Is the current administration setting DOE up for failure in the next administration?
WH press secretary cracks joke about Perry's qualifications
White House press secretary Josh Earnest expressed concern that the move by Mr. Trump “could have been an attempt to target civil servants, career federal government employees.”
“If we had to replace the entire Department of Energy every time a new president was elected, that is certainly going to undermine the ability of those at the most senior levels to implement a coherent and effective energy policy,” he said.
The president-elect’s transition officials have not explained the inquiry and did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
Mr. Earnest seemingly poked fun at the choice of Mr. Perry for Energy secretary, saying the administration’s refusal to turn over a list of agency employees’ names involves defense of the principle that “career civil servants are evaluated based on merit and not on politics.”
“And I’m sure that the president-elect used the same kind of criteria when choosing his new Department of Energy secretary as well. Don’t you think?” he asked to laughter from reporters.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/dec/13/energy-dept-rebuffs-donald-trumps-request-list-cli/
4 comments:
Who are these mysterious "career civil servants" in DOE? Last time I checked, every scientist/engineer is a contractor. When the new administration comes in, they can terminate all of their contracts on a whim. That's the difference between a contractor, like the guy who does your plumbing or drywall, and a federal career employee.
No rather I think it will liquidate it any
s other poorly functioning parts of government. A effort Trumpf understands. Valuable assets are reorganized. Everything else closed. EPA, LABOR, Education Interior and Homeland Security are candidates. Justice, State and Defense could use a power wash. Wistful thinking.
1. Is the current administration setting DOE up for failure in the next administration?
DOE isn't already a failure?
2. Who are these mysterious "career civil servants" in DOE?
I'm not sure if you're kidding, or sarcastic, or I completely missed your point. See https://energy.gov/downloads/directory-listings for lists of career civil servants in DOE. Many of those DOE career civil servants would disagree that every scientist/engineer is a contractor; they believe they are the scientists and engineers. If you say "yes you have a degree but who does the actual science?" the answer is (A) we Feds do, if you're on our side, or (B) the Labs do, if you're an auditor or witch-hunter. It wasn't always like that, but with few exceptions it sure as heck is these days.
Your point about the vulnerability of individual programs--i.e., that are (in theory) managed by DOE and executed at the Labs--to the vagaries of the incoming administration is well taken. The CONTRACTS (with Bectel via the LLNS/LANS veneer) are not going to be cancelled "on a whim" (but that may not have been your intended meaning).
Burn Baby burn ! Uranium, Plutonium, Thorium, Cesium....what we know how to do.
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