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It’s possible to initiate such cuts, but whether they stay cut after the inevitable legal battles remains to be see …

by MichaelZuo 2y ago

llamaimperative 2y ago
Not really, the cuts have to be "initiated" by Congress itself.
- MichaelZuo 2y ago
  Cuts in appropriations yes… cuts in expenditure can be initiated by just about anyone in the federal government, whether or not they stick for more than a few hours is the question.
alephnerd 2y ago
Recommendations from Presidential Task Forces like DOGE are non-actionable. For it to be actionable, it will require congressional approval, as the GAO and the rest of the American civil service's operations are already codified in law - not executive order.
- MichaelZuo 2y ago
  Congress can’t force anyone, not even the lowliest office clerk, to actually spend money though… the appropriated money can just sit in various accounts. (Well they can try to compel expenditures, but that would likely never withstand court scrutiny) The real question is how the incoming administration plans on effecting such a desire on such a huge number of people.
  - alephnerd 2y ago
    The people hired to hire those people need to be confirmed by Congress as well. The US system has been designed this way for over a century after the spoils system became unpopular. Also, I've bumped into you multiple times on this forum talking about governance, and while I appreciate the zeal PLEASE read an introductory book on Civics - you seem to have a cursory understanding of how governments are designed. I'd recommend the AP Gov curriculum for the US.
    - MichaelZuo 2y ago
      > Also, I've bumped into you multiple times on this forum talking about governance, and while I appreciate the zeal PLEASE read an introductory book on Civics - you seem to have a cursory understanding of how governments are designed. I'd recommend the AP Gov curriculum for the US. Who are you to decide for other HN users what they know or don’t know? And why do your opinions even matter in determining what other HN users know about ‘governance’ or ‘how governments are designed’?
      - alephnerd 2y ago
        > And why do your opinions even matter My opinions don't matter, but the fact that you make very basic mistakes around how checks and balances work, as well as how institutions are run in the US seems to show this lack of elementary understanding of civics. If you just want to kvetch, so be it. But if you want to have an actual serious discussion about these topics, actually understand these intricacies.
        MichaelZuo 2y ago
        > My opinions don't matter,… It doesn’t make sense to continue writing the same opinions after self declaring those opinions don’t matter…? Declaring your opinions are ‘facts’ in an HN reply, doesn’t magically transform or transmute them into bonafide facts… So this seems about as coherent as random LLM output. Edit: And I can also declare the above to be a ‘fact’… and it will carry the same weight too.
- jki275 2y ago
  You'd be amazed what the executive branch is legally allowed to do. They don't have to spend a dime. Now no executive in my lifetime has ever shied away from spending every dime they could squeeze out of Congress, but maybe this one will be different.

It’s possible to initiate such cuts, but whether they stay cut after the inevitable legal battles remains to be see …

llamaimperative 2y ago

Not really, the cuts have to be "initiated" by Congress itself.

MichaelZuo 2y ago
Cuts in appropriations yes… cuts in expenditure can be initiated by just about anyone in the federal government, whether or not they stick for more than a few hours is the question.

alephnerd 2y ago

Recommendations from Presidential Task Forces like DOGE are non-actionable. For it to be actionable, it will require congressional approval, as the GAO and the rest of the American civil service's operations are already codified in law - not executive order.

MichaelZuo 2y ago
Congress can’t force anyone, not even the lowliest office clerk, to actually spend money though… the appropriated money can just sit in various accounts. (Well they can try to compel expenditures, but that would likely never withstand court scrutiny) The real question is how the incoming administration plans on effecting such a desire on such a huge number of people.
- alephnerd 2y ago
  The people hired to hire those people need to be confirmed by Congress as well. The US system has been designed this way for over a century after the spoils system became unpopular. Also, I've bumped into you multiple times on this forum talking about governance, and while I appreciate the zeal PLEASE read an introductory book on Civics - you seem to have a cursory understanding of how governments are designed. I'd recommend the AP Gov curriculum for the US.
  - MichaelZuo 2y ago
    > Also, I've bumped into you multiple times on this forum talking about governance, and while I appreciate the zeal PLEASE read an introductory book on Civics - you seem to have a cursory understanding of how governments are designed. I'd recommend the AP Gov curriculum for the US. Who are you to decide for other HN users what they know or don’t know? And why do your opinions even matter in determining what other HN users know about ‘governance’ or ‘how governments are designed’?
    - alephnerd 2y ago
      > And why do your opinions even matter My opinions don't matter, but the fact that you make very basic mistakes around how checks and balances work, as well as how institutions are run in the US seems to show this lack of elementary understanding of civics. If you just want to kvetch, so be it. But if you want to have an actual serious discussion about these topics, actually understand these intricacies.
      - MichaelZuo 2y ago
        > My opinions don't matter,… It doesn’t make sense to continue writing the same opinions after self declaring those opinions don’t matter…? Declaring your opinions are ‘facts’ in an HN reply, doesn’t magically transform or transmute them into bonafide facts… So this seems about as coherent as random LLM output. Edit: And I can also declare the above to be a ‘fact’… and it will carry the same weight too.
jki275 2y ago
You'd be amazed what the executive branch is legally allowed to do. They don't have to spend a dime. Now no executive in my lifetime has ever shied away from spending every dime they could squeeze out of Congress, but maybe this one will be different.