Sen. Lisa Murkowski complained about the email that federal workers received over the weekend from the Trump Administration, asking them to explain what they had accomplished during the week prior on behalf of taxpayers.
Murkowski thinks that Elon Musk just isn’t up to the task of cutting government.
“If Elon Musk truly wants to understand what federal workers accomplished over the past week, he should get to know each department and agency, and learn about the jobs he’s trying to cut. Our public servants work hard to ensure that our national security is protected; that planes land safely; that forest fires do not spread to our homes; that Social Security checks arrive on time; that research for the breakthroughs needed to cure diseases like cancer and ALS continues; and much more. Our public workforce deserves to be treated with dignity and respect for the unheralded jobs they perform. The absurd weekend email to justify their existence wasn’t it,” Murkowski wrote on X/Twitter.
It was the same angry tone Alaska’s senator took last week during her phone town hall meeting with Alaskans. She is very much at war with the Trump Administration over budget cuts, federal layoffs, and the manner in which Trump is attempting to end the war in Ukraine.
“If we feel that we have a bloat in our system, or redundancy in our system or inefficiency, we can address that. But you do it with respect and dignity towards people, and we are just not seeing that,” Murkowski said of budget cuts. “You do not treat people in this manner.”
Over the weekend, the Department of Government Efficiency, led by Musk, sent letters to federal employees, asking them to explain what work they had done the prior week. The goal is to determine if federal workers are even checking their emails, in an effort to determine how many “ghost” employees may be on the payroll. Failure to respond to the memo may be justification for presuming the employee is resigning, Musk said.
Murkowski thought that approach was “absurd” and didn’t see why federal workers have to “justify their existence.”
I am absolutely convinced of it now – Beavis & Butthead are the illegitimate children of her and Chuck Schumer.
Awwww. Princess Pork is unhappy her voting base might shrink.
A sure sign Musk is doing a good job.
The private sector does this all the time. In fact if we don’t produce we get shown to the door. So lovely Lisa fume all you want. The American tax payers deserve production. My dad’s old saying (No work No eat). Of course this is something you would not understand Bellied up to the trough.
I guess she doesn’t want to have to justify her existence by telling us how she is refusing to represent us in the Senate. Go figure.
How is it these federal employees think they are special??? It’s mind boggling to me. It’s a JOB. Produce something or hit the road.
We never heard all this crying from federal employees when oil patch workers or mine workers were getting laid off in mass.
Let’s see if Federal workers need to
“Justify their existence “
When their budget comes around ! !
We The People
When do we get to read an article relating to Murkowski actually doing the job her constituents sent her back to DC to do?
“Our public servants work hard to ensure that our national security is protected; that planes land safely; that forest fires do not spread to our homes; that Social Security checks arrive on time; that research for the breakthroughs needed to cure diseases like cancer and ALS continues; and much more.”
-Lisa M.
You don’t need to be a genius to see that they have failed at all of this. More so during the last 4 years. Cut it all. Cut all the bloated government. We can do bad all by ourselves.
Murkowski is personally offended by such a memo because should wouldn’t be able to come up with bullet points for five beneficial things she has done in the last several terms in office, much less last week. Cry, cry, cry, then just go away, Lisa.
Easy way to find out Lisa. If they are not in their office on Friday afternoon– -They are Fired. Lisa Quit EXPECTING the People in Food Production , Transportation Construction, Manufacturing, Tech, Energy etc, etc, etc. from having to carry the RESPONSIBILITY of keeping ALL FEDERAL WORKERS warm, happy, pensioned, lots of no work holidays, extra days off, vacation pay etc,etc,etc—and not be at their job on FRIDAY AFTERNOON, and still Charge all the Real Workers for their ABSENCE —AWOL.One last thing Lisa, Cut the Budget and Debt—Do Your Job Lisa.
Trump isn’t the problem, lisa is. She’s been there in DC for a considerable amount of time and what a mess the federal government is.
Blame Lisa and biden!
This is an example of someone that thinks we don’t get it!
