Iran Nuclear Program Accelerates 2-3-25

Trump will now prioritize preventing Iran’s nuclear weapons capability and is likely to reimpose sanctions on Iran to return Iran to total economic isolation to lower Iran’s revenues and reduce Iran’s funding of Islamic Terror Groups. Iran’s citizens need a regime change.  

Iran significantly expanded its production of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels in what appears to be a move to build leverage ahead of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump taking office on Jan. 20. 

https://www.armscontrol.org/act/2025-01/news/iran-ramps-nuclear-program-ahead-trumps-return

According to a Dec. 6 report from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran’s monthly production of uranium enriched to 60 percent U-235 at the Fordow uranium-enrichment facility will jump from 4.7 kilograms to 34 kilograms. The increase is due to Iran’s decision to feed 20 percent-enriched U-235 into two cascades of more efficient IR-6 centrifuges to produce the 60 percent-enriched U-235. Previously, Iran fed the centrifuges with uranium enriched to 5 percent U-235.

Uranium enriched to 60 percent U-235 poses a more serious proliferation risk because it can quickly be enriched to the 90 percent U-235 that is considered weapons grade. If Iran made the decision to develop a nuclear weapon, it would need to feed about 42 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent U-235 into centrifuges to produce enough 90 percent-enriched U-235 for one bomb. Increasing the production of 60 percent U-235 at Fordow, rather than Iran’s other uranium-enrichment facility at Natanz, further heightens the threat because Fordow is a deeply buried site that is challenging to target militarily.

France, Germany, and the United Kingdom condemned Iran’s actions in a joint Dec. 9 statement and strongly urged Iran to “reverse these steps” and “immediately halt its nuclear escalation.” The statement also raised concerns that Iran took the actions before the IAEA could implement additional safeguards.

According to the IAEA report on Dec. 6, Iran did not agree to IAEA Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi’s request to hold off on increasing its production of uranium enriched to 60 percent U-235 until after the agency could update its safeguards approach. The agency reported on Dec. 11 that Tehran agreed to “increase the frequency and intensity” of IAEA safeguards at Fordow and the agency implemented those measures.

Iran is required under its legally binding safeguards agreement to allow the IAEA to increase verification activities as its nuclear program expands.

Despite the implementation of additional safeguards, the United States raised concerns before the UN Security Council that Iran’s actions “suggest it is not interested in demonstrating verifiably that its nuclear program is exclusively peaceful.” U.S. deputy ambassador Robert Wood told the council on Dec. 17 that there is “good reason to be concerned about Tehran’s intentions” and Iran should “take actions that build international confidence and deescalate tensions.”

https://www.armscontrol.org/act/2025-01/news/iran-ramps-nuclear-program-ahead-trumps-return

The price of enriched uranium increases as the enrichment level increases. For example, in 2020, a 10 mg sample of 90% enriched uranium cost $930, while a 10 mg sample of 97% enriched uranium also cost $930. Iran could sell its uranium to China and Russia and abandon their nuclear weapons plan.

Kazakhstan is the largest uranium producing country in the world, and its total output of 21,227 metric tons in 2022 accounted for an impressive 43 percent of global uranium supply. France gets its uranium from Kazakhstan and Niger.

In 2022, Canada was the largest source of uranium for the US, supplying 27% of the total. Canada has large, high-quality uranium reserves. 

In 2022, Kazakhstan was the second-largest source of uranium for the US, supplying 25% of the total. 

In 2022, Russia was the third-largest source of uranium for the US, supplying 12% of the total. 

In 2022, Australia was the fourth-largest source of uranium for the US, supplying 9% of the total. 

In 2023, Uzbekistan was a source of uranium for the US, supplying 9% of the total. 

In 2023, Namibia was a source of uranium for the US, supplying 3% of the total. 

In 2023, Niger was a source of uranium for the US, supplying 3% of the total. 

The global shift toward nuclear power as a zero-emissions tool could increase the demand for uranium.

Domestic uranium production 

The US Department of Energy has announced its aim to increase domestic uranium production. The US has a strategic uranium reserve, a stockpile of domestically produced uranium.

2023: The United States produced 50,000 pounds of uranium concentrate (U3O8cap U sub 3 cap O sub 8𝑈3𝑂8), which is a significant decrease from 2022. This production was only 0.4% of the uranium fuel needed by the country's nuclear power reactors. 

