Freeze and fire opposites in nature, but pillars of Donald Trumps approach to the federal workfor
Freeze and fire opposites in nature, but pillars of Donald Trumps approach to the federal workforce.
The president-elect plans to freeze federal hiring soon after taking office to fight corruption. Freezes have been imposed before although not with that contorted reasoning with results ranging from ineffective to injurious. He also wants to fire federal workers faster in the Department of Veterans Affairs, and two of his top advisers are pushing fast-track terminations government-wide.
-snip-
Before Trump rushes to impose a freeze, he should take time to consult history. Required reading should be Recent Government-Wide Hiring Freezes Prove Ineffective in Managing Federal Employment. Published by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) in 1982, this report examines hiring freezes imposed by former presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan.
In addition to having little effect on Federal employment levels, the GAO said, those freezes disrupted agency operations, and in some cases, increased costs to the Government.
Before Trump proceeds, he needs to know, as the GAO does, that freezes caused staffing problems, damaged recruiting efforts, disrupted government operations and lost money owed Uncle Sam.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2016/11/15/the-faulty-logic-behind-trumps-plan-to-freeze-federal-hiring/