PLEASE PASS TO THOSE THAT CAN IMPLEMENT
As a swamp denizen for a dozen years (Pentagon GS-14 and fully credentialed USAR colonel working directly for the DOD’s Inspector General), I suggest for Donald Trump’s executive branch:
Implement the obvious need for an immediate hiring freeze for employee positions at the grade of GS-7 and above. This to include all promotions and transfers, perhaps to and from the level of General Schedule Grades of 14 or 15 and all Executive Schedule SL and ST positions. Awareness of the process of backdating is advisable.
Those employees that are deemed overly eristic, but can’t be legally transferred, could be detailed for an unspecified period to a work site within the local daily travel area surrounding the swamp. Generally, that would locations within 50 miles of their normal workplace.
a. Attendance would be mandatory with annual leave time severely curtailed and medical leave closely monitored. The multi-site work locations would allow no external communications during the nine hour workday.
b. The tasking at each location would be identical; a complete detailed design of the most
efficient and productive Federal Executive Branch. These individuals, based on their current and previous assignments and their years of experience and training make them an informed critical mass to complete an outstanding comprehensive and perhaps innovative work product.
I also recommend that the “depth” of executive department senior management be shrunk. Exemplar: the Attorney General has only one direct underling. One or two subordinates permeate senior level staffing. Juxtapose this with the President’s cabinet of 15 department heads plus his Vice President. I suggest the VP and a number of department heads, selected by President Trump, have direct access to POTUS and all others have access filtered by his Chief of Staff.
Finally, a proposal that would have the greatest impact on the current and future fiscal well being of the United States. Knowing that candidate Trump expressed reluctance to “Default on the National Debt”, I endorse that very action. I’m almost certain that he understands the consequences of his doing this better than most. “Default” by the United States has legally occurred four times in the past.
a. In 1933 the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 to uphold the sovereign power of the government to default – if it chose to. Thus reminding all of the classic risk of lending to a sovereign.
b. Any Federal budget without a debt service component would be easier to balance and with selective cuts could even portend a surplus. One overt negative impact would be the interest rate on any future borrowing by – the sovereign.