Shutdowns, military pullouts, and resignations: it’s Christmas and Trump thread 89

[TheClaws]

It’s chaos in Trump’s world, more so than usual, with #TrumpResign trending in Twitter after a number of key debacles: the pull-out of US troops from Syria, the resignation of General Jim Mattis, and the shutdown of the government over Christmas due to bipartisan disagreement over wall funding. (Those are just 3 issues.) The next few weeks will be rocky.

Previous thread: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/3442038-But-When-the-president-does-it-that-means-it-is-not-illegal-Trump-thread-LXXXVIII

Possibly not legally the same as a second job, but the Office of Personnel Management suggested Federal employees offer their landlords carpentry and painting services in partial payment of rent...

OPM Says It ‘Inadvertently’ Posted Sample Letters Suggesting Feds Barter with Landlords
www.fedsmith.com/2018/12/30/opm-says-inadvertently-posted-sample-letters-suggesting-feds-barter-landlords/

This may already have been said, but Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) has now re-introduced a bill that Fed employees should get back pay in the shutdown.

Legislation Reintroduced to Provide Back Pay for Shutdown
www.fedsmith.com/2019/01/03/legislation-reintroduced-provide-back-pay-shutdown/

Beyer said in a letter to the editor published in the New York Times, “There is near certainty that all federal workers will receive their back pay, as they have in every other recent government shutdown.”

Hi, greenelephantscarf. Yes, I'm a retired Fed.

how does the shut down work for the government employees?

Some sit at home on furlough, others are deemed 'essential' (that was me) and are required to work with no pay and no promise of being paid when it's all over. We 'essentials' always got back-paid, but what was so frustrating was that so did those who weren't required to work!

if they don't get paid, are they allowed to get second jobs?

Yes, subject to the usual rules. The job can not be a conflict of interest with your current job, for instance, a Dept of Defense employee couldn't accept a job from a DoD Contractor. For an 'essential' it can't conflict with your regular hours, nor render you incapable of working (ie take a job that kept you up all night so you aren't fit for duty).

can they get insured against loss of income in such a situation?

Most US States have some type of unemployment insurance. Furlough is the same as being laid off so a furloughed Fed would qualify depending on the State's rules. They do in California (where I live). Problem is that the payment rates are really low compared to salary, about 60% of your weekly wage. And it must be paid back if you get back pay.

thanks for the explanation

www.nytimes.com/2019/01/05/opinion/sunday/trump-impeachment.html

'He is demonstrably unfit for office. What are we waiting for?'

greenelephant I have read that some of them can apply for aid against their insurance. How long for, though? Shutdowns aren’t usually envisioned to extend longer than a few weeks.

I can only imagine the outcry if government shut down in Portugal or civil servant salaries got delayed. I imagine the same in most other countries.
Why is it considerable acceptable in the US? Because salaries have been paid back so far?

Breaking news The Pentagon Chief of Staff has handed in his notice

Rear Admiral Kevin Sweeney, who's been in his job for about a year, reckons it's time to go back to the private sector......

Sorry, Sweeney's been in post since January 2017, so he's two years into his job

Can't count. 😖

www.axios.com/what-democrats-did-the-first-few-days-of-the-new-congress-3c9516ef-76fa-41dd-8f72-5522b6dd2c93.html?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=organic

The reason for a shutdown. The longer it lasts, the longer his emoluments court case is delayed

www.politico.com/story/2018/12/26/trump-lawyers-shutdown-delay-emoluments-case-1075676?fbclid=

Another link about Kevin Sweeney.

Pentagon chief of staff Kevin Sweeney resigns
www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-46773138

(Any other The Good Wife fans being distracted from the undoubtedly serious situation by this chap's name? No? I'll get my coat...)

I hadn't made the connection Perking but now that you mention it 😉

Nancy v Donald written for a UK audience.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jan/06/this-is-nancy-pelosi-moment-donald-trump-should-be-very-afraid

Sally Q.

