This is What President Trump Did For Government Workers in 2019

The New York Times reports:

It started as one of the worst years for federal employees in recent memory, as President Trump’s demands for billions of dollars for a border wall led to a historic partial shutdown of the government that stretched for 35 jittery days.

It ended on a high note, as the president signed off on 12 weeks of paid leave for new parents, a generous raise and a midweek vacation day before Christmas against the recommendation of his own staff — and as he issued an exuberant letter of thanks to “Our Incredible Federal Workforce.”

The president is really an ad hoc statist.

He has no qualms about expanding government. He just doesn't have a well thought out plan to do so, it is whatever comes into his mind at a given moment based on the situation around him.

The Times again:

Trump struck a deal with House Democrats weeks ago to pass a defense bill that gives federal employees their biggest victory in nearly 30 years, the costly parental leave benefit viewed by many of his top advisers as a momentous concession. The president, however, saw a rare opportunity to win approval for a pet project, his proposed sixth branch of the military dubbed the Space Force, ahead of the 2020 election.

Democrats achieved their goal of a significant raise for the workforce in budget negotiations, in exchange for White House priorities that included border wall funding. The result was a 3.1 percent federal pay hike starting in January, greater than any raises in the Obama era, when the recession led to a three-year freeze.

Great, higher-paid government workers and a new branch of the military.

This is what has occurred to government spending under Trump before the pay hike, the paid leave and the new Space Force.

-RW