Latest news with #OfficeofPresidentialPersonnel
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump to host thousands of admin officials for one of the largest events ever on White House lawn
EXCLUSIVE: President Donald Trump on Wednesday evening is hosting the more than 3,000 political appointees in his administration for one of the largest events ever held on the White House lawn to celebrate their work, Fox News Digital has learned. The event will be the first time ever that the president has invited all individuals hired across all departments to the White House at the same time for the same event, officials told Fox News Digital. Trump Admin Breaking Modern Presidential Staffing Records, Hiring 'Thousands Of America First Warriors' Traditionally, events are held over several shifts for each department, but Wednesday's event will honor the more than 3,000 individuals hired for the second Trump administration. "This is his team. These are his people," an official told Fox News Digital. "These are individuals who are hand-selected by the president to work in the administration delivering on the historic mandate that he received in November." The president will attend the event and address the attendees. Most members of the Cabinet will also attend. Read On The Fox News App Those familiar with the planning of the event told Fox News Digital that there will be food and entertainment for staff. "President Trump's Office of Presidential Personnel is breaking hiring records at an unprecedented pace," Director of Presidential Personnel Sergio Gor told Fox News Digital. "In just 135 days, we have filled 91% of all political appointments across the U.S. government, a historic achievement." Gor told Fox News Digital that "the quality of talent that we've assembled is remarkable." Trump And Melania To Headline Power-player Packed Kennedy Center Opening Night "Each political appointee in the Trump administration is unwavering in their commitment to this president and his goal to make America great again," Gor said. Since the president took office Jan. 20, the administration has hired more than 3,200 appointees. An official in the Office of Presidential Personnel told Fox News Digital that at the Departments of Defense, Commerce and Treasury, more than 85% of political hires are complete; at the Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and Homeland Security, 90% of political hires are complete; and at the Department of Veterans Affairs, 100% of political hires are complete. The official told Fox News Digital that the administration is filled with individuals who have served as Fortune 500 executives, accomplished business leaders, technical experts and "dedicated aides that are working to ensure that President Trump continues to deliver for the American people." "We have hired the best and brightest to make America great again and advance the America First agenda," the official said. Trump's Cabinet was also confirmed in record time, with officials noting that none of his Cabinet-level nominees failed in committee or on the Senate floor for article source: Trump to host thousands of admin officials for one of the largest events ever on White House lawn
New York Post
7 days ago
- Business
- New York Post
Trump to host thousands of admin officials for one of the largest events ever on White House lawn
President Donald Trump on Wednesday evening is hosting the more than 3,000 political appointees in his administration for one of the largest events ever held on the White House lawn to celebrate their work, Fox News Digital has learned. The event will be the first time ever that the president has invited all individuals hired across all departments to the White House at the same time for the same event, officials told Fox News Digital. Advertisement Traditionally, events are held over several shifts for each department, but Wednesday's event will honor the more than 3,000 individuals hired for the second Trump administration. 'This is his team. These are his people,' an official told Fox News Digital. 'These are individuals who are hand-selected by the president to work in the administration delivering on the historic mandate that he received in November.' The president will attend the event and address the attendees. Most members of the Cabinet will also attend. Advertisement Those familiar with the planning of the event told Fox News Digital that there will be food and entertainment for staff. 3 President Donald Trump will host an event at the White House lawn on Wednesday for his more than 3,000 political appointees in his administration. AP 'President Trump's Office of Presidential Personnel is breaking hiring records at an unprecedented pace,' Director of Presidential Personnel Sergio Gor told Fox News Digital. 'In just 135 days, we have filled 91% of all political appointments across the U.S. government, a historic achievement.' Advertisement Gor told Fox News Digital that 'the quality of talent that we've assembled is remarkable.' 3 Officials told Fox News Digital that this will be the first time a president has invited all members hired across all departments to the White House at the same time for a singular event. Christopher Sadowski 'Each political appointee in the Trump administration is unwavering in their commitment to this president and his goal to make America great again,' Gor said. Since the president took office Jan. 20, the administration has hired more than 3,200 appointees. Advertisement An official in the Office of Presidential Personnel told Fox News Digital that at the Departments of Defense, Commerce and Treasury, more than 85% of political hires are complete; at the Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and Homeland Security, 90% of political hires are complete; and at the Department of Veterans Affairs, 100% of political hires are complete. 3 The events are usually held across several shifts for each department, but Wednesday's event will honor all those hired by the second Trump administration. Getty Images The official told Fox News Digital that the administration is filled with individuals who have served as Fortune 500 executives, accomplished business leaders, technical experts and 'dedicated aides that are working to ensure that President Trump continues to deliver for the American people.' 'We have hired the best and brightest to make America great again and advance the America First agenda,' the official said. Trump's Cabinet was also confirmed in record time, with officials noting that none of his Cabinet-level nominees failed in committee or on the Senate floor for confirmation.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Trump took over the Kennedy Center. And then placed his allies on the board.