2022: The United States produced 194,000 pounds of uranium concentrate (U3O8cap U sub 3 cap O sub 8 𝑈3𝑂8). This was an increase from 2021, when production was at a record low. 

2021: The United States produced 8 metric tons of uranium. 

2020: The United States produced 6 metric tons of uranium. 

2019: The United States produced 58 metric tons of uranium. 

Some uranium mining companies in the United States include:

Energy Fuels: A leading uranium mining company that provides nuclear fuel for power plants in the US and around the world. Energy Fuels operates mines in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. Energy Fuels Resources Corporation (EFRC): A Colorado-based subsidiary of Energy Fuels Inc. EFRC is the largest uranium mining company in the US after Cameco. 

Cameco Resources: A uranium mining company. 

GTI Energy Ltd. A uranium mining company. 

Premier America Uranium Inc. A uranium mining company. 

Ur-Energy Inc. A uranium mining company. 

Strata Energy - Peninsula Energy Ltd. A uranium mining company. 

Uranium Energy Corp. A uranium mining company. 

The US imports uranium from countries like Canada and Australia to meet its nuclear fuel needs. 

Comments

I expect Trump will increase US production of uranium like he did in 2019.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

 

Canada and Greenland 2-3-25

In keeping with Trump’s resurrection of the Monroe Doctrine, Trump is concerned that China and Russia have “designs” on Greenland. Canada is also not able to defend its borders with the Arctic Circle. 

Canada and Greenland are being considered for Annexation. Both countries have expressed “no interest” in this suggestion.

Canada has several options to work toward being able to defend their Northern Border.

Since his election in November, Trump has taunted Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau by suggesting his country should be made the 51st US state. Trump is also lowering the US Corporate Tax to 15%, matching Canada’s 15% Corporate Tax to allow US auto manufacturing to return to the US. Trump is goading Trudeau to get off his ass and build Canada’s private sector enough to be able to afford to protect his northern border. Trudeau now has to deal with Trump’s 25% Tariff threat to stop Illegals and Fentanyl from crossing the Canada Border. Trudeau is expected to lose his job to a Canadian Conservative Candidate on 10-20-25. Canada also needs to maintain its forests to prevent forest fires.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Canadian_federal_election

Annual change in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Canada 2024, by industry. Canada's transportation and warehousing industry had grown by 4.9 percent between February 2023 and February 2024. The mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction industry followed with 2.5 percent.

Greenland has other options if Denmark can grow its GDP to contribute 5% to NATO in addition to upping its defense of Greenland’s Arctic Border. NATO would then defend Greenland.

China is swimming in debt from government overreach and excessive spending. Russia is about to get a revenue decrease when US oil supply exceeds demand. Trump wants China to reform and behave. The EV Mandate has been cancelled in the US and our need for rare earth minerals has diminished. The US may have enough minerals to supply US demand for chips.

The 10 Biggest Industries by Revenue in Canada

Industry Revenue for 2025

1. Commercial Banking in Canada $441.4B

2. Gasoline & Petroleum Wholesaling in Canada $257.2B

3. New Car Dealers in Canada $190.5B

4. Gasoline & Petroleum Bulk Stations in Canada $184.7B

5. Oil Drilling & Gas Extraction in Canada $170.2B

6. Supermarkets & Grocery Stores in Canada $111.8B

7. Automobile Wholesaling in Canada $106.2B

8. Petroleum Refining in Canada $104.7B

9. Life Insurance & Annuities in Canada $98.6B

10. IT Consulting in Canada $92.7B

Many cars were manufactured in Canada in 2024, including Ford, Toyota, and other vehicles. 

Ford Motor Company of Canada's Oakville Assembly Complex in Oakville, Ontario manufactures Ford vehicles. Ford is the best-selling car brand in Canada.

Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada (TMMC) produces the Toyota RAV4 at its Cambridge and Woodstock facilities. TMMC also produces the Lexus RX 350 and RX 450h at its Cambridge facility.

Other vehicles 

Dodge Charger, Challenger, and Caravan

Chrysler 300, Pacifica, and Grand Caravan

Chevrolet Equinox

Lincoln Nautilus

Other manufacturers General Motors of Canada, Honda of Canada Mfg, and Stellantis Canada. 

