In this article, former head of the EPA Christine Todd Whitman give some choice words and very strong opinions regarding president elect Trump's own appointment, Scott Pruitt. She expresses to readers that she has "[never] seen an appointment of someone who is so disdainful of the agency and the science behind what the agency does". Pruitt, who has been quoted stating that climate change is "subject to considerable debate", is known to have close ties with the fossil fuel company.
Ignoring your own personal opinons about climate change, do you feel that, as Whitman fears, this appointment will cause many experienced staff to leave? Or can the bureaucracy rise up and slow down whatever Pruitt tries to put into action? Will they even need to? Do you think that Trump has some logic in his appointments, or is he being influenced by outside forces? Is he actually just pulling names out of a "Make America Great Again" hat filled with the names of his top donators?
Tuesday, December 13, 2016
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I think that Whitman definitely has a valid concern that many people will not want to work under a Trump administration, and especially under those he has been appointing, but I also believe that if people are really serious about making a difference and truly believe in their cause, they will stay and fight the fight, rather than retire early. It would likely be difficult, and things may take a while to pass (if at all), but if people truly believe in their causes, that is likely a sacrifice they will be willing to make. The only logic I see in Trump's appointments thus far is that he has been appointing people like him; he seems to be appointing people he knows, people whose ideas mirror his, people who are against Obama, and people who donated. If his "logic" is sticking with his campaign ideas (like that climate change is a hoax), then he's fulfilling that. Or maybe his old campaign manager is still telling him what to do. How would any of us know for sure?
ReplyDeleteI think it is likely a good number of EPA officials will leave if they are disgusted with the new direction the agency will take under Pruitt. The man is influenced so strongly by the fossil fuel industry that he refuses to accept the scientific consensus on climate change. Obviously, there is some debate over the long-term consequences of climate change, but most scientists agree that it is happening and on the type of things it will impact. I think most bureaucrats in the EPA will stay and they will likely try to exercise their power to limit the effectiveness of Pruitt. Trump seems to be selecting most of his nominees on the basis of ideological agreement. Many of the positions have been filled with donators, allies, and far-right individuals who would have no chance in a more moderate Republican administration. Trump seems to be exercising significant control over the decision making process, as evidenced by the amount of allies in his administration.
ReplyDeleteWell, this post is really insignificant since we all know climate change is a hoax. If there's global warming, why did it snow yesterday? You can't argue with the facts; try spewing your liberal jargon somewhere else.
ReplyDeleteIt's possible that some of the EPA officials leave but, I hight doubt they will. If some McDonalds worker want to quit, they can always work at the Burger King down the street. When you've worked in the government your entire career and you're in a high up position, you can't expect to get a job equal to your previous one. Bureaucrats will likely "drag their feet" to resits the new administration.
To be a member of the EPA right now must be unbelievably stress inducing. My best friend’s mom is a lawyer for the EPA and not only is she afraid of the regulations and difficulties her job will soon face, but she is also fearful she might lose her job. Appointing an enemy of the EPA to be its head is purely evil and can only be labeled as such. If one wants to destroy all the EPA has worked towards for personal gain, it’s only logical to have their new boss be a metaphorical wrecking ball.
ReplyDeleteMany of the EPA workers have devoted their lives to fighting for the planet and I’m sure their passion will not fizzle because of their new boss, but it won’t be surprising when many begin to question whether or not their efforts are worthwhile. Starting soon, if Pruitt is appointed, I’m sure many people will begin to funnel from the bureaucracy to the private sector—doing non-profit work or something of the sort—in order to achieve the change they think is right. Pruitt and Trump will try to slow the fight against climate change, but people will fight back from all angles.
Trump's appointments make me believe he is only appointing people who have helped his campaign. His appointments seem random, with no real knowledge needed to get the job. With this said, I don't think veteran staff members of the EPA will leave. Instead, I think they will make it a mission to continue the work they give their life to, and will make it as hard as they can for Pruitt to try and pass legislation against the EPA's mission.
ReplyDeleteI can only hope that Pruitt sparks rebellion among EPA bureaucrats. If they all collectively drag their feet and resist change then maybe we can stop Trump from turning the clock back fifty - or worse - 100 years (yes I'm alluding to the 19th amendment, but we'll pretend I stayed on the topic of climate change and the environment). As stated in the article, Pruitt has sued the EPA 13 times in five years. For someone who seems to detest this agency so much it seems completely contradictory to appoint him to head it.
ReplyDeleteAs for Trump, at this point I'm ninety nine percent certain that he is Voldemort in this scenario and is attempting to appoint as many death eaters as possible. Except instead of dark marks all of them get "Make America Great Again" hats in exchange for any piece of morality that they still hold, their souls, and their first born children. But, who cares if you have to sell your soul to Trump if it means you get a big shiny title?
Is there a fast forward button that I can hit to skip the next four years? I hope that Whitman's suspicions are disproven and that veteran EPA bureaucrats with their "'institutional knowledge'" don't leave. Without these experienced bureaucrats the department will be very vulnerable and I will be very distraught. I want the bureaucrats to stay and to give Pruitt the hardest time possible. As for any logic behind his appointments, I don't know what to say. Is there any logic left in the world? This all just gives me a headache.
