HOUSTON KEENE: The Bureaucratic Meltdown Has Already Begun

It looks as though some bureaucrats in the federal government are already melting down, and some filing lawsuits, over the 45th and 47th president’s doing away with diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and other policies championed under the Biden administration that insulate them from consequences for not doing their jobs.

President Donald Trump’s first four years revealed many things, among the most glaring being the rogue bureaucrats slow-walking or resisting the American people’s agenda. Civil service reform is at the forefront of the conversation, and President Trump has already implemented several executive orders aiming to make our officials more accountable and streamline the federal government.

On Day One of his second administration, President Trump implemented multiple executive orders to address civil service reform. These orders were signed to focus on merit over DEI initiatives; establishing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE); restoring accountability for senior bureaucrats; and reimplementing a modified version of his Schedule F executive order, which reclassifies certain career federal employees.

President Trump is already taking actions so the citizens of the republic should see a needed change in operations to make our federal government more efficient, effective, and fair. But the American people’s mandate also should also be a reckoning for the unelected bureaucrats and special interest groups driving policy in Washington.

We are already seeing a coordinated effort to push back against the duly elected president’s – and thus the American majority’s – agenda in government. Since even before the election, Biden political appointees have been working to “Trump-Proof” agencies. And they probably had help from career federal employees.

A January 2025 Napolitan Institute/RMG Research survey of federal government managers who voted for Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election found that an astounding 80% of them will resist the Trump administration’s agenda while only one percent will somewhat support the new Commander-in-Chief’s work.

These bureaucrats, employed by the taxpayers, would like to continue the Biden administration’s eschewing of scientific integrity in favor of politics and the widespread implementation of DEI policies stratifying Americans based on characteristics including race and sex, to only name a couple.

Those are exactly the kind of policies American said they were sick of. It is directly against the spirit the Founding Fathers enshrined in our Constitution.

Moreover, it is a flashing red warning sign that it’s time for civil service reform before the underbelly of the Beltway actively works against the will of the American people.

This is nothing new — we saw movement toward President Trump’s goal at the end of his first administration with the creation of the initial Schedule F policy that began reclassifying certain permanent federal employees who have a hand in promulgating policy. It made it easier to hold these powerful bureaucrats accountable to the electorate through the president.

Critics say reclassification will be abused to fire honest civil servants and stack agencies with Trump loyalists. But that is a cynical misinterpretation of its intent, which is to help keep our federal employees honest, regardless of who is president.

Americans are overwhelmingly in favor of civil service reform. With taxpayers’ trust in government hitting near-record lows in recent years, citizens are tired of having to look over their shoulder when dealing with the government.

Americans are a fractious lot, not much given to blindly follow their leaders and swallow what they’re told, but they should at least be able to assume the government makes a good-faith effort to execute their will.

They don’t.

According to a June 2024 report from the nonpartisan nonprofit the Partnership for Public Service, less than a fourth of Americans place their trust in the federal government, with the number of Americans who believe the government is transparent with the public at an astonishing 15%.

Less surprising, two-thirds of Americans do not believe the federal government is competent. (After COVID, the Afghanistan implosion and relentless inflation, who could argue?)

These numbers are disheartening to say the least, but there is opportunity, as the vast majority of Americans surveyed said they want a federal government that is efficient and run by a meritorious civil service not beholden to a political party.

Clawing government back from the unelected bureaucrats will inevitably take time and perseverance and requires well-crafted and fair policies to ensure that the American people’s trust in government increases.

President Trump and his cabinet must keep the pressure on to ensure the government truly works for We, the People — not Thee, the Bureaucrats. And as political partisans in civil service positions push back against President Trump’s agenda, the more they will reveal their true colors and the more the American people will demand change.

The words of the late President Ronald Reagan ring true today as they will forevermore: “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.” This does not have to be the case, though, and civil service reform can help to turn the nine most terrifying words in the English language into a phrase that instills hope in Americans everywhere.

Houston Keene joins Democracy Restored after a career working in Congress and as a nationally syndicated journalist covering politics, including the executive branch and government ethics. Houston was born in Austin, Texas, and is a proud father, husband, and Baylor Bear.

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