Canada provided the US with 4.33 million barrels of oil in 2024. The US consumes 20 million bbd of oil per year. The US produces 13 million bbd.

Canada's projected net debt-to-GDP ratio for 2024 is just 14.4 per cent, well below the average of other G7 countries of 103.8 per cent.  Canada's nominal GDP in 2024 is estimated to be around $2.117 trillion. This makes Canada the world's ninth-largest economy. 

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

 

Panama Treaty Violated 2-2-25

Trump is restating the Monroe Doctrine as China continues to grow its presence on the American Continent. 

The Panama Canal is being considered for Re-annexation. China expanded its Belt and Road strategy to the Panama Canal.

What’s the history of the Panama Canal, and why is Trump threatening to retake control of it? By Michael Williams, CNN 1-8-25.

President-elect Donald Trump is not letting up on his suggestions that the US should retake the Panama Canal, an idea that has been rejected by the government of Panama, which has controlled the passage for decades.

In social media posts and remarks to supporters, Trump has accused Panama of charging the US “exorbitant rates” to use the canal and hinted at growing Chinese influence over the crucial waterway. And at an hour-long news conference at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday, he said the nearly half-century-old decision by the US to hand over control of the canal was a “terrible thing to do.”

The US-built canal was opened in 1914 and controlled by the United States until a 1977 agreement provided for its eventual handover to Panama. The canal was jointly operated by both countries until the Panamanian government retained full control after 1999.

In the early 20th century, President Theodore Roosevelt made the completion of a passageway a priority. The territory was at the time controlled by the Republic of Colombia, but a US-supported revolt led to the separation of Panama and Colombia and the formation of the Republic of Panama in 1903. The US and the newly formed republic signed a treaty that year that gave the US control over a 10-mile strip of land to build the canal in exchange for financial reimbursement.

The canal’s practicality was demonstrated during World War II, when it was used as a critical passageway for the Allied war effort between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. But the relationship between the US and Panama slowly disintegrated over disagreements about control over the canal, treatment of Panamanian workers, and questions about whether the US and Panamanian flags should be flown jointly over the Canal Zone.

Years of negotiations for a more equitable agreement led to two treaties during the administration of President Jimmy Carter. The agreements declared the canal neutral and open to all vessels and provided for joint US-Panamanian control of the territory until the end of 1999, when Panama would be given full control.

“Because we have controlled a 10-mile-wide strip of land across the heart of their country and because they considered the original terms of the agreement to be unfair, the people of Panama have been dissatisfied with the treaty,” Carter said in remarks to Americans after the treaties were signed. “It was drafted here in our country and was not signed by any Panamanian.”

The then-president added: “Of course, this does not give the United States any right to intervene in the internal affairs of Panama, nor would our military action ever be directed against the territorial integrity or the political independence of Panama.”

Not everybody supported Carter’s plan. In a 1976 speech, then-presidential candidate Ronald Reagan said that “the people of the United States” are “the rightful owners of the Canal Zone.”

Tensions over the canal deteriorated again in the late 1980s under the rule of Manuel Noriega, who was removed from power after the US invaded Panama as part of the “war on drugs.”

Shortly after the Panamanians retained full control of the canal in 2000, shipping volume quickly exceeded the waterway’s capacity. A massive expansion project began in 2007 and was completed nearly a decade later.

But the area around the canal has been experiencing severe droughts, leading to lower water levels that hindered its ability to function properly. Canal authorities have set restrictions on traffic and imposed higher fees to traverse the canal.

Those fees appear to form one part of Trump’s issue with the canal. The president-elect last month described them as “ridiculous” and “highly unfair, especially knowing the extraordinary generosity that has been bestowed to Panama, I say, very foolishly, by the United States.”

