Swordsmyth
02-26-2018, 04:42 PM
The Biological Survey Unit is hardly the only entity facing extinction. Dozens of long-standing programs are slated for termination, and every agency, large and small, has submitted a plan to the White House for reorganization.
At the Education Department, an “initial agency reform plan” obtained by The Washington Post calls for eliminating the Office of the Under Secretary, which coordinates activities related to postsecondary education, career-technical education and federal student aid.
The Agriculture Department would curtail the Rural Business-Cooperative Service, which since 1994 has offered business development counseling and job training for rural Americans.
And the U.S. Geological Survey aims to end its whooping crane restoration program (ttps://www.washingtonpost.com/news/animalia/wp/2017/09/18/a-50-year-effort-to-raise-endangered-whooping-cranes-comes-to-an-end/?utm_term=.33be13e0e17e), which over half a century has helped save the species. Some cranes have already been shipped to nonfederal facilities.
Until now, the administration has been largely prevented from making such moves because the government has been operating under a series of continuing budget resolutions. Those generally require agencies to maintain funding for existing programs. “The executive branch can’t just say, ‘We’re going to close down this part of government that has appropriated dollars,’” said Marc Goldwein, senior vice president at the Committee for a Responsible Budget.
The ground is about to shift, however. Having cut a deal earlier this month to increase agency spending over the next two years, lawmakers expect in March to approve formal appropriations bills that will allow them to re-order agency priorities. Once the legislation passes, a House Appropriations Committee aide confirmed Friday, USGS will be able to shutter both the crane program and the Biological Survey Unit.
Former House speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.), who met with House Republicans this month to discuss the restructuring efforts, said in an interview that he believes President Trump and his allies in Congress are prepared to fundamentally change the way government operates.
More at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-has-long-vowed-to-slash-government-now-the-knives-are-finally-coming-out/2018/02/26/b2d8c5ac-10f3-11e8-9570-29c9830535e5_story.html?utm_term=.e09ba07afa7d
It's not enough.
At the Education Department, an “initial agency reform plan” obtained by The Washington Post calls for eliminating the Office of the Under Secretary, which coordinates activities related to postsecondary education, career-technical education and federal student aid.
The Agriculture Department would curtail the Rural Business-Cooperative Service, which since 1994 has offered business development counseling and job training for rural Americans.
And the U.S. Geological Survey aims to end its whooping crane restoration program (ttps://www.washingtonpost.com/news/animalia/wp/2017/09/18/a-50-year-effort-to-raise-endangered-whooping-cranes-comes-to-an-end/?utm_term=.33be13e0e17e), which over half a century has helped save the species. Some cranes have already been shipped to nonfederal facilities.
Until now, the administration has been largely prevented from making such moves because the government has been operating under a series of continuing budget resolutions. Those generally require agencies to maintain funding for existing programs. “The executive branch can’t just say, ‘We’re going to close down this part of government that has appropriated dollars,’” said Marc Goldwein, senior vice president at the Committee for a Responsible Budget.
The ground is about to shift, however. Having cut a deal earlier this month to increase agency spending over the next two years, lawmakers expect in March to approve formal appropriations bills that will allow them to re-order agency priorities. Once the legislation passes, a House Appropriations Committee aide confirmed Friday, USGS will be able to shutter both the crane program and the Biological Survey Unit.
Former House speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.), who met with House Republicans this month to discuss the restructuring efforts, said in an interview that he believes President Trump and his allies in Congress are prepared to fundamentally change the way government operates.
More at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-has-long-vowed-to-slash-government-now-the-knives-are-finally-coming-out/2018/02/26/b2d8c5ac-10f3-11e8-9570-29c9830535e5_story.html?utm_term=.e09ba07afa7d
It's not enough.