In the midst of DOGE cheering is a bit of Republican reality. Getting approval in Congress may not be easy.
The workers Elon Musk seeks to cut are everywhere, including in politically red areas.
The Wall Street Journal reports DOGE’s Federal Job Cuts Threaten Republican Districts Too.
The South
The South and Southeast is heavy on military installations and veterans, which require civilian support and Department of Veterans Affairs employees. Oklahoma’s 4th Congressional District, for example, is home to Fort Sill and Tinker Air Force Base. Those bases are among the district’s largest employers. In Alabama, the 5th Congressional District is home to the Redstone Arsenal and other national security assets as well as NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center
Midwest and Northeast
This region has more federal workers who specialize in agriculture as well as its share of civilian workers associated with military installations. In Iowa, for example, a fifth of all federal civilian workers are employed by the Agriculture Department, according to data from the Office of Personnel Management. Ohio’s 10th Congressional District is home to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, the largest single-site employer in the state, according to the local representative.
The West
Federal civilian workers employed by the Interior Department, which manages America’s vast natural and cultural resources, are more common in western states, as are those who work for the USDA and the Energy Department. In Wyoming, workers for the Interior Department represent roughly a quarter of civilian federal workers there. Alaska and Hawaii both have larger proportions of federal employees supporting military installations, as well as Veterans Affairs workers.
Political Reality
The political reality is both Republicans and Democrats want to cut pork, just not in their district.
Every year, the inevitable result is horse trading this for that. You vote for my pet project and I’ll vote for yours.
Mish Flashback
On October 3, 2023, I commented McCarthy Ousted, House Essentially Frozen, There Is No Path Forward, For What?
Irony of the Day
The eight who pulled off the ouster of McCarthy are cheering along with all the Democrats!
OK guys, you have the ball and the bat, and sided with 100 percent of the Democrats in a historic vote. All 208 Democrats in attendance voted against McCarthy.
Now what are you going to do with the Democrats for an encore?
We soon found out. McCarthy was replaced by Johnson who voted more money for Ukraine, more money for Israel, and more money for child tax credits.
Amazingly, the GOP House Ways and Means Committee agreed to a ridiculous tradeoff with the Democrats that will cost $1.5 trillion over 10 years.
It Just Doesn’t Matter
“It doesn’t matter who is sitting in the speaker’s seat or who has the majority. We keep doing the same stupid stuff,” said Rep. Chip Roy (R., Texas), a leader of the hard-line House Freedom Caucus.
I was blasted for saying that back not only in September, but also early January.
This was the result.
On January 18, 2024, I noted Mike Johnson Is the New (But Not Improved) Kevin McCarthy
The House just passed Mike Johnson’s bipartisan continuing resolution punt. Dear Republicans, please wave the white flag and surrender before doing more damage, because more damage is on the table just today.
If you believe Trump or Musk will fix this, then please address the following synopsis.
Mish Five-Point Synopsis
- Some want this but not that.
- Others want that but not this.
- Still others want this and that.
- Virtually no one wants neither this nor that.
- Everyone always wants more money for something.
What “this” and “that” represent is irrelevant.
Republicans will increase the budget deficit and DOGE will deliver less than promised.
No One Will Fix This
“Compromise is always more spending for this in return for more spending on that.”
Mish: “Neither party will fix the deficits. Neither party will do anything about the mounting debt. No one will do anything about anything because the political system is totally broken.”
The miniscule Republican House majority practically guarantees more of this and more of that, not less of this and less of that.
If all the Republicans stick together 100% with Trump, ignoring deficits, then perhaps we get much more Republican “this” than I envisioned.
If you think I am wrong, then please explain.