This is a question regarding the outcome of Trump’s appointees.
As I understand it, Trump went into the White House with a desire to reduce the federal government. He knew (or was told) he couldn’t outright get rid of organizations, so instead he selected appointees with a reputation of being opposed to those organizations as run.
Especially thinking of Department of Education and Nancy DeVoss, and Department of Energy and Rick Perry.
Others were considered inexperienced or even incompetent. Like Ben Carson.
What I’m looking for is information on those appointments, what impacts they had on the operation of those organizations, and if those impacts were lasting.
Any appointments during Trump’s Admin are relevant of they meet the criteria.
Michael Lewis (Moneyball, The Big Short) has written about this:
I haven’t read the full book, but did read an excerpt article mostly about Rick Perry taking over at the Department of Energy. I seem to recall that a number of the various Trump appointees and staffers were no-shows to some of the instructional briefings held for them, and generally showed disinterest in the particulars of their new departments.
Perhaps relevant to what the OP is seeking, the Partnership for Public Service (an invaluable resource) did a study on federal employment trends during the Trump Administration. The federal workforce grew on average 0.9% per year during his term. This was a higher rate of growth than during Obama’s second term. Of course there were variations within this data, with the Department of Labor and employment-related agencies taking a sizable reduction.
Thank you, @flurb. That’s somewhat in the neighborhood of what I want.
I guess to frame my question better, I’m looking for who was appointed to which agencies, what their policy changes were what the impacts of those policies, and if they were lasting impacts, bad or good.
Bringing up DeJoy is precisely the kind of thing, because it flies in the face of the regular narrative.
I’m particularly interested in the agencies that Trump wanted cut back, not necessarily the ones he wanted enlarged. Though Homeland Security being a priority makes sense it wouldn’t reduce workers. At the same time, Trump introduced some horrifying policies like child separation from their families with no records kept to ensure reconnection. Coming to the end of Biden’s first term what are the lasting consequences? Families that will never be reunited because there’s no records to trace what happened? How many?
Did anyone ever get punished for such cruelty?
Rick Perry was the best and brightest Texas Republicans could bring to bear on three government agencies if he could remember them. DoE was one he wanted to close. Impacts of his tenure? Did he manage to learn what it actually does and why it exists?
Department of Education advocating for vouchers to pay for rich kids to attend the schools they were already going to was one, right? Certainly the Republicans haven’t given up on that handout to the rich. We had voucher efforts on Texas defeated last year, but Governor Gregg Abbott seems determined to pursue it again until public schools are gutted in the name of paying private for profit schools for rich kids to attend.
I didn’t want to poison the well, but I wonder if anyone has done an analysis on Trump’s effects, and goals for next time. If we are trying to discuss policy effects, then someone should do a deep dive on what came before.
What would that analysis say about the effectiveness of Trump’s picks?