Is a Reduction In Force in NASA's Future?
Revenge of the bureaucrats, Politico
“The Trump personnel team led by Kay Coles James and Linda Springer, both also Bush alumni, has broad goals to reduce the size of domestic agencies while slightly bolstering the defense workforce, say sources close to the transition. Aides are also mulling a process, known as “reduction in force,” that would allow the new administration to skirt the civil service’s complicated rules for hiring and firing. The easiest way to make such reductions might be through budget cuts to each agency, which would be outlined in Trump’s first budget proposal this spring.”
Trump freezes hiring of many federal workers, Washington Post
“President Trump instituted a governmentwide hiring freeze Monday, signing an executive order that he said would affect all employees “except for the military.”
How Trump Could Unravel Obama’s Science Legacy, Scientific American
“The much-larger ranks of non-political ‘career’ employees, meanwhile, could shrink under Trump, who has pledged to freeze federal hiring within his first 100 days in office. Staffing levels at science agencies – which stayed relatively flat under Obama, despite his enthusiasm for research – could eventually dwindle by attrition.”
Talk about being between viewpoints. People see NASA working on a big rocket that can symbolize how great America is. Also NASA is another those bloated guvmint agencies wasting money.
So which is it?
Bloated, over managed, rudderless agency with great people in the trenches!
Even the hiring freeze is potentially crippling. As projects age in their lifecycle and new projects come online, it’s important to hire the right people into the right positions. If that gets blocked everything starts to crumble. Admittedly, it can take a few years before it gets really bad.
The politico article says some “aides” in the administration think a “RIF” will help them “skirt… complicated hiring and firing rules”. Excuse me…gotta go…can’t stop laughing…
Yep. It’s almost laughable how out of their depth they truly are.