Trump’s other claim, that China is seeking to exert more control over Panama and the Canal Zone, is not without merit. In 2017, Panama signed a joint communique that stressed it would not maintain any official ties with Taiwan, the self-governing democracy that China’s ruling Communist Party claims as its own territory. Since then, China’s influence in the area around the canal has grown.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/23/politics/panama-canal-history-trump/index.ht

Comments

The Panama Canal problem is real. Trump will confront both China and Panama on this issue. Panama has not lived up to their Treaty Agreement and China is violating the Monroe Doctrine.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

 

Trump California Wildfire Visit 2-2-25

California Wildfires:‘It is devastation.' President Trump visits LA for tour of Palisades Fire destruction. President Trump's first trip of his second term will be to Southern California, where the two largest January wildfires destroyed 16,100 structures and forced widespread evacuations.  By Jonathan Lloyd  Published January 24, 2025 

President Trump's first trip of his second term in the White House included a stop in Los Angeles to view wildfire damage.

California lawmakers approved a $2.5 billion fire relief package with bipartisan support that was signed Thursday by Gov. Newsom.

Lawmakers overwhelmingly approved the bills, which had bipartisan support, and now head to Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk. The proposals include $2.5 billion for the state's emergency disaster response efforts such as evacuations, sheltering survivors and removing household hazardous waste. They also approved $4 million for local governments to streamline approvals for rebuilding homes, and $1 million to support school districts and help them rebuild facilities.

Newsom's administration said the state expects to be reimbursed by the federal government for the disaster relief funding.

According to available information, California has approximately 51,560 square miles of forested land. 

Key points about California forests:

Total forested area: 51,560 square miles

Percentage of state land covered by forests: Around one-third

Major concern: Wildfires, which are increasingly impacting California's forests 

Removing brush from a square mile of forestland could cost anywhere between $20,000 and $100,000 depending on the density of the brush, terrain, access, and the method used for removal, with the average cost likely falling around $50,000; 

The cost of removing all brush from California Foreses is $2.578 billion.

This reservoir on the Sacramento River has been planned for decades. What’s taking so long? by Alastair Bland February 27, 2023.

The Sites Reservoir — a $4.4 billion project to add dams and store more water that’ll be sent south — is still years away from completion. The final environmental report is expected this year, before construction of two large dams and other structures can begin.

Last century, California built dozens of large dams, creating the elaborate reservoir system that supplies the bulk of the state’s drinking and irrigation water. Now state officials and supporters are ready to build the next one.

The Sites Reservoir — planned in a remote corner of the western Sacramento Valley for at least 40 years — has been gaining steam and support since 2014, when voters approved Prop. 1, a water bond that authorized $2.7 billion for new storage projects. 

Still, the Sites Reservoir remains almost a decade away: Acquisition of water rights, permitting and environmental review are still in the works. Kickoff of construction, which includes two large dams, had been scheduled for 2024, but likely will be delayed another year. Completion is expected in 2030 or 2031.

The Sites Reservoir would store as much as 1.5 million acre-feet of Sacramento River water and could eventually boost water supplies — especially in dry years — for more than 24 million people, mostly in Southern California, and 500,000 acres of Central Valley farmland. The reservoir is now projected to cost $4.4 billion, with Prop. 1 covering up to $875 million and much of the rest coming from federal loans to water suppliers.

For years, state lawmakers, farm representatives and city water suppliers have bemoaned that the reservoir hasn’t been built yet, and their criticism has escalated during rainy periods.

In less than two weeks of storms last month, Sites could have captured 120,000 acre-feet of water,  enough to serve about 1.3 million Californians for a year, according to water agencies supporting the project.

https://calmatters.org/environment/2023/02/california-sites-reservoir/

Comments

California needs to use its considerable tax revenue to save itself. The 2025 Forest Fires make the point. The California Legislature will need to repeal its unnecessary Environmental laws and regulations to finally solve their Forest Fire problems. Then California needs to pay down their $158B cumulative Debt.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

 

Trump Agenda is Spreading 2-1-25

Trump is encouraging States to solve their problems. California needs to stop dumping their water in the Pacific Ocean and begin developing reservoirs to store this water.  California also needs to begin protecting residential areas from fires using proven methods of removing dry brush from forest areas. 

Trump is encouraging European Countries to expand their Private Sector Economies. France and Briton have responded to the call to focus on improving their economies using Trumps Agenda to put their countries first. European countries need to reduce their 20% “Value-Added” Sales Taxes to give their citizens a break. The cost of maintaining the EU plus their own governments is excessive. Europe need to decrease their Sales Tax to 10% to give their citizens a break. Trump’s plan to increase oil and natural gas production will increase the Supply and lower the cost of energy across the globe. This will lower the cost of crops that requires Nitrogen Fertilizer that is made from Natural Gas.

