Trump hires campaign workers instead of farm experts at USDA
Source: Politico
Truck driver, landscaper among political appointees at agency headquarters.
By JENNY HOPKINSON
09/21/2017 05:09 AM EDT
President Donald Trump’s appointees to jobs at Agriculture Department headquarters include a long-haul truck driver, a country club cabana attendant and the owner of a scented-candle company.
A POLITICO review of dozens of résumés from political appointees to USDA shows the agency has been stocked with Trump campaign staff and volunteers who in many cases demonstrated little to no experience with federal policy, let alone deep roots in agriculture. But of the 42 résumés POLITICO reviewed, 22 cited Trump campaign experience. And based on their résumés, some of those appointees appear to lack credentials, such as a college degree, required to qualify for higher government salaries.
It’s typical for presidents to reward loyalists with jobs once a campaign is over. But what’s different under Trump, sources familiar with the department's inner workings say, is the number of campaign staffers who have gotten positions and the jobs and salaries they have been hired for, despite not having solid agricultural credentials in certain cases. An inexperienced staff can lead to mistakes and sidetrack a president’s agenda, the sources say.
“There is a clear prioritization of one attribute, and that is loyalty,” said Austin Evers, American Oversight's executive director, who provided the documents after his organization received them in response to a Freedom of Information Act request. He said the group sought résumés for Trump administration political appointees from across the federal government and found an abundance of former campaign workers in positions that did not appear to match their qualifications. “The theme that emerges is pretty clear: What do you have to do to get an administration job? Work on the campaign,” he added.
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Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2017/09/21/trump-agriculture-department-usda-campaign-workers-242951
Link to tweet
Donald Trump is pictured. | AP Photo
Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with local farmers at Bedners Farm Fresh Market in Boynton Beach, Fla., on Oct. 24. | Evan Vucci/AP Photo
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Their goal is to break the Federal Government, including well-functioning, highly valuable components such as USDA.
And, a competent civil service, largely free of political influence, is a bulwark against fascism. Can't have that.
My guess is that the good USDA employees will do double duty covering for the former campaign workers. Unless and until the career civil servants express some sort of legitimate grievance against dump and the assault on the Federal workforce, in which case the dump loyalists will report their asses for disciplinary action.
USDA employees on suicide watch.
And clovis hasn't even started there yet.
did not pay them for their last pay period. Instead, he told them that instead of being paid, they would be employed by the USDA -- just hold tight and Jarad would contact them. 
