Government Capacity

February 20, 2025

Fatou Ndiaye

Blog Post Government CapacityIRSSECTrump 2.0

Let’s Disavow The Myth of Government Efficiency

In a recent episode of Pod Save America, the hosts argued there was a “right” and “wrong” way to reduce the size of the federal government. We wholeheartedly disagree with that perspective. What the Trump administration is doing is indeed incredibly destructive and “wrong” and ostensibly center, center left and left wing voices need to push back against the idea that there’s a “right” way to slash the federal budget and workforce. We should be pushing for more resources for non-defense agencies, not less. 

February 20, 2025

KJ Boyle

Blog Post Department of TransportationElon MuskGovernment CapacityTrump 2.0

TRACKER: Aviation Disasters And Trump Administration Attacks On Air Safety

Since the start of the Trump administration, there have been no less than 27 aviation crashes, killing a total of 109 people. The American Airlines crash at Reagan National Airport marked the first fatal commercial crash since 2009. This tracker will be continuously updated to reflect any further cuts to these federal agencies, as well as any aviation-related disasters. 

February 12, 2025

Emma Marsano

Newsletter

AgricultureConsumer ProtectionDepartment of TransportationExecutive BranchGovernment CapacityHousingTrump 2.0

President Trump Would Like You To Say Goodbye To Our Food Inspectors

This week has seen further escalations in an already dramatic first month of Trump 2.0. In particular, in addition to “cartoonishly corrupt” moves like signing an order to halt enforcement of a bribery ban, the Trump administration has used a number of methods to reduce enforcement capacity across federal agencies, building on the hiring and funding freezes Trump ordered on his first day in office. (While judges have readily agreed to challenges to the funding freeze, it appears the administration is illegally withholding funding, anyway.)

February 05, 2025

KJ Boyle

Blog Post Elon MuskGovernment CapacityTrump 2.0

Trump’s DCA Crash Response Was A Disaster—Dems Need To Make It A Scandal

We won’t know the full scope of what went wrong to cause the horrific in-air collision at DCA until the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) completes its investigation. That could take up to two years. Oh, and that’s assuming the investigation is independent–which didn’t previously need to be specified, but, well… look around. Given all of that, the opposition to Musk and Trump, including but not limited to Democrats, must not wait to assign blame.

November 18, 2024 | The American Prospect

Timi Iwayemi

Op-Ed CryptocurrencyEthics in GovernmentGovernanceGovernment Capacity

The Department of Government Efficiency Is Inefficient

DOGE is a new weapon in Trump’s ongoing war against the administrative state. But it’s important to remain clear-eyed about the value federal civil servants provide. These individuals help ensure the safety of our food, medicine, transportation, air, and water. They are also the backbone of our education, health care, and financial regulatory systems. There is no doubt that many Americans feel burned by their recent interactions with these systems, but federal employees are the wrong targets of their ire.

July 16, 2024

Will Royce

Blog Post Executive BranchGovernment CapacityIndependent AgenciesProject 2025Revolving Door

Former Trump Officials Wrote 25 of the 30 Chapters in the Project 2025 Playbook

Former President Trump has recently sought to distance himself from Project 2025 and its radical proposals, claiming that he knows “nothing about” it, has “no idea who is behind it,” and has “nothing to do with them.” Project 2025 has tried to create some distance as well, maintaining in a recent tweet that it is “not affiliated with former President Trump.” It’s a classic example of drawing a distinction without a difference.

May 15, 2024 | Revolving Door Project Newsletter

Andrea Beaty Jeff Hauser

Newsletter

Anti-MonopolyClimate and EnvironmentCorporate CrackdownGovernanceGovernment Capacity

Pioneer’s Price Fixing Scandal Is Yet Another Reason We Need To Fully Fund Antitrust Enforcers

Major corporate scandals make the consequences of Republican-led budget cuts at antitrust enforcement agencies even clearer. Crucially, they serve as reminders that the federal government’s ability to combat the ill effects of monopolization rises and falls in direct proportion to funding, even when motivated and creative leadership are at the helm.

May 10, 2024

Fatou Ndiaye

Blog Post Climate and EnvironmentFEMAGovernment CapacityHealthIRS

Four executive branch agencies that desperately need more funding and staffing

Across the federal government, we continue to see how staffing issues are preventing agencies from fulfilling their mandate, at the expense of the public and to the benefit of corporate wrongdoers. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) are 4 agencies that desperately need more funding and staffing to protect and do right by the American people.