European Countries are deporting the “refugees” they accepted in 2015. According to recent EU statistics, in the third quarter of 2024, over 112,000 non-EU citizens were ordered to leave an EU country, with France issuing the most orders to leave, followed by Germany and Spain; the most common nationalities ordered to leave were Algerian, Moroccan, Syrian, Turkish, and Afghan; and while the number of deportation orders increased slightly, the number of individuals actually returned to third countries also rose, with France, Germany, and Spain reporting the highest figures. 

https://www.google.com/search?q=refugee+deportation+in+europe+statistics&oq=refugee+deporataion+in+europe+&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqCQgEECEYChigATIGCAAQRRg5MgkIARAhGAoYoAEyCQgCECEYChigATIJCAMQIRgKGKABMgkIBBAhGAoYoAEyCQgFECEYChigATIHCAYQIRiPAtIBCTM3NDI4ajBqN6gCALACAA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

 

AI Investment in US 2-1-25

$1.1 trillion is being invested in the US by other countries. The Saudis are providing $600B of this investment. The plan is to build facilities to generate and maintain AI Software for high-speed processing. The Energy required to increase processing speed will come from Small Nuclear Power Plants on-site in these facilities. 

Cyber Security is required.

IBM® Guardium® Data Security Center helps you manage the data security lifecycle, from discovery to remediation, and empowers multi-disciplinary teams to effectively manage data vulnerabilities and risks. It offers five modules to protect data across all data types and environments.

Unveil Critical Cloud Security Hurdles

Remain aware of obstacles in application development and cloud security as organizations strive to optimize processes and safeguard data assets. Our research revealed the following:   

·        61% of organizations fear AI-powered attacks compromise sensitive data.

·        33% struggle to keep up with rapid technology changes and evolving threats.

·        91% of respondents say point tools create blind spots affecting threat prevention.

·        54% cite complexity and fragmentation in cloud environments as a top data security problem.

We are pleased to present Red Canary’s 2024 Threat Detection Report. Our sixth annual retrospective, this report is based on in-depth analysis of nearly 60,000 threats detected across our 1,000+ customers’ endpoints, networks, cloud infrastructure, identities, and SaaS applications over the past year.

This report provides you with a comprehensive view of this threat landscape, including new twists on existing adversary techniques, and the trends that our team has observed as adversaries continue to organize, commoditize, and ratchet up their cybercrime operations.

As the technology that we rely on to conduct business continues to evolve, so do the threats that we face. Here are some of our key findings:

·        Everyone is migrating to the cloud, including bad guys: Cloud Accounts was the fourth most prevalent ATT&CK technique we detected this year, increasing 16-fold in detection volume and affecting three times as many customers as last year.

·        Despite a spate of new CVEs, humans remained the primary vulnerability that adversaries took advantage of in 2023. Adversaries used compromised identities to access cloud service APIs, execute payroll fraud with email forwarding rules, launch ransomware attacks, and more.

·        While both defenders and cybercriminals have discovered use cases for generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), we see defenders as having the edge.

·        Container technology is omnipresent, and it’s as important as ever to secure your Linux systems to prevent adversaries from escaping to host systems.

·        Mac threats are no myth–this year we saw more stealer activity on macOS environments than ever, along with instances of reflective code loading and AppleScript abuse.

·        Often dismissed, malvertising threats delivered payloads far more serious than adware, as exemplified by the Red Canary-named Charcoal Stork, our most prevalent threat of the year, and related malware ChromeLoader and SmashJacker.

·        Our new industry analysis showcases how adversaries reliably leverage the same small set of 10-20 techniques against organizations, regardless of their sector or industry.

We also check back on the timeless threats and techniques that are prevalent year-after-year, explore emerging ones that are worth keeping an eye on, and introduce two new free tools that security teams can start using immediately.

Use this report to:

·        Explore the most prevalent and impactful threats, techniques, and trends that we’ve observed.

·        Note how adversaries are evolving their tradecraft as organizations continue their shift to cloud-based identity, infrastructure, and applications.

·        Learn how to emulate, mitigate, and detect specific threats and techniques.

