The Trump Administration just offered up bizarre and insulting advice for furloughed federal workers, proposing that they beg their landlords to exchange manual labor for rent while they go without pay during President Trump’s self-inflicted government shutdown.
The government shutdown left 800,000 federal workers struggling to pay their bills during the holidays while the president obsessed over placating right-wing talk radio hosts and playing hardball to get his monument to racism built in the desert.
Today, the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) proposed some absurdly off-the-wall and out-of-touch ways for federal workers to live without money, like speaking to the personal attornies that they must assume literally everybody has, considering that nearly entire Trump team has been forced to hire lawyers to defend themselves from Special Counsel Mueller’s Trump-Russia probe.
Feds, here are sample letters you may use as a guide when working with your creditors during this furlough. If you need legal advice please consult with your personal attorney. https://t.co/t6h6OzALsS
— U.S. Office of Personnel Management (@USOPM) December 27, 2018
The sample letters (embedded below) linked in that tweet by Trump’s OPM propose sending furloughed federal workers who are renters with landlords into something akin to feudal serfdom straight out of the Middle Ages.
I will keep in touch with you to keep you informed about my income status and I would like to discuss with you the possibility of trading my services to perform maintenance (e.g. painting, carpentry work) in exchange for partial rent payments.
The idea is stunningly callous and is yet another sharp reminder that this administration cares little for the well-being of the American people, not even willing to left a finger to sincerely help the people who make their own government function and are currently suffering thanks to the President’s childish obstinance.
Trump is even benefitting directly from his own government shutdown by getting delays in the lawsuits and court cases aiming to put a stop to the illegal foreign and domestic emolument payments he keeps raking in.
Meanwhile, federal workers won’t see any relief until Democrats take back the House and Nancy Pelosi is sworn in as Speaker just over a week from now and vote to re-open the government — provided that Trump will sign a new budget bill without getting the money for his wall, which he so far has indicated he is unwilling to do.
Read the bizarre instructions from the Trump Administration to federal workers here:
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/5669799-Sample-Letters-for-Creditors-Mortgage-Companies.html#pages
