Weekly Roundup: “Starve Away” + New Trump Policy Encourages Christians to Proselytize at Work (Bradley Onishi and Daniel Miller; Straight White American Jesus podcast)

Brad and Dan tackle two urgent developments shaping the intersection of politics and religion in America. They begin with the escalating humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, examining how allegations of genocide—now echoed by Israeli human rights groups—are forcing fractures within the GOP, with figures like Trump and Marjorie Taylor Greene offering unexpected critiques.

Brad and Dan explore how Israel’s religious nationalism and the U.S. tendency to cast Islam and Palestine as threats complicate public discourse. Then, they turn to a chilling new Trump-era memo permitting federal employees to evangelize in the workplace, unpacking its implications for religious privilege, secular rights, and the Christian nationalist agenda behind Project 2025. Along the way, they call out congressional hypocrisy, share reasons for hope in the form of abortion shield laws, and spotlight rising global recognition of Palestine and U.S.-based resistance efforts.
Interview: 

https://www.straightwhiteamericanjesus.com/episodes/weekly-roundup-starve-away-new-trump-policy-encourages-christians-to-proselytize-at-work/

🚨 Massive Proposed Changes to FERS Benefits (Federal Pension, TSP, FEHB, SS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iP8ahfG7NNA

The biggest #DOGE win is not exactly a win for governmental #efficiency

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/T5xGaaWX9yk

NCIS: DOGE (Andrew McCabe and Allison Gill; Unjustified podcast)

US Intelligence shows Russia and China are attempting to recruit disgruntled federal employees.

The head of the FBI New York Field Office James Dennehy has been forced out as the GSA shutters FBI, DOJ and CIA facilities.

The American Bar Association has received a request to open a disciplinary investigation into Emil Bove from Judiciary Committee Democrats.

The Trump Administration goes after the law firm Perkins Coie and Georgetown law.

Plus listener questions.
Interview: 

https://www.podbean.com/ew/dir-y6jyw-24339f33

Donald Trump posts SpongeBob meme mocking federal employees

Items on the list include "Cried about Trump," "Cried about Elon," "Made it into the office for once," "Read some emails" and "Cried about Trump and Elon some more."…

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5160640-trump-spongebob-federal-employees/

 

How Elon Musk uses his X influence to target critics, federal workers - The Washington Post

The episode illustrates how Musk's unparalleled online reach has given him a powerful tool to attack individuals who criticize DOGE, with one post able to spark hundreds of blistering responses from his followers. 

Last week, he amplified baseless claims about the judge who overturned Trump's funding freeze on federal grants that named his government employee daughter. Musk has called for the dismissal of journalists who have written about DOGE, calling their actions "possibly criminal." As he hunts for places to slash the federal bureaucracy, the billionaire has reposted the names and titles of individual government employees, insinuating they should be fired…

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2025/02/17/elon-musk-x-target-critics-federal-employees/

Anti-Qualified (Andrew McCabe and Allison Gill; Unjustified podcast, Episode #1)

The Department of Justice has moved to drop the appeal of Judge Cannon’s dismissal of the charges against Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira in the classified documents case.

The Trump’s administration has told at least six top FBI officials in charge of cyber security, criminal investigations, and national security to resign or be fired by Monday as Kash Patel sits for his confirmation hearing to head the agency.

Trump’s administration fires DoJ officials who investigated Donald, and has launched a special investigation into January 6th.

Trump has illegally fired nearly 20 independent inspectors general, and even had one who was investigating Elon Musk physically escorted out of her office.

Interview: 

https://www.podbean.com/ew/dir-9rjys-23998dc9

Musk and Ramaswamy call for ending work-from-home for federal employees

Around 50% of federal government workers are not eligible for telework, according to a report released earlier this year from the Office of Management and Budget. Those who are eligible for telework, spent 60% of regular working hours at in-person job sites. 

"These numbers indicate that the Federal workforce has telework rates generally in line with the private sector," the report said...

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/nov/21/musk-ramaswamy-work-from-home-federal-employees

GOP revives Holman Rules, allowing lawmakers to target federal agencies, employees - The Washington Post

"I think it's another intimidation tool for civil servants who are simply doing their job," said Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (D-Va.) in an interview. "It is designed to provide a chill effect on the ability of civil servants to do their jobs and carry out enforcement regulations and compliance with the law."…

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/01/10/gop-holman-rule-unions-biden-congress/

House GOP turns heat up on federal workers - The Washington Post

Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (D-Va.), whose Northern Virginia district includes thousands of federal workers, counters that such symbolic efforts would damage the appeal of federal service at a time when large swaths of the workforce are eligible to retire and just 7 percent of federal employees are under 30.