·        Shape and inform your readiness, detection, and response to critical threats.

Behind the data Methodology

The Threat Detection Report sets itself apart from other annual reports with its unique data and insights derived from a combination of expansive detection coverage and expert, human-led investigation and confirmation of threats. The data that powers Red Canary and this report are not mere software signals—this data set is the result of hundreds of thousands of expert investigations across millions of protected systems. Each of the nearly 60,000 threats that we responded to have one thing in common: These threats weren’t prevented by our customers’ expansive security controls—they are the product of a breadth and depth of analytics that we use to detect the threats that would otherwise go undetected.

Comments

Using AI to train a programmable robot is probably not a risk. Using AI to streamline automated payments within your Operating System and Business Databases should be controllable with strong Cyber Security capability. Making the Cloud non-hackable looks difficult. Developing something like the Israelis used against Hizballah looks promising. We need to avoid “never-ending Measures and Countermeasures”.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

 

Deferred Resignation Offered 1-31-25

Trump administration offering "deferred resignation" to government workers unwilling to return to office

By Jennifer Jacobs, Nancy Cordes, January 28, 2025, CBS News 

The White House expects up to 10% of federal employees to quit in September in a program meant to end work-from-home practices, senior administration officials told CBS News. 

A government-wide email President Trump's aides planned to send Tuesday says employees have until Feb. 6 to decide whether to participate in a "deferred resignation program," which would give federal employees the ability to decide now that they will resign in September.

"If you resign under this program, you will retain all pay and benefits regardless of your daily workload and will be exempted from all applicable in-person work requirements until September 30, 2025 (or earlier if you choose to accelerate your resignation for any reason)," the email states. 

Only about 6% of federal employees work full-time in offices, administration officials said. There are about 2 million federal government employees across the country, which means that the administration expects that as many as 200,000 may take the government's offer. 

Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff for policy, said Tuesday on CNN, "The 2 million employees in the federal government are overwhelmingly left of center." Because Mr. Trump was elected, "it is essential for him to get control of government," establish a process for political appointees and review discretionary spending grants, Miller said.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-administration-offering-buyouts-to-government-workers-unwilling-to-return-to-office/

Comments

Of the 2 million federal employees who are working from home, 200,000 are expected to take the deal. This “Deferred Resignation Plan” is similar to Big Company “Downsizing” offers made by IBM and other large companies. The Government Employees who are eligible and are age 62, will likely move to “retirement”. Younger Federal Employees may also take the offer and use the compensation extension through September to find another job. Employees who decide to take the Deferred Resignation Plan will need to respond by

When Obama left office in 2000, many agency-based employees left quietly on their own to join “think tanks” and other Left-Wing organizations.

This Deferred Resignation plan notification deadline of February 6. This gives new Agency Directors the time to carefully select replacements or use the resignations to reorganize, automate and downsize.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

 

Return to Office EO 1-31-25

OPM directs agencies to quickly comply with Trump’s return-to-office mandate. By Drew Friedman 1-23-25 

Agencies should aim for a 30-day deadline to implement Trump’s return-to-office executive order, according to a memo from the Office of Personnel Management.

No numbers of employees returning to their offices have been reported.  We should have more data in February, as employees return, retire or quit.

Total Federal Civilian Employment in the US is 1.85 million.  Living in DC are 141.367 employees. Other employees are scattered throughout the States.

https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/data-analysis-documentation/federal-e

According to data from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), around 160,452 civilian federal employees are aged 60-64, which would include a significant portion of those aged 62 and older; additionally, there are roughly 72,931 federal employees aged 65 or older. 

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

 

US Recovery Timeline 1-30-25

The successful implementation of the Trump Agenda is needed to restore the US economy. Removal of Federal Regulations will accelerate recovery.  

Federal Cabinet appointments are being confirmed at the rate of 6 per week. There are 40 cabinet-level and top Federal Department appointees to be confirmed. The goal is to confirm 12 cabinet-level Appointees per week. The confirmation rate needs to be accelerated to fill these jobs in February 2025. Democrats are attempting to delay the confirmation process.  The US Senate has confirmed: Marco Rubio – State Dept, John Ratcliffe – CIA, Kristi Noem-Homeland Security, Pete Hegseth – DOD, Scott Bessent-Treasury, Sean Duffy – Transportation.

