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Gov. Cuomo apologizes for using 14-year-old pic to threaten COVID-19 synagogue shutdowns

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andrew cuomo

At a Monday press conference when discussing how it has been difficult to enforce Coronavirus rules in New York City Orthodox Jewish communities, who have been badly hit by the recent outbreaks in parts of the city, Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-N.Y.) displayed a photo depicting a large synagogue gathering–except, the photo was taken 14 years ago.

Cuomo’s office has since apologized, saying that: “This was a staff error that was caught in real time at the presser. It was swapped out with this photo that was taken two weeks ago at the same location. The new slide was up during the last 10 minutes of the press conference.”

Cuomo’s office also responded to SaraACarter.com earlier saying, “it was a staffer mistake that was caught in real time and swapped out with the intended image.”

His office also stated “we regret the mistake.”

Nonetheless, this error received fierce backlash from anti-Semitism and Jewish advocate groups. Liora Rez of Stopantisemitism.org had some stern words for the Governor.

“By using a picture of Jews gathered at the funeral of Rabbi Moshe Teitelbaum (Z”L) from 2014 during his COVID-19 press conference,” Rez said, this “shows how low him and NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio are willing to go to fan the flames of antisemitism in a city where Jews make up over 50% of all hate crimes reported.”

Gov. Cuomo said at the same Monday press briefing that he will be meeting with leaders of New York’s Orthodox Jewish community on Tuesday.

You can follow Douglas Braff on Twitter @Douglas_P_Braff.

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Biden Administration Proposes Rule to Fortify Federal Bureaucracy Against Republican Presidency

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Joe Biden

In a strategic move, the Biden administration has unveiled a proposed rule aimed at reinforcing the left-leaning federal bureaucracy, potentially hindering future conservative policy implementations by Republican presidents. This move has raised concerns about the efficacy of democratic elections when a deep-seated bureaucracy remains largely unchanged, regardless of electoral outcomes.

Key points of the situation include:

Presidential Appointees vs. Career Bureaucrats: Of the 2.2 million federal civil workers, only 4,000 are presidential appointees. The vast majority, made up of career bureaucrats, continue in their roles from one administration to the next. This continuity is facilitated by rules that make it exceedingly difficult to discipline or replace them, resulting in a bureaucracy that tends to lean left politically.

Union Political Affiliation: A striking 95% of unionized federal employees who donate to political candidates support Democrats, according to Open Secrets, with only 5% favoring Republicans. This significant political skew among federal workers raises questions about the potential for political bias in the execution of government policies.

Obstructionism and Challenges for GOP Presidents: Some career bureaucrats have been accused of obstructing Republican presidents’ agendas, leading to policy delays and challenges. For example, during the Trump administration, career lawyers in the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division declined to challenge Yale University’s discrimination against Asian American applicants, prompting Trump to seek legal counsel from other divisions. The case was subsequently dropped when Joe Biden took office.

Biden’s Countermeasures: President Biden has taken steps to protect the bureaucracy’s status quo. In October 2020, Trump issued an executive order aiming to reclassify federal workers who make policy as at-will employees, but Biden canceled it upon taking office.

Proposed Rule and Congressional Actions: The rule unveiled by the Biden administration seeks to further impede a president’s ability to reinstate Trump’s order. Additionally, some Democrats in Congress are pushing to eliminate the president’s authority to reclassify jobs entirely. This has been referred to as an attempt to “Trump-proof the federal workforce.”

Republican Candidates’ Pledge: GOP candidates such as President Donald J Trump, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Ron DeSantis have pledged to address this issue. According to reports from Fox News, Ramaswamy has gone further, advocating for the elimination of half or more of civil service positions, emphasizing the need for accountability.

Debate on the Merit of the Civil Service: While Democrats and their media allies argue that civil service protects merit over patronage, critics contend that the system has evolved into a form of job security for federal workers with minimal accountability. Federal employees often receive higher salaries and more substantial benefits than their private-sector counterparts.

In summary, the Biden administration’s proposed rule and broader actions to protect the federal bureaucracy have sparked a debate over the role of career bureaucrats in shaping government policy.

Republican candidates are vowing to address these concerns, highlighting the need for accountability and ensuring that government agencies work in alignment with the elected president’s agenda. This ongoing debate raises important questions about the relationship between the bureaucracy and the democratic process in the United States.

Information in this article was retrieved from Fox News.

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