WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump is signing a memorandum that freezes hiring for some federal government workers as a way to reduce payrolls and rein in the size of the federal workforce.
Trump's directive is fulfilling one of his campaign promises. He tells reporters that members of the military will be exempted from the hiring freeze.
The new president has vowed to take on the federal bureaucracy, and the action could be the first step in an attempt to curtail government employment.
The memorandum signed by Trump's is similar to one that President George W. Bush signed at the start of his administration in 2001.
The Taliban has called on President Donald Trump to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan, saying it is a "quagmire" that has produced little but 15 years of destruction and death.
Trump has never stated what his policy is on Afghanistan, though he has said he supports U.S. troops stationed there and he appointed two former generals with extensive experience in Afghanistan to top security positions.
In an open letter to the new U.S. president published on a Taliban web page verified by the SITE Intelligence Group on January 23, the insurgent movement told Trump the United States has lost credibility after spending billions of dollars on a 15-year entanglement with no end in sight.
"The responsibility to bring to an end this war rests on your shoulders," it said.
The Taliban has repeatedly urged the United States and its allies to leave Afghanistan, ruling out peace talks with the Kabul government as long as foreign forces remain on Afghan soil.
While the United States sent tens of thousands of troops to Afghanistan when it first invaded in 2001 to oust Al-Qaeda, the number of U.S. forces in NATO's coalition this year has dwindled to 8,400.
Since coalition forces ended their main combat mission in 2014, the Taliban has made steady inroads against the Western-backed government in Kabul, with government forces now in control of only two-thirds of the country.
Trump's views on such foreign wars have been ambivalent. He has sharply criticized past U.S. administrations for their handling of conflicts in the Muslim world, but he has also pledged to eradicate militant Islamists around the globe.
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Monday opened the door to cooperating with Russia "or anyone else" to combat the Islamic State group in Syria, suggesting it could reverse a previous refusal to coordinate military action with Moscow as long as it backs the Syrian government.
"I think if there's a way that we can combat ISIS with any country, whether it's Russia or anyone else, and we have a shared national interest in that, sure, we'll take it," White House press secretary Sean Spicer said.
Asked if the openness extended to working with Syrian President Bashar Assad, who has been condemned internationally for killing civilians, Spicer said, "We're not going to get together with people under the guise of defeating ISIS if that's not truly their guise." He added, "So let's not take that too far."
Spicer also suggested that Trump already has told Defense Secretary James Mattis to change the U.S. approach to fighting the Islamic State.
"I think he has ordered it," Spicer said, adding that Trump would discuss the matter with Mattis during a visit to the Pentagon Friday.
"At that time, he will continue to have conversations about what he wants from them and the joint chiefs," he added, referring to the military service chiefs.
During the more than two years that President Barack Obama directed U.S. military action against ISIS in Syria, he resisted Russian overtures to coordinate military action. Obama believed Moscow was acting counter to U.S. interests by propping up Assad, whose government Obama called illegitimate. The Pentagon has maintained a hotline with the Russian military to deal with the narrower issue of avoiding air accidents in Syria.
With Trump in the White House, Moscow seems eager to draw the new administration into closer military cooperation, perhaps reflecting Trump's frequent statements during the presidential campaign that he welcomed opportunities to improve relations with Moscow.
Quote by TriSec:
Alright, got it - it was my usual military news source. (www.military.com). There was another story out there that indicated that such hiring freezes are usually meaningless - the government can get around that by using overtime, contract workers, temps, and part-timers.
Trump’s memorandum states that “no vacant positions existing at noon on January 22, 2017, may be filled and no new positions may be created, except in limited circumstances,†although the freeze does not apply to military personnel.
“The head of any executive department or agency may exempt from the hiring freeze any positions that it deems necessary to meet national security or public safety responsibilities,†it reads, adding the head of the Office of Personnel Management can allow for hiring “where those exemptions are otherwise necessary.â€
Hiring freezes, an end to automatic raises, a green light to fire poor performers, a ban on union business on the government’s dime and less generous pensions — these are the contours of the blueprint emerging under Republican control of Washington in January.
