Will PE Trump really drain the 'swamp'? Other presidents have tried. Congress really is not interested!

2016-12-26T12:37:18-05:00

As congress refuses to allow another round of BRAC, would they allow PE Trump to actually reduce headcount in the government?

Response by CPT Jack Durish made Dec 26 at 2016 12:43 PM

2016-12-26T12:43:50-05:00

Reagan tried without success. Indeed, he lamented that fact as he left office. Sadly, the swamp has only become exponentially larger and viler since Reagan's departure leaving Trump with an even greater problem than the one he faced.

Response by CPT Alexander Grant made Dec 26 at 2016 12:51 PM

2016-12-26T12:51:52-05:00

A lot of the answers around these conservative chambers seem to be "let's wait and see" since he's a Republican (now), but it's clear he has little interest in draining anything with many of the potential cabinet picks.
The level of hypocrisy is amazing- dude was pretending to be 'anti-establishment' and then once he got elected, he immediately spit in his voters faces by making the RNC chair his chief of staff. Didn't even delay. Probably because so many people don't understand how huge the role of the CoS really is.

If you aren't getting money out of politics, you aren't draining anything. that's just it

Response by CSM Michael J. Uhlig made Dec 26 at 2016 1:09 PM

2016-12-26T13:09:45-05:00

Screw the damned swamp, we "the people" are going to be dealing with the blood sucking mosquitos

Response by Lt Col Jim Coe made Dec 26 at 2016 1:58 PM

2016-12-26T13:58:56-05:00

It's not difficult for President Trump to reduce the number of appointees in Government. He can simply not nominate a person for the appointed job and then recommend to the Cabinet-level person that the billet be eliminated and functions redistributed or eliminated. Reducing the size of the civil service workforce is more difficult. The real means to accomplish this is the budget. He needs Congress' support in this effort. Cutting funding for organizations that are bloated with too many civilians will eventually require the organizations to cut manpower positions. It will take several years, but eliminating entire cabinet level departments will save money, reduce government interference in our daily lives, and increase state's rights. Prime candidates in my opinion include Energy, Education, Labor, Agriculture.

From my experience with DoD, DAF, and DA, we need to "flatten" the organization chart and actually eliminate civilian positions. The main problem I've seen is intermediate headquarters. The prime Air Force example is the Numbered Air Force. It was a great idea in WWII providing an operational headquarters between the fighting organizations, wings and squadrons, and the Service or Theater headquarters. The Numbered Air Forces have been greatly reduced or eliminated, but there is always a tendency to create intermediate organizations to perpetuate the bureaucracy. With modern communications capabilities, the intermediate headquarters are redundant and a giant waste of manpower and money. The Army has similar problems with Corps and some Headquarters between the MACOMS and units.

Response by MCPO Roger Collins made Dec 26 at 2016 2:54 PM

2016-12-26T14:54:52-05:00

He will try, but will lose and the swamp will survive. It would take more than eight years to change what has developed over 236 years.

Response by 1SG(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 26 at 2016 3:48 PM

2016-12-26T15:48:58-05:00

Maybe... kinda... sorta... Depends on which end of the swamp, perhaps? "Drain the swamp." was merely campaign rhetoric, similar to "Lock her up."; which he now says only played well during the campaign. It's a sales pitch, a slogan. That's his career.
https://apnews.com/35e7f61d9a32446bad58d8b855c9301e?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=AP

Trump adopting same behavior he criticized Clinton for

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump spent the past two years attacking rival Hillary Clinton as crooked, corrupt, and weak. But some of those attacks seem to have already

Response by SFC George Smith made Dec 26 at 2016 7:58 PM

2016-12-26T19:58:58-05:00

may be an outsider can along with "We The People"

Response by Cpl Joshua Caldwell made Dec 26 at 2016 11:20 PM

2016-12-26T23:20:46-05:00

He will try but it is a really deep swamp and the reptiles that live in it have lived there for a really long time. In the end, we can hope for a bit of drainage but it would take a revolution to drain the entire thing.

Response by MSgt Mark Bucher made Dec 27 at 2016 12:32 AM

2016-12-27T00:32:10-05:00

The problem is Congress. We need congressional term limits to get rid of the career politicians. I don't believe our founding fathers ever envisioned career politicians who are more concerned with the next campaign and being reelected than doing what's right for the country. We see it every day on both sides of the isle. How can somebody who's served over 12 years as a legislator honestly say they're in touch with the people they represent, or have an idea they want to put forward?

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 27 at 2016 3:39 AM

2016-12-27T03:39:26-05:00

I just hope he keeps his promises because the Democrats are already planning 700 days from now to take back both houses of Congress and I'm sure they're all waiting for him to fall on his sword and impale himself. let's give this guy a year-and-a-half and see what happens

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 27 at 2016 9:45 AM

2016-12-27T09:45:49-05:00

CSM Charles Hayden I hope he can but I feel the system full of entrenched politicians will fight for their livelihood.

Response by 1LT William Clardy made Dec 27 at 2016 10:46 AM

2016-12-27T10:46:08-05:00

BRAC was a thoughtless abomination on many levels. God help us if we revive that model for inflexible restructuring.