The Revolving Door Project on Fighting Monopoly Power
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About the Revolving Door Project
The Revolving Door Project (RDP), a project of the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), scrutinizes executive branch appointees to ensure they use their office to serve the broad public interest, rather than to entrench corporate power or seek personal advancement.
Projects
The Agency Spotlight
The Agency Spotlight tracks appointments to leadership positions at thirty-nine independent federal agencies through the confirmation process and beyond. Additionally, for three agencies — the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) — the Spotlight monitors and exhibits key votes.
Read MorePresidential Power Map
The Presidential Power Map classifies bundlers and major donors by their professional and sectoral affiliations to offer the most possible clues about the composition of a presidential candidate’s hypothetical administration.
Learn moreAugust 10, 2020
July 2020 Update on the State of Independent Federal Agencies
Over the past several years, President Trump’s assault on governing norms, from his refusal to reveal information about his finances to his glee in firing those who are not sufficiently loyal to him, has sparked public outcry. One set of norm violations, however, has received relatively little attention from the media or from Senate Democrats. Quietly, Trump and Mitch McConnell have undermined independent agencies’ functionality by slow-walking nominations. And, in particular, they have undermined the norm of statutorily-mandated political balance on many independent agency boards in a move that could keep regulatory power in Republican hands for years after Trump leaves office.
August 10, 2020
The Revolving Door Project on Fighting Monopoly Power
Congress and the antitrust enforcement agencies have given unprecedented attention to the monopoly issues surrounding Big Tech in recent months. The scrutiny is one step toward rebalancing our increasingly concentrated economy, especially in the time of COVID-19, when small businesses are struggling to survive and corporations are further entrenching their power. But the problem of economic concentration extends far beyond Big Tech. It defines almost every corner of our economy. With the upcoming election and a potential shift in power, Joe Biden has an opportunity to reduce economic consolidation across the board, using executive branch powers including, but not limited to, reforming the antitrust enforcement agencies.
August 10, 2020 | Talking Points Memo
The Same Racist Rhetoric Used To Oppose D.C. Statehood Keeps The Federal Government Dysfunctional
Conservatives like Cotton have long villainized African-American pathways to the middle class that include government employment. In a conservative worldview that sees the U.S. government as by and for white people, Black employment in the public sector becomes a target for the GOP and federal jobs become fodder for racist “dog whistle” politics.
August 10, 2020
Why Hasn’t The Trump Administration Released Their Organizational Chart For The Office of Management and Budget?
In more normal times, it was routine to expect administrations to publish the organizational charts of their executive branch agencies. These charts offer transparency, giving the public a glimpse into the inner workings of the complex world of each executive branch agency. These charts also allow the public to understand how governance works and potentially identify which departments require more oversight.
August 13, 2020
Olivia Rudgard and Laurence Dodds - Daily Telegraph
Why Silicon Valley Will Breathe A Sigh Of Relief If Kamala Harris Enters The White House
August 12, 2020
Alexandra Levine - Politico Morning Tech
Is Kamala Harris A Win For Silicon Valley?
August 10, 2020
Alexandra Levine - Politico Morning Tech
What Biden's No. 2 Means For The Tech World
August 8, 2020
Jon Queally - Common Dreams
'Executive Order Stunt No Substitute for Real Relief,' Say Progressives of Legally Dubious Trump Proposal
August 6, 2020
Dino Grandoni - Washington Post
The Energy 202: Kamala Harris goes big on environmental justice as Biden considers her as running mate
August 5, 2020
Ari Natter and Jennifer Dlouhy - Bloomberg
Climate Hawks Urge Biden To Shun Obama-Era Energy Moderates
RDP on Twitter
What have lawmakers done to respond? Democratic leadership sent a letter to Trump calling on him "to immediately cease his assault on the Postal Service." That should stop him! (322/?)
"Even if people follow all of their state’s election rules, the pace of Postal Service delivery may disqualify their votes." (321/?)
Another day, another round of disastrous news out of the post office! The Post Office has warned 46 states that postal delays are likely to lead to ballots going uncounted. (320/?) https://t.co/3U56zUvz98
Steven Mnuchin, who while making over $200,000 per year in a public position is probably the most poorly paid he’s been in his life, thinks that millions of Americans who have suddenly been thrown out of work amid a world-shattering pandemic are overpaid! (290/?)
Steven Mnuchin, who “seem[s] to own at least six homes,” thinks that someone earning an added $2400 per month is overpaid! (289/?)
Let’s revisit that for a moment. Steven Mnuchin, who has a net worth of $400 million, thinks that people getting an additional $600 per week are overpaid! (288/?)
RT @ceprdc: #Housing Crisis by the Numbers: new analysis shows housing insecurity before and during the pandemic. “millions of strapped ren…
Mnuchin's kept pushing that line, saying recently that he thought the enhanced benefit, "led to some out-of-work Americans being 'overpaid' and indicated that he believed they were slowing the return of workers to the labor market." (287/?) https://t.co/jViByLCTCn
The moment quickly passed, however, because just a few weeks later he was pushing Trump's plan to cap unemployment benefits at an employees previous income "we want to incent people to go back to work." (286/?) https://t.co/jo43BcUaxT