Sally Yates
‏
Verified account

@SallyQYates
19h19 hours ago

'POTUS’ latest temper tantrum is not about border security. Like a spoiled two year old holding his breath, he is holding our nation hostage—trying to force taxpayers to foot the bill for his vanity project he promised Mexico would fund. Meanwhile, the country suffers.'

From Gump's Guardian link above:

... Pelosi has just, not incidentally, become third in line to the Oval Office; should something occur that occasioned the removal of both the president and the vice president from office before 2020, Nancy Pelosi would by law assume the presidency.

oh yesssss!

My my, there's a little detail I hadn't noticed before.

Thing is, that's not completely implausible.

We've spoken often enough about the possibility of Paul Ryan becoming president, what with Pence's potential knowledge of / involvement in Russian collusion.

That's one of the reasons for waiting until the new year and exit of Ryan before moving on anything.

Trump must be beside himself with panic (if his deluded state allows for even that much to break through the miasma).

www.msnbc.com/morning-joe/watch/joe-trump-s-actions-call-into-question-fitness-for-office-1418784835522?cid=sm_npd_ms_tw_ma

Leaving the WH on the way to Camp David, Pres Trump said he may decide to declare a national emergency "over the next few days," to access funds to build a border wall. Says many furloughed Federal workers "agree 100% with what I'm doing."
twitter.com/markknoller/status/1081923192309116933?s=21

Mulvaney says he’s “heavily involved” in effort for Trump to use emergency powers to build wall. He claims it’s not the same as when he bashed Obama for acting without congressional approval on DACA. “Presidents have authority to defend the country.”
twitter.com/mkraju/status/1081920531673300994?s=21

I'm sure the Kurds do know who their friends aren't though.

Trump aide: Syria withdrawal waiting on ‘conditions’
apnews.com/e03de193e25e4fc19377ce99f947aa45

Bolton says Turkey should not attack Kurds: “We don’t think the Turks ought to undertake military action that’s not fully coordinated with and agreed to by the United States"

...Trump has stated that he would not allow Turkey to kill the Kurds, Bolton said. “That’s what the president said, the ones that fought with us.”

Bolton said the U.S. has asked its Kurdish allies to “stand fast now” and refrain from seeking protection from Russia or Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government. “I think they know who their friends are,” he added, speaking of the Kurds.

Such hypocrisy

shareblue.com/gop-senator-alexander-lamar-demands-democrats-bend-over-backwards-for-trump/

www.inc.com/chris-matyszczyk/delta-united-airlines-pilots-to-president-trump-cut-nonsense.html?fbclid=IwAR3Cs_bHj_YSTugte8sq8jhxUyzChmfME8w6xKyAp_kDLsca5jU-cOLXJnE

It’s the defining feature of his presidency - chaos upon chaos so previous crises remain undealt with

David Axelrod
@davidaxelrod
Is anyone talking about the Mattis letter? About Cohen, Manafort or the probe?
@realDonaldTrump
is getting just what he wants out of this shutdown fight. He is the center of attention in his own, made up drama, for which he is getting high fives from his noisy base. For now.

It’s the defining feature of his presidency - chaos upon chaos so previous crises remain undealt with

It really isn't, Trump is a complete shitshow, but these threads are now becoming boarding green ink conspiracy theory, picking up on the most biased sources and not following them up with the inevitable rebuttals that has proven them to be fake manufactured hysteria.

I know you are basically a #resistance thread, but come on, if there was ever an example of an echo chamber these threads (which i have read avidly for the past few years) would be a perfect example.

Thing is, you do not even have the hand on the pulse that you think you have considering you are highlighting the hit pieces on Bernie in good faith.

American politics is a shit show, but these threads are in no way intelligent or more knowledgeable it's just a thread that has fallen into the bullshit partisan lines of american politics, the fact that quite a few on here are british being smug from the outside makes it even more ironic.