Attracting new talent should be a bipartisan priority for Congress, he said. "We don't have the same handicaps we did under Trump," Connolly said, referring to the Schedule F effort and another ill-fated plan to blow up the Office of Personnel Management. 

But he said House Republicans "can still score points by making government less attractive, and damage is done when you disparage federal employees just as we're trying to make federal employment more attractive."…

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/02/27/house-gop-federal-workers-jim-jordan/

Opinion | How to stop Trump's Schedule F sneak attack on the civil service - The Washington Post

…Donald Trump is planning, were he to be reelected as president, to replace vast swaths of government experts with his own army of tens of thousands of loyalists. This is a direct threat to democracy and the rule of law. 

The only reason for Trump to do this is to make it easier to fire federal employees who dare to disagree with him...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/07/26/trump-schedule-f-civil-service/

No, COVID-19 relief law doesn’t give federal workers a $21,000 bonus - PolitiFact

...The law allocates money for an expanded paid-leave fund for federal workers dealing with certain COVID-19-related matters. There is no bonus check...

https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2021/mar/19/facebook-posts/no-covid-19-relief-law-doesnt-give-federal-workers/

Governance Experts Assail White House Effort to Strip Federal Employees of Rights - Government Executive

..."This executive order is nothing more than propaganda intended to further the message that career federal workers are corrupt and not dedicated to serving all Americans equally," he said. "The administration's endorsement of this philosophy plays directly into the hands of our adversaries who seek to foment civil unrest and undermine the foundation of our democracy . . . With this order, there is no longer an independent civil service. This is how the party-run governments of authoritarian-led countries are organized and staffed."...

https://www.govexec.com/management/2020/10/governance-experts-assail-white-house-effort-strip-federal-employees-rights/169499/

‘Stunning’ Executive Order Would Politicize Civil Service - Government Executive

President Trump signs directive that would potentially pull thousands of federal employees in "policy-making" positions out of the competitive service, making them at-will employees.

https://www.govexec.com/management/2020/10/stunning-executive-order-would-politicize-civil-service/169479/

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Federal employees in debt can lose security clearance - The Washington Post

Being in debt is common, but the implications are worse for some. Federal employees and contractors, and candidates for sensitive government jobs who owe money face far more serious consequences than average Americans with financial liabilities. Debt can ruin careers of federal workers and block job applicants from getting good government gigs. Not holding a security clearance is synonymous with not holding a job in certain fields. Access to classified information, required for many positions in intelligence and defense-related agencies and companies, often is denied because employees or applicants are in the red. Unless you are the president.....
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/federal-employees-debt-security-trump/2020/10/05/e889bab8-05a0-11eb-8879-7663b816bfa5_story.html

Federal employees could face more discipline under proposed new rules - The Washington Post

The rules would strip away many of the practices agencies have followed in disciplining employees while urging them to move as fast as law allows....
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/federal-employees-could-face-more-discipline-under-proposed-new-rules/2019/09/17/5fdb9846-d976-11e9-ac63-3016711543fe_story.html

Trump issues orders making it easier to fire federal employees - POLITICO

The orders will standardize agency rules to make it easier and quicker to remove poorly performing employees. ....
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/05/25/trump-federal-employees-unions-civil-servants-609167

Sean Spicer's claim of a 'dramatic expansion in the federal workforce' is exaggerated

One of President Donald Trump’s very first acts was to place a hiring freeze on the executive branch, in a promised show of fiscal responsibility....

...Several news outlets quickly jumped on Spicer’s assertion that the federal workforce has expanded dramatically in recent years, saying it was incorrect. We looked at the data ourselves and found that Spicer is cherry-picking....
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2017/jan/24/sean-spicer/sean-spicers-claim-federal-workforce-has-expanded-/

Trump freezes hiring of many federal workers (The Washington Post)

The president said his executive order would affect all employees "except for the military."...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/trump-freezes-hiring-of-federal-workers/2017/01/23/f14d8180-e190-11e6-ba11-63c4b4fb5a63_story.html?utm_term=.209ad4abc058

The Huffington Post - US: New House GOP Rule Lets Lawmakers Fire Individual Federal Workers

House Republicans resurrected a decades-old provision in their new rules package that allows lawmakers to lower the salary or eliminate the job of individual federal employees. ...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/holman-rule_us_586fcc26e4b043ad97e320dc?