ReplyDeleteI am greatly saddened that this is even a post that has to be made. A climate change disputer heading the EPA? How is this even possible? However, putting my personal "opinions", or factual knowledge, aside, I do believe that quite a few top officials are likely to leave. I hope that they stay to combat Pruitt if he attempts to make poor decisions on an environmental level, but I cannot fault them if they want to take their expertise to the private sector, where their work will mean something. I believe that Trump has logic in his appointments, and that logic is to make picks that will undermine the agencies he does not support, and change established agencies' courses. This way. it is not as controversial as abolishing them, but effectively stalls their usefulness for the next 4 years. Flawed logic, but logic nonetheless. I agree with Analiese - this gives me a massive headache. My mom said before the election that a small part of her wanted to see what would happen under a Trump administration, except she didn't want to deal with the horrible consequences. Now we get to see what will happen.
ReplyDeleteWe can only hope that those left in the bureaucracy stay behind and fight the ugly fight. If these people give up their positions to less experienced members, then there is no knowing what actions that Trump and his party could push through Congress. It's a terrible situation come to think of it, unless you support Trump's policies wholeheartedly, you will either have to give up your longtime job, or be stuck constantly opposing the president in power and never getting to really achieve anything you stand for, just slowing down the other side. Maybe if Trump elects more open and politically diverse members, these roles won't be as painful to hold, but I sincerely doubt that this scenario will happen at this rate.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Ian. Stop using your liberal "facts". You liberal crackpot. Did you know that 50% of Americans don't believe in climate change? Yeah! How about that fact?
ReplyDeleteSeriously, though, this is inter- sorry, I meant terrifying. It's my belief that high level EPA members will keep on keeping on. They'll probably pull strings where they can, and stop Trump's agenda wherever possible. I would imagine each member has a metaphorical hill on which they'd be willing to die, and I guess we'd have to see who would take their place. Even if they all were fired, who else could lead the EPA?? Nobody who joins it wants to shut it down, you have to be appointed to do that.
As we have learned, the bureaucracy is very powerful and could be considered the fourth branch of government. We have also learned that certain agencies attract different types of employees. The EPA would attract more liberal individuals while military organizations such as the MDA would attract more conservative individuals. However, it's also true that employees in certain bureaucracies come and go with passing administrations. This, however, I do not believe will happen with the EPA. Longstanding members of the EPA have seen great success in the past decade and will not allow a department head to slow their progress - even lower level EPA members have the power to disobey their appointed superior. That being said, higher level members may wish to move on into the private sector where they can freely exercise their expertise. Is Trump's appointment of Pruitt just a way to basically render the EPA an unfunded vestigial bureaucracy that exists but does not do anything? Hopefully the public outcry against the appointment will force the the Trump Administration's EPA to continue business as usual.
ReplyDeleteI happen to believe that most EPA workers will try to execute their jobs with the same passion they began with, regardless of the head of their agency. As we learned, the bureaucracy is quite powerful, and bureaucrats can drag their heels is they disagree with their bosses. Given the unprecedented wealth of Trump's forming cabinet, I think that he is appointing individuals who donated t his campaign. Also given Pruitt's original positions, he is also probably a gesture of friendship to fossil fuel companies from Trump. Given the large share of individuals skeptical of "bureaucracy," combined with Pruitt's beliefs regarding environmental issues, I think Pruitt will be able to render the EPA largely powerless for the next four years. In class we learned that even though heel-dragging does happen, the boss's wishes are rarely ignored altogether. Let's hope that the bold and longstanding guidelines that the EPA successfully implemented remain enforced.
ReplyDeleteI would quit. The fact that people don't believe in climate change is beyond me. I don't know how the head of the EPA doesn't believe in climate change. However, I do think that most people won't be too discouraged because of this. It may be stressful, but these government workers won't quit that easily. Maybe I have too much faith in them, but I think that you need a certain determination and passion to even be working in the government in the first place. Hopefully they try to do what they can and keep a sense of sanity in what's left. His will most likely result in the EPA being useless for the next four years, but it could be a lot worse.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the idea of working under a Trump administration is horrific, I find it hard to believe that EPA workers would quit. If anything that is more motivation to stay to make a difference and actually educate the non-believers that our home is in serious danger and that this danger needs to be fully addressed and accepted. Whitman's concerns are valid, though. Workers could very well be trying to convince a brick wall that climate change is real, but they could be the reason to slow particularly harmful bills from passing.
ReplyDeleteWhy would many people quit, even if Trump is becoming president? Would you quit your job, your only income, if that guy you disliked became your boss? Probably not. I do believe though that the bureaucracy will be gunking up the system when it comes to implementing policies that go against the ideas of climate change and global warming. Many of the people that work for the EPA sincerely believe in climate change, and will not be straight up pushed around with out a little push back. These appointments certainly do spell disaster for the Earth though, Pruitt's appointment was not based on any merit, but rather ideology.
ReplyDeleteI do think Trump has some logic towards how he's picking his cabinet members- he wants to always be the smartest man in the room! In regards to your main question, I don't think a significant amount of the researchers and bureaucrats now serving under Scott Pruitt will leave. For those that are passionate about the environment, this is a time where the work they do matters most. As we learned with the bureaucracy perspective on power in government, these employees wield a significant amount of power over how policies are actually run and brought up within the EPA. Just because Pruitt insists there is "debate" doesn't mean everyone must fall in line or be removed.
ReplyDeleteIf I were working for the EPA, I would not quit my position no matter how much I disagreed with the person in charge, because I would have the power to prevent any serious damage from happening. I'm hoping the bureaucrats drag their feet and make it almost impossible for Pruitt to do anything extremely serious, and while I think he is one of the worst candidates for the position, I take comfort in knowing that he may not be able to get anything done. If the employees really do care about the environment, then they will realize that they have the power to stop anything too terrible from happening, and they would therefore stay.
ReplyDelete