White House to lift federal hiring freeze

 

 

White House to lift federal hiring freeze

By Jordan Fabian - 04/11/17 11:00 PM EDT

The White House  will lift President Trump’s federal hiring freeze on Wednesday, following fire from critics who said it hampered the government from carrying out core functions. 

The end of the freeze is part of guidance ordering federal departments and agencies to submit restructuring plans to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) by the fall. 

“It does not mean the agencies will be free to hire willy-nilly,” OMB Director Mick Mulvaney told reporters Tuesday. 

“What we’re doing tomorrow is replacing the across-the-board hiring freeze that was put in place on day one and replacing it with a smarter plan, a more strategic plan, a more surgical plan.”

Trump signed an executive order on his first full work day in the White House that temporarily halted all non-military federal hiring, an attempt to fulfill his campaign promise to “drain the swamp” and reduce the size of government. 

But the freeze resulted in an increased backlog of benefits claims at the Veterans Affairs (VA) department, which Trump pledged to strengthen during the campaign. 

It also created delays in the processing of Social Security checks, staff shortages at federal prisons, the closure of childcare facilities at military bases and fewer workers at the Food and Drug Administration to work on drug approvals.

Mulvaney did not say how many vacancies in the federal government would be filled after the freeze is lifted. 

The VA and Department of Defense, which would receive funding increases under Trump’s budget plan, could hire more workers, according to Mulvaney. Others, whose budgets would be cut such as the Environmental Protection Agency, likely would not be able to staff up. 

The budget director denied that the move violates Trump’s promises of cutting and streamlining the federal government. 

The memorandum requires all agencies to “begin taking immediate actions” to reduce the size of their workforces over the long term and achieve the savings called for in Trump’s fiscal year 2018 budget. 

Agency heads must develop a plan to “maximize employee performance” by June 30 and submit a final version of that plan to the White House budget office by September. 

Mulvaney said that could involve the elimination or consolidation of duplicative offices and agencies. 

Those changes would be adopted in Trump’s fiscal 2019 budget. 

“This is a big part of draining the swamp,” the budget director said Tuesday. “Really, what you’re talking about doing is restructuring Washington, D.C. That is how you drain the swamp.”

Above is from:  http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/328371-white-house-to-lift-federal-hiring-freeze

Washington Post’s David Fahrenthold wins Pulitzer Prize for coverage of Trump’s charitable giving

 

Washington Post’s David Fahrenthold wins Pulitzer Prize for coverage of Trump’s charitable giving

Post reporter David Fahrenthold won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting for his pioneering work exposing the distance between image and reality in Donald Trump’s philanthropy.

April 10, 2017

National Reporting winner

David Fahrenthold

Shortly after the Iowa caucuses, David Fahrenthold set out to learn what had become of the $6 million Donald Trump said he’d raised for veterans, including $1 million of his own money. Fahrenthold soon discovered that the candidate had stopped distributing money, despite having given out just a fraction of what he raised. That was the start of a much longer reporting effort, one that eventually expanded to cover all of Trump’s charitable giving — and the illusions he’d created, over his lifetime, that made his philanthropy seem more impressive than it was. His work also included an article disclosing that Trump had made crude comments and bragged about groping women during an unaired portion of an interview on “Access Hollywood” in 2005.

Pioneering a new form of investigative reporting, Fahrenthold invited his Twitter followers to help him report these stories, asking for help in tracking down details of Trump’s past giving — or items that Trump had bought, improperly, with his charity’s money. He posted photographs of his reporter’s notebook on Twitter, signaling the lengths he’d gone to and asking readers to suggest more charities to call. The run of coverage benefited greatly from the work of Post researcher Alice Crites and reporter Rosalind S. Helderman.

• Little proof of Trump’s big giving
• Half of money Trump raised for vets reaches charities
• Portrait of Trump as donor emerges by David A. Fahrenthold and Rosalind S. Helderman
• Four months later, Trump says he gave to veterans
• Trump generous with his promises to charity
• On TV, Trump pledged money out of my wallet by David A. Fahrenthold and Alice Crites
• Trump’s charity runs on few of his own dollars
• Trump used charity’s money to settle his legal disputes
• Trump charity ordered to stop raising money
• Trump ‘I regret’ lewd chat in 2005

Supplemental material

• David Fahrenthold tells the behind-the-scenes story of his year covering Trump
• Donald Trump plans to shut down his charitable foundation, which has been under scrutiny for months
• How a Univision anchor found the missing $10,000 portrait that Trump bought with his charity's money

Editorial on Great Lake Basis RR

My View: Rail project would be destructive, disruptive

Friday

Posted Apr 7, 2017 at 9:16 AM Updated Apr 7, 2017 at 9:17 AM

 

By Dave Willis

Have you ever heard the aphorism, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is?” We have a situation in northern Illinois that fits that adage to a tee. The Great Lakes Basin Railroad wants to run a track from Milton, Wisconsin, to northern Indiana.

