The Questionable Gardner
@T_Q_Gardner • 20,383 subscribers
Team DOGE community mod - ask questions, follow the money - everyone can make a difference.
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The final employees departed USAID this week. Despite that, more than $3 billion in grants are still being paid. The Dept of State is running help wanted ads with a pre-qualification for former USAID workers only. This brings into question if the agencies functions are ending or being moved elsewhere in the department. Additionally the NGOs who were grifting funds through money transfers are also still in business. Should DOGE Subcommittee investigate the middle companies that handled funds? Video credit Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 Grant info courtesy of tools from DataRepublican (small r) and job add posting courtesy of Alladdin
The Questionable Gardner78,730 Aufrufe • vor 11 Monaten
The second largest federal worker resignation in history to take place today, with as many as 154,000 federal workers formally ending their jobs as part of President Trump’s Deferred Resignation Program introduced back in January. In total, the Trump program projects 275,000 positions eliminated by the end of the year. In 1994, then President Bill Clinton signed the Federal Workforce Restructuring Act, which eliminated 377,000 jobs over three years, with each worker receiving $25,000. At the time, it was 12% of the federal workforce. As part of President Trump’s plan, more than 147,000 accepted an offer for 8-month’s paid leave with today’s resignation date. Another 6,100 opted for the plan’s early retirement option. This accounts for roughly 6.7% of the federal workforce. “Over the past several months, many federal employees have opted into and been approved for the Deferred Resignation Program (DRP), also known as the “fork in the road.” As reported by Fed Support. The Department of War saw 61,000 signup for the program. Another 16,000 came from the USDA and 4,000 from US Forestry. The program allowed federal employees to transfer workload and go on administrative leave before resignation. For many employees, their last day of federal service is Sept 30. Some will have longer. Employees continued to accrue annual and sick leave while taking administrative leave, but will not get paid for unused sick time. The total cost of program is reported to be $14.8 billion with 200,000 workers paid their full salary and benefits while on leave, according to The Guardian and and a US Office of Personnel Management memorandum. The White House issued a statement, noting employees would have received pay whether working or taking the voluntary layoff, saying it came no additional cost to taxpayers. The spokesperson added that it is the “most effective workforce reduction plan in history and will save the government $28 billion annually.” 1,500 people ended their employment under the program in May. Another 3,800 left in June. Today’s resignations come ahead of proposed recess firings by OMB, if a continuing resolution is not passed by Congress Tuesday.
The Questionable Gardner49,101 Aufrufe • vor 8 Monaten
11 years and $2.2 billion later, the Ivanpah solar mirror array in the Mojave Desert is on the most waste projects in American history. The 5-square mile site barely exceeded 50% capacity and is now set to close; having not fully repaid the loans. Will Department of Government Efficiency and Department of Government Efficiency_DOE recoup the $1.6 billion loan from tax payers? The project, which averaged just 336bw of the proposed 640gw, was hyped as one President Barack Obama’s new green energy successes - “new era of power generation.” The administration’s energy secretary Ernest Montz heralded the project: “The Ivanpah project is a shining example of how America is becoming a world leader in solar energy. This project shows that building a clean-energy economy creates jobs, curbs greenhouse gas emissions and fosters American innovation.” In reality - the massive heat produced by the focused mirrors has instantly killed thousands birds. The intense, concentrated sunlight reaches temperatures of over 1,000°F hot enough to melt feathers in flight. The heat created is also responsible for killing other desert wildlife as well destruction of the land. It has been deemed one of the largest failed experiment in green energy history. “The Ivanpah plant was a financial boondoggle and environmental disaster.” — Julia Dowell, Sierra Club Google invested $168 million in the project and co-owned it with NRG Energy Inc. and BrightSource Energy.
The Questionable Gardner34,939 Aufrufe • vor 1 Jahr
Funny cameo appearance by Elon at today’s Super Heavy Rocket launch by Space X.
The Questionable Gardner18,052 Aufrufe • vor 8 Monaten
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