President Donald Trump has officially commandeered the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Washington institution that's partially funded by the federal government and has been known — up until now, at least — as a major hub for artistic and cultural performances. Trump announced last week that he was removing the Kennedy Center's longtime chairman, David Rubenstein, and naming himself the chairman. He also said he'd replace members of the board of trustees and falsely claimed that the center had hosted drag shows targeting young people. The context here is that conservatives obsessively complain about — and often have sought to ban — art and cultural institutions they don't like. And drag shows, both real and imagined, have become a scapegoat for conservatives to promote their censorship efforts. On Wednesday, the Kennedy Center's new board officially voted to make Trump chairman. Here are some of the people he has tapped to serve on the board: Himself Second lady Usha Vance White House chief of staff Susie Wiles Susie Wiles' mother, Cheri Summerall Deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino Trump megadonor Patricia Duggan Country singer Lee Greenwood Allison Lutnick, wife of commerce secretary nominee Howard Lutnick Sergio Gor, director of the Office of Presidential Personnel Emilia May Fanjul, wife of Trump donor and sugar magnate Pepe Fanjul Pamela Gross, first lady Melania Trump's former White House adviser Dana Blumberg, wife of Trump-aligned businessman and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft Andrea Wynn, wife of Trump-aligned businessman Steve Wynn Mindy Levine, wife of New York Yankees President Randy Levine The Kennedy Center's longtime president, Deborah Rutter, had recently said she would leave her position at the end of the year, but on Wednesday she announced her early departure. Trump ally Richard Grenell will take her position in the interim. I can only imagine the sort of programming this peculiar assortment of people will come up with. Perhaps Trump-supporting rapper Lil Pump will have room in his schedule. Or, maybe, right-wing comedian Tony Hinchcliffe. One of the best summations of what Trump appears to be after with this power grab, and what he stands to gain, has come from The Washington Post's Robin Givhan, who wrote a piece explaining why Trump's moves here are 'petty but powerful.' 'The president doesn't merely want to break the government bureaucracy. He wants to reprogram what the arts mean to the American people,' she wrote. 'He is coming after their heart. Their imagination. Their elusive spirit.' This passage from Givhan explains it all: Trump is setting himself up to be the culture police. That's tantamount to regulating the degree to which people are encouraged to think broadly, to conceive of ways to make the impossible a reality, to marvel at the fragile majesty of nature, to protest, to laugh, to find cathartic release. To dream with abandon. That is the power of the arts, after all. I agree with Givhan here. Art can be a form of resistance in times such as ours, in which far-right forces are bearing down on people who dare to use the arts to express views they disagree with. All the more reason to be suspicious of Trump controlling one of the most esteemed artistic institutions in the country. This article was originally published on
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Government watchdogs fired by Trump are suing to get their jobs back
Eight former inspectors general fired by the Trump administration are suing to regain their jobs. Their lawsuit says the administration violated federal laws protecting them from interference. Efforts by the Trump White House to shrink the federal workforce have been met with legal challenges. Eight former federal inspectors general who were fired from their independent watchdog roles are suing to regain their positions, marking the latest legal challenge to President Donald Trump's administration. The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in a federal district court in Washington, DC, accused the administration of violating "unambiguous" federal laws designed to protect inspectors general from "interference" in their nonpartisan oversight duties. One law, the Securing Inspector General Independence Act — passed in 2022 with bipartisan support — requires the president to give Congress advanced notice before removing an inspector general, and to provide a "substantive rationale, including detailed and case-specific reasons." The lawsuit claims that Trump ignored these laws just days into his current term, and instead dismissed them via a "two-sentence email sent by the director or deputy director of the Office of Presidential Personnel." As a result, the lawsuit said they lost access to their government email accounts, computer systems, and government-issued devices, and were barred from entering the government buildings they were assigned to work in. The former inspectors general represented eight federal agencies — the Departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs, Health and Human Services, State, Agriculture, Education, and Labor, as well as the Small Business Administration. The lawsuit named Trump and the heads of those agencies as defendants. The lawsuit said the inspectors general are seeking redress for their "unlawful and unjustified" terminations. They're demanding to be reinstated until the president removes them from their posts in accordance with the law. The Trump administration did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider. Congress created the inspectors general in 1978, in the aftermath of the Watergate scandal, to combat fraud and abuse. It subsequently granted the federal watchdogs the authority to investigate and audit agency activities. The removal of the inspectors general last month drew criticism from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer described them as a "chilling purge" that he said showed Trump is "terrified of accountability." Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican, said in January that she didn't understand why "one would fire individuals whose mission is to root out waste, fraud, and abuse." The lawsuit comes amid efforts by the Trump administration, spearheaded by Elon Musk, to shrink the federal workforce. Measures have included a federal worker buyout, a return-to-office mandate, a hiring freeze, and the removal of DEI roles. Some of these efforts have triggered their own legal challenges. Unions sued to halt the deferred resignation program for federal workers, but on Wednesday a federal judge lifted an order blocking the Office of Personal Management from enforcing the deferred resignation deadline. Read the original article on Business Insider
CNN
12-02-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Government watchdogs fired by Trump sue to get their jobs back
Eight inspectors general whom Donald Trump fired from their federal agency watchdog posts are suing for their jobs back, adding to the legal scrutiny over Trump's first weeks of decisions in the White House and raising questions about his political intentions. They say that Trump shouldn't have been able to fire them in late January without first notifying Congress and that the White House ignored regulations around their removal that existed to protect them from political interference and retribution. The administration's 'actions have inflicted substantial damage on the critical oversight ethos of transparency, truth-telling without fear or favor, and respect for the rule of law,' the lawsuit, filed in Washington, DC's federal court on Wednesday, states. The lawsuit is the latest among more than four dozen filed in federal courts to challenge swift, early executive actions by the Trump administration. Many of the lawsuits, like Wednesday's, allege that Trump's White House is depriving Congress of some of its power. The IG's case adds to a pile of challenges from government workers the Trump administration has removed from various posts — especially those in independent or non-political roles. The dismissals also raise questions over Trump and temporary government adviser Elon Musk's adversarial approach to existing, long-established federal corruption watchdogs, at a time Trump and Musk are dismantling parts of the government, citing in part a desire to root out corruption. Trump's dismissal of 18 IGs happened in the first week of his second term, when the watchdogs each received two-sentence emails titled 'White House Notification' from the Office of Presidential Personnel. The reason they were given was 'changing priorities,' which is not a sufficient reason under the law, their lawsuit claims. Soon after, the IG's government email access was shut off, and they couldn't return to their office buildings. 'Their purported removals were legal nullities, and so they remain the duly appointed IGs of their respective agencies, unless and until the President lawfully removes them in compliance,' attorneys for the eight IGs wrote. 'Plaintiffs' integrity has been baselessly maligned publicly, with the abrupt and unlawful nature of their purported removals incorrectly implying that plaintiffs have done something wrong when in fact they have each done nothing but uphold the values of their positions and the IG community,' the suit adds. The IGs allege Trump has told Congress – as is required by law – nothing. The lawsuit instead points out the president commented to the press some IGs 'were not doing their job.' Trump fired a 19th inspector general, the USAID's watchdog, this week. The inspectors general, in positions across many government agencies, work to find and prevent waste, fraud and abuse within federal departments. The IGs say their work is non-partisan and ultimately saves taxpayers billions of dollars, protects vulnerable Americans' rights and safeguards national security, according to the complaint. Those whom Trump fired include IGs at crucial departments including Defense, Health and Human Services, State and Veterans Affairs who say their work has saved the agencies millions of dollars. One of the IGs who is suing, Phyllis Fong, had been in her position at the Department of Agriculture for more than 20 years. After Fong was told she was fired, she continued to go to work, 'recognizing that her termination was not effective because it failed to comply with the IG Act's requirements,' her attorneys wrote, until her federal badge was deactivated and her computer and phone were taken back by the Department of Agriculture. Several of those who are suing had worked under Trump during his first term in the presidency, and one, Hannibal 'Mike' Ware of the Small Business Administration, had been Trump's nominee for the post in 2018. The other IGs who are suing are: Robert Storch of the Defense Department; Michael Missal of Veterans Affairs; Christi Grimm of Health and Human Services; Cardell Richardson of the State Department; Sandra Bruce of the Education Department; and Larry Turner of the Department of Labor.