The proponents of this program are selling it as if it were going to be a great boon to everyone in the area through which it travels. What many don’t realize is the underlying and insidiously destructive and disruptive nature of this track.

This track would run through a major portion of Winnebago County. The rail corridor will be 200 feet wide, and includes a 50-foot-wide area for future use for pipe lines, utility company use or other profit-generating means for the rail line investors.

The length of the corridor has been quoted as being approximately 260 miles. Every mile represents 24.25 acres of land taken from current owners, or approximately 6,305 acres in total. That is land from which farm production will be obliterated.

This plan means filling in wetlands near rivers and impounding water. To achieve the proposed 70-mile-per-hour speed, many roads will have to be terminated at the rail line. Some of our farmland floods frequently, and this will slow receding water and delay field work. Farm fields will be bisected, homes and buildings will have to be moved, and some fields will be too small for present-day equipment to farm.

I understand that farm rail crossings will have to be insured yearly by the farm owner at rates of $2,500 to $5,000 per year, which is unjust and burdensome to the farm owners. The western route does not appear to be well researched, as it goes through so many wetlands.

So far, we have addressed the rural problems as they apply to farmers. This is also important to those living in cities and villages. Any derailment of toxic chemicals has the propensity to cause evacuations and/or contamination of the water supply to thousands of citizens. Many people believe the preponderance of product in these trains will be crude oil, and each car contains 30,000 gallons.

A derailment usually involves many more than one ruptured tank car and the remedy is to let the oil burn. Not only are there toxic fumes from this, but also a ground and/or a ground water contamination that lasts for many years. If chlorine gas is being transported and is involved in a derailment, evacuations of five to six miles are required. Even Rockford Memorial Hospital could potentially have to be evacuated. Large portions of Rockford and towns to the north also would be affected.

By what justification can billionaire investors be granted approval by our federal government for this privately owned rail line that usurps land owned for generations of families, and creates financial and emotional hardship for them? As I understand eminent domain, it is to be used solely for creating public thoroughfares like roads, etc. It is not designed for, nor is it to be used, to promote the interests of private enterprise operations.

There is a perception among many, that this rail project is dead because resolutions against it have been passed by various townships and the Winnebago County Board. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

The authority having the final say on this project is the Surface Transportation Board in Washington, D.C. Property owners and concerned citizens need to provide written comments to this board. If you too are concerned about this pillaging of our land, please send your comments to www.stb.dot.gov/Ect1/ecorrespondence.nsf/incoming?OpenForm, or mail to: Dave Navecky, Surface Transportation Board, Docket No. FD 35952, 395 E Street SW, Washington, D.C. 20423-0001. Please act quickly, as time is of the essence.

Dave Willis is a Rockford

Above is from:  http://www.rrstar.com/opinion/20170407/my-view-rail-project-would-be-destructive-disruptive

Trump sends Congress letter explaining Syria strike

 

The Hill

Max Greenwood

 

© Provided by The Hill Trump sends Congress letter explaining Syria strike

President Trump on Saturday delivered his justification to Congress for ordering a missile strike on Syria this week, saying in a letter to congressional leaders that the U.S. was prepared to take further military action if necessary.

"I acted in the vital national security and foreign policy interests of the United States, pursuant to my constitutional authority to conduct foreign relations and as Commander in Chief and Chief Executive," Trump wrote.

The letter was addressed to House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), the Senate president pro tempore.

"The United States will take additional action, as necessary and appropriate, to further its important national interests," Trump wrote.

Under the War Powers Resolution, the president is required to submit an explanation for the use of force within 48 hours after military action is taken. The deadline for Trump to do so would be Saturday night.

Trump's letter echoed his comments delivered roughly an hour after the strikes on Thursday night, when he characterized the strikes as in the "vital national security interest" of the U.S.

"It is in this vital national security interest of the United States to prevent and deter the spread and use of deadly chemical weapons," Trump said at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, where he was hosting Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Above is from:  http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-sends-congress-letter-explaining-syria-strike/ar-BBzzAO4?li=BBmkt5R&ocid=spartandhp

Belvidere Boone County Food Pantry could have ties severed to Northern Illinois

 

SEE UPDATED STORY AT:  http://boonecountywatchdog.blogspot.com/2017/04/belvidere-boone-county-food-pantry-no.html

Belvidere Boone County Food Pantry could have ties severed to Northern Illinois Food Bank

Friday

CAPRON — The new leader of the Belvidere Boone County Food Pantry is tasked with getting the organization back on track after accusations of theft and inappropriate use of food for the needy.

The Rev. Danice Loveridge, a pantry board member for three years, was named interim executive director after the accusation. She said she’ll do her best to clear the pantry of a three-month probation handed down by the Northern Illinois Food Bank. She and her team have already made progress.

“They’ve made so many great moves already that we see this (probation) ending pretty quickly,” said Jennifer Nau, director of communications for Northern Illinois Food Bank. “Our team has been out there to train their staff and their volunteers as well.”