Pam Bondi is expected to be confirmed as Attorney General on this week.

The U.S. process for confirming a cabinet takes longer than almost all other countries. The US Senate takes 61 days to approve Presidential Appointees. S. Korea takes 96 days to approve Cabinet Appointees.

https://presidentialtransition.org/the-u-s-process-for-confirming-a-cabinet-takes-longer/

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Howard Lutnick and Kelly Loeffler will sit for Senate confirmation hearings today, starting at 9:00 a.m.

Trump Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi is also expected to get a Senate Judiciary Committee vote today.

https://www.foxnews.com/live-news/president-trump-cabinet-senate-confirmation-hearings-1-29-25

In 2024, the US federal government is projected to spend $1.67 trillion on Medicare, Medicaid, and ACA subsidies for insurance companies. This is more than the entire discretionary budget. 

The Federal Budget CR Bill passage is expected to be approved by May 2025. This Budget should include lowering the Corporate Tax from 21% to 15%. This should allow US manufacturing jobs to grow. This CR should also include a 20% increase in the IRS Standard Exemption for 2024 to adjust for the Biden cumulative Inflation, but it doesn’t.

Federal Spending reductions are driven by DOGE recommendations. Federal Employee resignations, layoffs and the hiring freeze should lower the cost and lower the $1 trillion annual federal debt interest cost. Automating federal work will require funding to upgrade federal computer systems and data bases.

Federal Court Appointments: Federal Prosecutors in Court Districts throughout the US will be asked for their resignations. Some of these Prosecutors might be reappointed, but many will be replaced.

Ending NGO funding for Illegal Migrants should accelerate the deportation of all Illegal Migrants.

US jobs should increase as Illegals are deported. 65% of Illegals are employed in the US. If 10 million Illegals are employed in the US, they are occupying 6.5 million US jobs.  When E-Verify is required, US private sector jobs will become available to US citizens. In December 2024, the US had 1.6 million long-term unemployed. As Illegals are deported and companies are required to hire US citizens, the 1.6 million unemployed could take 25% of these jobs. The remaining 75% or 4.9 million jobs could go to younger workers who actually can speak English.  High School Students could actually retake retail and restaurant part-time and summer jobs. If manufacturing jobs increase in the US, many of those working in retail and restaurants will move to manufacturing. This happened in the 1970s with the integrated circuit at Texas Instrument and Automation. This continued into the1980s with the Electronics, PC and Telecom revolution.

Comments

End of Life care in Hospice should be chosen by patients and their families. Remaining at home and using treatment at home and in hospitals may also be chosen by patients and their families. Home Healthcare may also be chosen by patients and their families.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

 

Hiring Freeze 1-30-25

January 20, 2025 Whitehouse 

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby order a freeze on the hiring of Federal civilian employees, to be applied throughout the executive branch.  As part of this freeze, no Federal civilian position that is vacant at noon on January 20, 2025, may be filled, and no new position may be created except as otherwise provided for in this memorandum or other applicable law.  Except as provided below, this freeze applies to all executive departments and agencies regardless of their sources of operational and programmatic funding.

This order does not apply to military personnel of the armed forces or to positions related to immigration enforcement, national security, or public safety.  Moreover, nothing in this memorandum shall adversely impact the provision of Social Security, Medicare, or Veterans’ benefits.  In addition, the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) may grant exemptions from this freeze where those exemptions are otherwise necessary.

Within 90 days of the date of this memorandum, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), in consultation with the Director of OPM and the Administrator of the United States DOGE Service (USDS), shall submit a plan to reduce the size of the Federal Government’s workforce through efficiency improvements and attrition.  Upon issuance of the OMB plan, this memorandum shall expire for all executive departments and agencies, with the exception of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).  This memorandum shall remain in effect for the IRS until the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Director of OMB and the Administrator of USDS, determines that it is in the national interest to lift the freeze.

Contracting outside the Federal Government to circumvent the intent of this memorandum is prohibited.

In carrying out this memorandum, the heads of executive departments and agencies shall seek efficient use of existing personnel and funds to improve public services and the delivery of these services.  Accordingly, this memorandum does not prohibit making reallocations to meet the highest priority needs, maintain essential services, and protect national security, homeland security, and public safety.

