A couple of days ago, President Biden sent a farewell letter to federal employees. It was a nice letter; you can read the text here, but what we federal employees received was a PDF file of a letter drafted on US White House letterhead with his signature at the bottom.
I’ve been a federal employee since the Clinton presidency, and I don’t remember ever seeing a letter like that before. Do I have a bad memory, or is this a first for this sort of thing?
Hmm - I didn’t get a copy. (Or maybe I just deleted it unread as I do all such pap from top management.)
Either way, probably means I’m on a list…
Elf, I don’t know you or what you do for the federal government. But God bless you!
You and your kind are about to be under attack from a POTUS and his minions in ways not seen in maybe over 100 years. Take care, and know that there are many out here that support our public servants.
According to this article, Obama gave a letter to the American People as well a the traditional letter for the incoming President.
I don’t recall this sort of thing before, either.
It was quite unpleasant 4+ years ago to continually hear how we as fed employees were (one of many) Public Enemy #1. Not asking for any sympathy. Just saying it is wearying to hear that sort of criticism when you are just trying to do your job. Especially when you think it is a job worth doing.
My particular job concerns the granting of public assistance. At least a few of the people seeking such benefits do so in a manner that wastes governmental resources - not answering mail/phone calls, not submitting required information, not showing up for appointments. Just a curious juxtaposition when you realize a good portion of such people are also criticizing the inefficient government and undeserving persons seeking governmental services.
First up, we’ll have to see what happens in terms of the Schedule F classification. And to what extent Trump will be able to get around bargained labor contracts. One of the first I expect will be an ordered return to the office. AFAIK, everyone in our office (other than 4 managers) has telework written into their union agreements. Will be interesting to see whether he can simply abrogate such contracts by fiat.
I’m fortunate as I live 6 minutes from my office and plan on retiring in <3 years. Could retire earlier if it gets unpleasant enough. I guarantee the criticism I anticipate in’t gonna motivate me to work harder and do a better job!
Get ready for another four years. Musk, Ramaswamy and others have been demonizing us for the past year or so, spewing bullshit about how little work we do and about how we use telework to slack off. I’ll never understand why people think I’m not required to update my manager on a regular basis regarding my activities, simply because I’m teleworking.
From my link, here’s a quote that’s pretty much the antithesis of Biden’s farewell letter to us:
“We want the bureaucrats to be traumatically affected. When they wake up in the morning, we want them to not want to go to work because they are increasingly viewed as the villains.” – Russell Vought, Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, ProPublica, October 28, 2024
My situation is similar, although I’d like to reach 30 years of service before heading out. Unfortunately that means I have to outlast the current administration. Wish me luck…
From his EO on a federal hiring freeze:
*Within 90 days of the date of this memorandum, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), in consultation with the Director of OPM and the Administrator of the United States DOGE Service (USDS), shall submit a plan to reduce the size of the Federal Government’s workforce through efficiency improvements and attrition. *
…
This memorandum does not abrogate any collective bargaining agreement in effect on the date of this memorandum.
The EO on “Return to Workplace” is less detailed/specific:
Heads of all departments and agencies in the executive branch of Government shall, as soon as practicable, take all necessary steps to terminate remote work arrangements and require employees to return to work in-person at their respective duty stations on a full-time basis, provided that the department and agency heads shall make exemptions they deem necessary.
This memorandum shall be implemented consistent with applicable law.
Interesting days ahead indeed.
Machine Elf - you get an email like the one I just got?
We are taking steps to close all agency DEIA offices and end all DEIA-related contracts in accordance with President Trump’s executive orders titled Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing and Initial Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions.
These programs divided Americans by race, wasted taxpayer dollars, and resulted in shameful discrimination.
We are aware of efforts by some in government to disguise these programs by using coded or imprecise language. If you are aware of a change in any contract description or personnel position description since November 5, 2024 to obscure the connection between the contract and DEIA or similar ideologies, please report all facts and circumstances to DEIAtruth@opm.govwithin 10 days.
There will be no adverse consequences for timely reporting this information. However, failure to report this information within 10 days may result in adverse consequences.
An unsigned email, from some unspecified person/office, directed to all agency staff, using pretty extreme language, and threatening possible “adverse consequences” for failure to report certain “efforts.”
Anything close over my 38 years of service does not immediately come to mind. I don’t want to exaggerate and say this has shaken me. But it definitely caught my attention, to receive this sort of official command 2 days after he was inaugurated. And augurs considerable unpleasantness ahead.
Ours arrived yesterday evening (probably about the same time as yours I guess), although the language was toned down a bit:
President Trump has issued executive orders titled Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing and Initial Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions. And the US Office of Personnel Management issued initial guidance here on January 21, 2025. Accordingly, the agency is taking steps to close the Office of Inclusivity Excellence and DEIA-related contracts, and employees are requested to please notify OPM at DEIAtruth@opm.gov of any other agency office, sub-unit, personnel position description, contract, or program focusing exclusively on DEI.
I find it curious that they were not worded the same. Wonder if your Agency made the decision to tone the language down, or mine to ramp it up.
Today’s paper mentioned this memo very briefly and dispassionately. Such reportage really fails to convey how unprecedented - and IMO inappropriate - this is.
That link at least for me is no longer going to the letter, so here’s another:
farewell_letter_to_federal_workforce.pdf
Yours is consistent with what I’ve seen elsewhere, so I think my agency has softened its tone.
Thanks. That PDF is exactly what we received, a nice-looking signed letter on White House letterhead.
Somewhat Orwellian email address there. “DEIA truth”.
Late yesterday we received an email alerting us to future emails to ALL fed employees from an OPM (Office of Personnel Mgmt) site. Again, not sure any such thing ever happened before in my near 40 years experience. Then a later email required that we respond to test out the system.
Again, I do not wish to sound alarmist, but - yes - just a tad Orwellian. I’m trying to think of any prior instance when the government worked quite so quickly and comprehensively in communications and proposed changes. Maybe after 9/11?
There has been a steady drumbeat from Republicans for 30 years about “gubmint werkerz don’t do anything”…You guys are on the list to be targeted. There’s first and foremost immigrants. Then, there’s lgbtq. Then there’s federal government workers.
All will be targets early and often.