The pantry continues to serve people in need despite the probation. Probation means the pantry doesn’t receive food that had been donated to Northern Illinois Food Bank, but it still gets government commodities and other resources to serve the needy.

“I was very saddened by allegations that the food pantry could be in any sort of violation,” Loveridge said. “Our goal is to have (the probation status) lifted. My goal is to have it lifted within a week.”

Loveridge will serve as interim executive director for the next three months before deciding whether to formally apply for the job.

The food bank placed the pantry on probation for inappropriate use and theft of food meant for the needy. If the pantry doesn’t document enough proof that it has done everything it can to stop the misconduct, the 13-county food bank will kick the pantry out of its membership.

That means the pantry would lose support that includes almost 776,000 pounds of food a year. It also would lose the ability to apply for the food bank’s grants.

The Belvidere Boone County Food Pantry serves approximately 800-1,000 people in need each month and operates on an annual budget of about $250,000.

According to a March 28 letter the food bank sent to the pantry, the pantry violated Internal Revenue Service regulations by taking and reselling donated items. The Boone County Sheriff’s Department is investigating.

Board members immediately asked former executive director Linda Clark to step down and voted to have Loveridge take her place. Loveridge will receive $3,600 a month for the next three months, said Owen Costanza, the pantry board’s president.

Officials with both the food bank and pantry do not know how long the pantry was inappropriately making use of donated foods.

Loveridge and Costanza said they immediately started putting in place new policies and demanding training of its less than 10 employees and approximately 30 volunteers. They went over the food bank’s policies, which clearly state how to avoid probation status. “Exchanging donated food or other products for money, property or services,” the policies state.

Staff writer Kevin Haas contributed to this report.

Susan Vela

Above is from:  http://www.rrstar.com/news/20170407/belvidere-boone-county-food-pantry-could-have-ties-severed-to-northern-illinois-food-bank

Election Results from significant local races

 

 

U.S. coal companies ask Trump to stick with Paris climate deal

 

Reuters

By Valerie Volcovici

 

© REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque U.S. President Trump holds news conference at the White House in Washington

Some big American coal companies have advised President Donald Trump's administration to break his promise to pull the United States out of the Paris Climate Agreement – arguing that the accord could provide their best forum for protecting their global interests.

Remaining in the global deal to combat climate change will give U.S. negotiators a chance to advocate for coal in the future of the global energy mix, coal companies like Cloud Peak Energy Inc and Peabody Energy Corp told White House officials over the past few weeks, according to executives and a U.S. official familiar with the discussions.

"The future is foreign markets, so the last thing you want to do if you are a coal company is to give up a U.S. seat in the international climate discussions and let the Europeans control the agenda," said the official, who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the issue.

"They can’t afford for the most powerful advocate for fossil fuels to be away from the table," the official said.

Cloud Peak and Peabody officials confirmed the discussions.

In Cloud Peak's view, staying in the agreement and trying to encourage "a more balanced, reasonable and appropriate path forward" on fossil fuel technologies among signatories to the accord seems like a reasonable stance, said Cloud Peak's vice president of government affairs, Richard Reavey.

The coal industry was interested in ensuring that the Paris deal provides a role for low-emission coal-fired power plants and financial support for carbon capture and storage technology, the officials said. They also want the pact to protect multilateral funding for international coal projects through bodies like the World Bank.

The Paris accord, agreed by nearly 200 countries in 2015, would seek to limit global warming by slashing carbon dioxide and other emissions from burning fossil fuels. As part of the deal, the United States committed to reducing its emissions by between 26 percent and 28 percent below 2005 levels by 2025.

During his 2016 presidential campaign, Trump vowed to pull the United States out of the pact, tapping into a well of concern among his fellow Republicans that the United States' energy habits would be policed by the United Nations.

© REUTERS/Kristina Barker/File Photo FILE PHOTO - Mining operations during a tour of Peabody Energy's North Antelope Rochelle coal mine near Gillette

But since being elected, he has been mostly quiet on the issue, and administration officials have recently been asking energy companies for advice.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer said last week that the administration expected to make a decision on whether to remain a party to the deal by the time leaders of the Group of Seven wealthy nations meet in late May.

The prospect of the United States remaining in the Paris deal has irritated some smaller miners, including Murray Energy Corp, whose chief executive, Robert Murray helped fund Trump’s presidential bid.

Staying in the Paris accord could also face resistance from within Trump’s party. Republican Congressman Kevin Cramer of North Dakota has been circulating a letter among Republican lawmakers calling on the president to stay in the deal but has gathered only seven signatures so far.

(Editing by Richard Valdmanis and Jonathan Oatis)

Above is from:  http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/us-coal-companies-ask-trump-to-stick-with-paris-climate-deal/ar-BBzm5GH?li=BBmkt5R&ocid=spartanntp