re: #218 lawhawk

How can Trump make good on his promise to fix the VA if they’re subject to that hiring freeze too. Part of the problem is that there are vacancies in positions critical to improving the VA’s customer-facing operations. If those positions go unfilled, that means longer lines, wait times, etc., because there aren’t enough people to do the job.

Same thing with the IRS. The GOP has been slowly starving the IRS for years, and complaining about customer service for even longer. Gutting the IRS enforcement and audit branches might reduce the chances you get an audit, but it also means that less revenue is collected as more people get away with improper credits, deductions, etc. That takes people to review returns and to answer phones to address tax questions.

Even Trump’s nominee Mnuchin addressed this in his confirmation hearing that the IRS was undermanned - he was surprised at how undermanned it was, and that this was reducing the amount of revenue collected and expected by lawmakers.

So yeah, it doesn’t make much sense, but we’re talking GOP math here. It never makes any sense.

They will hire more private contractors.