These changes were once unthinkable to federal employees, their unions and their supporters in Congress. But Trump’s election as an outsider promising to shake up a system he told voters is awash in “waste, fraud and abuse†has conservatives optimistic that they could do now what Republicans have been unable to do in the 133 years since the modern civil service was created.
"advisers"
— John Schindler (@20committee) January 24, 2017
half zampolit, half stukach, all Trumphttps://t.co/1mRPn9cYoW
Quote by Raine:"advisers"
— John Schindler (@20committee) January 24, 2017
half zampolit, half stukach, all Trumphttps://t.co/1mRPn9cYoW
Trump is deploying a network of advisers to federal agencies as a direct line to stay on top of Cabinet officials https://t.co/yInK12JkzY pic.twitter.com/tcyQoZq2jk
— POLITICO (@politico) January 24, 2017
Quote by Raine:
10 O'clock and this administration has me exhausted.
Quote by TriSec:
It's interesting being home while I'm waiting for my hours to ramp up at the store.
I can do things like listen to the friggin' BBC and post a comment or two without looking over my shoulder.
Quote by Scoopster:
Mornin' all!Quote by Raine:
10 O'clock and this administration has me exhausted.
No rest for the vigilant!
Yep.. tax credits to his own companies (that he still owns!) for these projects. There's a word for that.
Quote by Raine:Quote by TriSec:
Alright, got it - it was my usual military news source. (www.military.com). There was another story out there that indicated that such hiring freezes are usually meaningless - the government can get around that by using overtime, contract workers, temps, and part-timers.
Thanks for the link.
I read this in WaPo:Trump’s memorandum states that “no vacant positions existing at noon on January 22, 2017, may be filled and no new positions may be created, except in limited circumstances,†although the freeze does not apply to military personnel.
“The head of any executive department or agency may exempt from the hiring freeze any positions that it deems necessary to meet national security or public safety responsibilities,†it reads, adding the head of the Office of Personnel Management can allow for hiring “where those exemptions are otherwise necessary.â€
Then there is this from November: (which is much more bothersome regarding why he freezing things.)Hiring freezes, an end to automatic raises, a green light to fire poor performers, a ban on union business on the government’s dime and less generous pensions — these are the contours of the blueprint emerging under Republican control of Washington in January.
These changes were once unthinkable to federal employees, their unions and their supporters in Congress. But Trump’s election as an outsider promising to shake up a system he told voters is awash in “waste, fraud and abuse†has conservatives optimistic that they could do now what Republicans have been unable to do in the 133 years since the modern civil service was created.
Quote by Scoopster:
Fun times.. our phone system has been hacked & someone made a buncha calls to Albania.
Quote by Mondobubba:
I could watch Richard Spenser getting punched in the head all day.
Quote by Raine:
Speaking of Punches... WTF?!
Quote by Raine:Quote by Mondobubba:
I could watch Richard Spenser getting punched in the head all day.
(I do not condone violence)
Quote by Raine:Quote by Mondobubba:
I could watch Richard Spenser getting punched in the head all day.
(I do not condone violence)
This passed the House. It'll require a senate filibuster. Look at what is excluded. pic.twitter.com/U9steKtweY
— Pookleblinky (@pookleblinky) January 24, 2017
Quote by Scoopster:This passed the House. It'll require a senate filibuster. Look at what is excluded. pic.twitter.com/U9steKtweY
— Pookleblinky (@pookleblinky) January 24, 2017
Quote by wickedpam:
I thought this was the MN legislature?
Quote by Scoopster:Quote by wickedpam:
I thought this was the MN legislature?
GDI.. when you drill down in the comments if mentions that.
Quote by wickedpam:Quote by Scoopster:Quote by wickedpam:
I thought this was the MN legislature?
GDI.. when you drill down in the comments if mentions that.
Its still pretty messed up though. I mean how do you not cover cancer treatments, diabetes, and pregnancy?!