federal workers have been working without pay through the shutdown.
Affected workers say the shutdown has been a continuation of attacks they have experienced under the Trump administration, from mass firings – many of which have been overturned or blocked in federal courts – to drastic budget cuts, pushes to take early retirements or resignation buyouts, and threats of withholding back pay for workers furloughed during the shutdown.
I wish the average voting populace was smart enough to understand that the Republicans were literally using starving children as leverage to cut their healthcare.
Based on the elections this week and a bunch of polls over the last thirty days, I’m pretty sure they are actually
You know what that’s fair, the past few years have made me pretty cynical but at least there’s hope
I am 100% with you on the cynicism, but that also let’s them do what they want. As hard as it is, we have to keep vigilantly fighting for our rights.
let’s them
‘let us them’ seems weird here.
But still, it’s like 40% actively voting for the GOP even in this scenario. It’s crazy that GOP basically has an absolute lock on 40% of the population no matter what they do.
I figured that was Independents. I assume anyone else is entrenched in media echo chambers preventing open mindedness. I don’t get the maga folks who quit- how are they coming across information that would persuade them?
I heard this report where they went to a charity food pantry in deeply Trump territory to get their perspective on the whole benefits being stopped.
This woman talked about how it was a good thing for SNAP and everything like it to go away, people need to take care of themselves. Immediately recognizing that it was an odd thing for her to say, since she was there to get food from the charity, she clarifies “I take care of myself and don’t need a handout, I’m just here because I might like some of the food for myself”.
This woman didn’t want people thinking of her as in need and thought it sounded better if she was taking food away from the poorer people…
This is how Trump still carries like 40% of the population approving of him.
The same Republicans that separated families and put kids in cages during the last Trump administration, so that they had a bargaining chip to force immigration reform? Color me shocked.
Well, not that shocked…
No, it’s completely under Republican control so that nobody moves a muscle to release the Trumpstein Files among other things.
I’m still surprised there hasn’t been a federal worker strike.
That’s what Trump wants.
They wouldn’t be able to implement any of their bullshit without federal workers.
What they want to do is gut the federal workforce so they can privatize it for their billionaire buddies.
I guarantee you if there was a federal worker strike, Trump would try to fire all of them. Or try to use it as justification for the insurrection act.
What they want to do is gut the federal workforce so they can privatize it for their billionaire buddies.
3 million people work for the federal government, excluding military. You can’t just magically snap your fingers and privatize something with unskilled cronies. I don’t really think you grasp the breadth and depth of what the federal government does.
I guarantee you if there was a federal worker strike, Trump would try to fire all of them. Or try to use it as justification for the insurrection act.
So you think that means people should just suck it up and continue to work in a toxic environment for no pay?
See logically you are right. But your also forgetting the reality that stupider shit has been tried.
They will try and it will make things worse.
I don’t really think you grasp the breadth and depth of what the federal government does.
Neither does the Trump administration 😏
Isn’t being “out of control” kind of the point? Right now we have an executive branch with Essential Functions like military, domestic enforcement, ATC, etc. still intact. We have no functioning legislative branch and President rules by executive order unconstrained by the judicial branch. How is this not exactly what a would-be King would want?
Air Traffic Control has not been left intact. They aren’t getting paid, just like TSA.
did you see the latest. Just saw it myself.
Trump is planning on saving money by shutting down operations at the nation’s busiest airports.
My understanding is that it isn’t to save money but a reflection that staffing is limited because they aren’t paying ATC.
Six of one…
The point is that Thanksgiving is coming up, and a lot of people are already making early travel plans.
No, you’re saying very different things
We are not saving money by not paying controllers right now, for many reasons:
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ATC gets paid after the shutdown anyway (including even more overtime than normal, which costs more)
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Many controllers are going to be paid, even without working sectors. Either through sick leave, or performing other duties when reporting unfit to work traffic
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The vast majority of costs are simply running the airports, which we still have to do even when throughput is reduced
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Processing the complex payments after government resumes is going to cost more money due to the increased complexity of the process
Six of one … means you’re not seeing the forest for the trees.
The reason is unimportant, it’s the shutdown that matters.
You’re technically right, but the main thing is the shut down.
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Oh, you were noticing this just now?
Affected workers say the shutdown has been a continuation of attacks they have experienced under the Trump administration, from mass firings – many of which have been overturned or blocked in federal courts – to drastic budget cuts, pushes to take early retirements or resignation buyouts, and threats of withholding back pay for workers furloughed during the shutdown.
I mean…no?
