How Trump plans to strengthen government control by dismantling the ‘deep state’, Reuters
By James Oliphant and Steve Holland
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – When President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Monday, he is poised to wield more power in the federal government than any modern president, as he and his allies “deep state,” according to two sources familiar with the transition talks.
The effort came on Trump’s first day as president, according to one of the sources, who issued an executive order aimed at stripping job protections from an estimated 50,000 federal workers and allowing them to be replaced by hand-picked fiduciary appointees.
The Trump administration will push to fill thousands of political appointments as quickly as possible, another source told Reuters.
The goal is to inject political loyalists into the workings of government, perhaps more so than any other president in the near future.
Reuters reported this week that Trump’s team has requested the resignation of three top career diplomats overseeing the US State Department’s workforce and internal coordination.
Trump’s allies blame bureaucrats they see as untrustworthy for thwarting his agenda during his first term in the White House with slow-walk initiatives at the Justice Department, Education Department and other agencies.
According to staff announcements and media interviews reviewed by Reuters, about a dozen of Trump’s top appointees have been given clear authority to shake up the federal workforce or support those plans.
As Trump is leaving office in 2020, he played a central role in crafting the reclassification order known as Schedule F, Trump’s nominee to return as director of the Office of Management and Budget, Russell Vought.
The renewed executive order on Program F would allow agency officials to reassign positions from job vacancies to political appointments, according to one of the sources familiar with the transition plan.
This allows agencies to fire and replace career employees without reason.
Vought will be assisted by Sergio Gore, who was chosen to lead the White House staff during Trump’s second term.
Shooting lines
Other appointees to dismantle the “deep state” include attorney general nominee Pam Bondi, incoming FBI director Kash Patel, secretary of state nominee Marco Rubio, national security adviser Mike Waltz, education nominees Linda McMahon and Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. Who is leading the Trump administration’s efficiency efforts, a Reuters analysis found.
When asked, Trump’s transition team would not provide details on the timeline for the proposed shakeup, which could take months due to federal legislative processes.
“The Trump administration will have a place in government for people who are committed to protecting the rights of the American people, putting America first and making the best use of the tax dollars of working men and women,” said spokesman Brian Hughes.
Critics and unions representing federal employees say there is no such thing as a “deep country” and say Trump and his allies are peddling conspiracy theories to justify the executive branch’s power grab.
James Eisenman, an attorney and expert on federal workforce policy, said in an interview that Trump misconceived that most government workers have an ideological agenda and suggested that under current law, underperforming or subordinate workers could be fired.
He said Schedule F creates a culture of silence and fear that affects job performance.
“People are afraid to speak up or suggest something important for fear of being fired,” Eisenman said. “It’s not easy to get people to do things when they’re scared.”
Steve Lenkart, executive director of the National Federation of Federal Employees, said in an interview that the new classification aims to create a “secret police” in the federal government.
“The incoming administration has admitted that they will use Program F to test professional staff for professional or political integrity and get rid of those who are not wanted,” he said.
Hughes, Trump’s transition spokesman, did not respond to questions about what role individual appointees would play in carrying out Trump’s agenda or the “secret police” allegations.
Finding targets
During Senate confirmation hearings on Wednesday, Vought and Bondi expressed support for the policies behind Plan F.
Vaught said some parts of the federal government were “armed.”
He declined to answer questions about whether he had advised Trump to carry out the mass firings, but said the reassignment of career staff would ensure the president has individuals in policymaking roles “who are responsive to his opinion, to his agenda.”
Bondi, during her hearing, said special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into Trump was evidence of bias within the Justice Department.
She vowed not to use the department to target people based on their politics, but she dodged direct questions about investigating Trump’s political opponents.
Biden’s Justice Department has long denied pursuing politically motivated criminal charges against Trump. He did not respond to a request for comment Friday.
The process of identifying members of the federal bureaucracy who are opposed to the incoming administration has already begun.
In December, the American Accountability Foundation, which operates with support from the conservative Heritage Foundation, sent a letter to Pentagon nominee Pete Hegst naming 20 leaders in the US military who are focused on diversity and inclusion.
Outgoing Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin argued for such efforts, arguing that a diverse military force reflects the diversity of the United States.
The Pentagon has submitted a request for comment to Trump’s transition team.
The American Accountability Foundation published a list on its website of “Top 10 Targets” that officials at the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice say would resist increased border enforcement efforts.
Yates Friedman, a spokeswoman for the group, said more names could be forthcoming.