In my experience, working construction management in a wide variety of areas in AK907, we always had to account for daily and/or weekly progress. Maybe(?), now that we understand the extent of the “waste – fraud – abuse – grift – theft – lying – debauchery” we should also ask our elected leaders to provide similar progress reports, to ensure we’re getting the biggest bang for our tax dollars, something that they’re supposedly shepparding on our behalf? Seems reasonable in this day of transparency, and if they balk at the request – demand, might prove that they have something to hide and maybe not the best fiduciary that we deserve.
Maybe Musk should ask the Senior Senator to fill out one of those questionnaires as well. Just passing on a friends comment.
Cheers, A.M.Johnson-Ketchikan
Maybe federal workers need a wake-up call; as persons working in the private sector DO require justifying their jobs…particularly retaining them! Seems logical to most of us who understand capitalism & entrepreneurship, viz. working within the engine of capital creation.
Where was Murkowski when Biden cut oil lease sales, locked up Alaska from development, cut 10,000 jobs of the Lower 48 pipeline, the attacks on Alaskans from the IRS?
In other words, little Lisa wants President Trump to rely on the very same deep state the defied him in his first administration. She is literally cheering for him to fail.
You work for us Lisa. Answer up. So far I am not happy with the job you are doing.
Once again, Lisa shows her true colors. She is counting on every federal employee and state employees vote. That’s all she cares about. What she doesn’t see is that asking people to do this simple task will help us thin out the federal payroll. Some people will take a stand that they do not have to do such a silly task and will not. And in doing so they removed from the payroll this will make them feel much better about themselves and will make me happy as well. I will not have to support them any longer with my tax dollars.
Until we turn over Congress, vote them all out we’re going to continue to receive poor representation. Lisa has shown total disregard for her constituents
Lisa, listen to me:
The tide has turned, and you are about to go underwater. Listen to your dear ole dad, before you drown in government worker’s tears. You look like a fool.
Historically on our planet, conflicts, in this case between “the Left” and “right”, have been most effective to Ely resolved by “blitz” approaches as the “opposition hasn’t time to plan a response. Bureaucracies are very powerful, hence, once made aware of adversarial activity, can use their bureaucratic tools to stymy attacks.
Has Lame Duck Lisa ignored that Congress always could have pursued government accountability and spending responsibility?
This woman (Murkowski) is so obviously corrupt. Who with even half a brain would have a problem with auditing our bloated and completely out of control corrupted government unless of course they themselves were totally on the take and about to be exposed !
Workers in the private sector are required to justify their existence – why not the Federal employees????? I’m thinking that the workers classified as “non-essential” during shutdowns are still nonessential and need to be culled.
Like most of the Assembly.
She can fume and complain all she wants she’s been senator since 2002. Can somebody tell me what she has done the cost cut waste fraud abuse? I’m here to tell you, she is just another deep state senator. 😔
And the thing that she just sat by and allowed sleepy Joe to shut Alaska down! She is a terrible senator and does not represent Alaska or the United States of America.
Blah! Blah!! Blah!!
Thank you Senator Murkowski for standing up for uis!
Yet, most public school teachers are required to turn in weekly lesson plans to their supervisors every week. It didn’t used to be that way, but in the last decade, it has become the norm. Now, it is time for some equitable treatment for those consuming our taxes.
BS on everything THE WICKED WITCH OF THE NORTH has to say. Lisa – You and your cronies have had plenty of time to address the things you now say you can address. TIMES UP! America is waking up and you and your buddy Dan better catch up or get out. We know about “Bringing Home the Bacon for Alaska”. That game became over when it required our Country to belly up.
1,400 Alaskans have now lost their jobs. No consideration was employed about why they should be terminated other than that they were probationary employees.
In the companies that I’ve run there were workers who retired, or took other employement. We needed a pipeline- the new employees- to replace the retired guys in order to keep the operation going.
Cutting fraud, waste, and abuse is fine, but it needs to be done in an intelligent way.
Don Young and Ted Stevens- I knew both of ’em- would not have let this happen.
Murkowski’s demand for “dignity and respect” is classic slow rolling the issue until it disappears. Anyone who has worked in government knows the waste and redundancy is endemic. If Murkowski was sincere she would facilitate the process and perhaps help those outplaced with new opportunities. Instead she circles the wagons with the hope that with time it’ll all go away. Murkowski is a perfect example of what is wrong with the system.
I think that is great. I have had bosses ask me what I have accomplished during the week. It is your time to shine and let them know how important you are to the department. By the way you should be checking your emails too! She doesn’t listen to us anyway, she does as she pleases.
I took a quick look at some numbers. In rough terms, the Federal government went on a seven TRILLION dollar spending orgy starting with Covid. As a member of Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Murkowski was right at the epicenter of this stuff. Some of the early efforts to shrink the size and scope of government have been inelegant and even crude. However, wailing about each and every cut as if it is the end of the Earth is sleazy – particularly when a good part of that can be traced to actions by Congress. Senator wants to pretend she is an adult on these matters but in reality she is a big part of the problem.
well, well, the Murkster appeals to her base of takers.
I sure hope the Governor runs for your seat, you are an embarrassment to the people of the great state of Alaska!
Hey Princess, please just sit down and shut up for the next 4 years.
While I do think the memo is a bit micromanaging, Murkowski must have been checked out the past number of years in regard to government (in)efficiency.
Her words “ Our public servants work hard to ensure that our national security is protected; that planes land safely; that forest fires do not spread to our homes; that Social Security checks arrive on time; that research for the breakthroughs needed to cure diseases like cancer and ALS continues; and much more…”.
Seriously? Our national security has been a mess such as the ongoing ‘invasion’ across our borders, then try signing up for Medicare – a convoluted confusing process no one can seem to explain clearly, especially if you only signed up for A as still working and having private insurance, then adding B later – we still haven’t accomplished that with almost four months of forms sent and long waits to talk to someone. Next, try to call someone in social security. You make an appointment, for a call. Or wait for hours with a call back. There is so much more I won’t belabor here.
It is time for Murkowski to retire from the senate or get voted out.
People would like to know what she did for the past week?
Lisa isn’t representing the citizens of Alaska.
No, she is only waging her own personal little war against Trump.
Not sure what ignited her intense personal hatred of the man, but her actions against Trump and her contempt for the will of voters that she is supposed to be representing, is borderline treasonous.
.
I know that I will not be alone in the next election cycle, in doing everything in my admittedly limited power….to send her packing.
I just hope that someone serious and worthy steps up to run against her.
It’s not good enough to get rid of bad politicians, but is a waste of time if we can’t replace them with someone better, and NO, both Joe Miller and Sarah Palin are absolutely no better than Lisa….
I would ask, “why are you so against cutting government spending”? Seriously, anyone should be able to stop what they are doing and answer a simple question whether it’s a Private, State, Local or Federal job.
Murkowski doesn’t see why federal workers have to justify their existence.?
Can she justify her existence? It is clear she cannot.
So Lisa, what is it that you do here exactly?
No news, just the protected class protecting the protected class.
As someone who has worked at every level of government, the uninformed, like Lisa, would be impressed with significant number of people who possess the ability to get paid without doing much of anything. I think it’s not only a fair question but one that is long overdue. I know of a state employee who spent her last months of employ day trading because she didn’t like the new administration. I know another that spent the day working another job & resigned when asked what she was doing all day. I know yet another who spent the day organizing sports leagues. We had a commissioner under the previous governor that traveled extensively on the state’s dime with the most ridiculous rationale & always conveniently located near relatives or vacation spots. The fraud that happens inside government is just as bad as the number of people fraudulently enrolled in state welfare programs. Alaska has so many progressives in the legal department every effort at responsible stewardship by the employees that do work gets reversed. It’s a very frustrating environment to work with an unbelievable lack of accountability & even lower expectations. Public unions protect the lazy.
If Lisa is this angry, then for surre Trump & elon are doing something RIGHT!