Republicans to Civil Servants: Do What We Tell You Or You’re Fired

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It is now Day 2 of the new Congress:

House Republicans this week reinstated an arcane procedural rule that enables lawmakers to reach deep into the budget and slash the pay of an individual federal worker — down to a $1 — a move that threatens to upend the 130-year-old civil service….A majority of the House and the Senate would still have to approve any such amendment, but opponents and supporters agree that it puts agencies and the public on notice that their work is now vulnerable to the whims of elected officials.

This is aimed at—what? NASA scientists who insist that climate change is real? DOJ attorneys who pursue voter suppression cases? IRS auditors who audit the wrong person?

Apparently I’ve been wrong about the filibuster all along. It really is a bulwark against mob rule.