This memorandum does not limit the nomination and appointment of officials to positions requiring Presidential appointment or Senate confirmation, the appointment of officials to non-career positions in the Senior Executive Service or to Schedule A or C positions in the Excepted Service, the appointment of officials through temporary organization hiring authority pursuant to section 3161 of title 5, United States Code, or the appointment of any other non-career employees or officials if approved by agency leadership appointed by the President.  Moreover, it does not limit the hiring of personnel where such a limit would conflict with applicable law.

This memorandum does not abrogate any collective bargaining agreement in effect on the date of this memorandum.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/hiring-freeze/

Comments

This EO cancels the hiring of 80,000 IRS Agents

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

 

Labor Management Relations 1-29-25

President John F. Kennedy authorized federal employees to unionize in 1962 when he signed Executive Order 10988, which granted them the right to collectively bargain with their agencies. 

In 2025, more than a million federal civilian workers are represented by unions. The biggest are the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which represents some 800,000 workers in the federal and D.C. governments, and the National Treasury Employees Union, which represents another 150,000 workers.

Agency labor relations specialists support agency leadership to help mitigate the risk of committing violations of the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute (the Statute) or a collective bargaining agreement (CBA). They may provide advisory and consultation services to management to address areas such as grievances, negotiated agreements, and policy analysis and interpretation in union matters or serve as the agency representative for third-party matters such as arbitration, unfair labor practice, and impasse hearings. On this page, you can find tools and resources developed by OPM to assist agency specialists in performing these functions.

List of Unions that Consult with OPM

The following unions have a national consultation relationship with OPM. Learn more about how these unions support the federal workforce. 

·        Association of Civilian Technicians

·        American Federation of Government Employee (AFGE)

·        American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)

·        Federal Education Association

·        International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW)

·        International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE)

·        Laborers' International Union of North America (LIUNA)

·        Metal Trades Department

·        National Association of Government Employees - Service Employees International Union (NAGE SEIU)

·        National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA)

·        National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE)

·        National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU)

·        National Weather Service Employees Organization (NWSEO)

·        Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS)

·        Patent Office Professional Association (POPA)

https://www.opm.gov/labor-management-relations/labor-management-relations/

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader

 

Federal Employee Pension Rules 1-29-25

Federal government pension rules are based on age, years of service, and salary history. The Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS) is a defined-benefit plan that provides a pension or annuity to federal employees. 

Eligibility To be eligible for a FERS pension, you must work for the federal government for at least five years 

To be eligible for a full, unreduced pension, you must meet one of the following requirements: 

Be 62 years old with five years of service 

Be 60 years old with 20 years of service 

Be at your minimum retirement age (MRA) with 30 years of service  

You may be eligible for a deferred annuity if you leave federal service before meeting the age and service requirements for an immediate retirement benefit 

Funding 

Your FERS pension is funded by automatic deductions from your basic pay

The amount of the deduction depends on your position and the date of your first federal appointment

Additional benefits

You may also be eligible for Social Security retirement benefits, which are based on your earnings averaged over most of your working career 

You may be able to choose to reduce your annuity to provide a larger annuity for your spouse or former spouse 

https://www.google.com/search?q=federal+government+pension+rules

The IRS recently announced the cost-of-living adjustments applicable to certain dollar limits for employee pension benefit plans for 2025. The resulting dollar limits are as follows: The annual benefit limit for defined benefit plans is increased from $275,000 to $280,000.

https://www.google.com/search?q=federal+government+pension+rules&oq=federal+employee+pension+rules&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqCAgBEAAYFhgeMgYIABBFGDkyCAgBEAAYFhgeMggIAhAAGBYYHjILCAMQABgWGB4YiwMyDQgEEAAYChgWGB4YiwMyCwgFEAAYFhgeGIsDMhAIBhAAGIYDGIsDGIAEGIoFMhAIBxAAGIYDGIsDGIAEGIoFMhAICBAAGIYDGIsDGIAEGIoFMhAICRAAGIYDGIsDGIAEGIoF0gEJMzMyOThqMWo3qAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

According to data from Pew Research Center, the average working tenure for civilian federal government employees is around 11.8 years. This is significantly higher than the median tenure for private sector jobs, which is typically around 3.7 years. 

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader