Honey Badger
It's not pretty, but will it work?
How Not to Manage the Bureaucracy
Multiple things can be true:
1. A country is run by its civil service
2. It can be failing and inefficient
3. One of the reasons it is failing and inefficient is that it is seen as sacrosanct and beyond scrutiny
The bureaucracy never thought the fight would reach this point.
No matter where you go, there you are.
‘Day in and day out, a country is run by its civil service; it is the outfit that delivers or falls down. It isn’t a deep state, a malevolent, secret organization, cherishing power, out to humiliate its political masters. It is also not a monolithic whole, organized and equipped with motives of its own.’
For every new rule, Trump tells federal agencies to eliminate 10 old ones
This is no different than pruning an overgrown tree.
‘That's the thrust of the president's latest executive order, signed Friday, called "Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation." Trump, ever the businessman, has often complained that government regulations stifle economic development.
‘The new order requires federal agencies to repeal "at least 10 existing rules, regulations or guidance documents" for every new rule or regulation created.’
Success is not as important as the effort, the motion.
‘Trump is pursuing worthy goals here, but bringing the federal behemoth under control is extremely difficult, and there’s no clever trick for doing it. We have no doubt that if Elon Musk owned the federal government, it’d be half the size and twice as effective. But there is a vast array of bureaucratic power centers, statutes, union rules, and other impediments that make the federal government vastly different from a private company.
‘Still, even if achieving rationality and efficiency in federal practices is a Sisyphean challenge, it’s worth moving the boulder as far as possible.’
Fight over Fired Inspectors General Is Fight over Foundations of the Administrative State
Are we about to see a rollback of Congressional intrusion into the powers of the executive branch?
‘If this seems like a trifling dispute between entitled bureaucrats and a president performing for his “drain the swamp” base, it’s not. Again, the sprawling administrative state is founded on the premise that Congress may ignore separation of powers and create a maze of government entities and actors that either are (a) independent of the chief executive even though they execute laws and regulations (e.g., the Environmental Protection Agency and the Federal Communications Commission), or (b) nominally within the executive branch but at least partially insulated from presidential control (e.g., IGs and Justice Department special counsels).’
Musk's federal shake-up: Bureaucracy cut sparks data access row
Data is power.
‘According to two agency representatives, Elon Musk's associates, who manage the U.S. Federal Human Resources agency, have blocked government officials from accessing computer systems. Reuters reported that this might signal the announced reduction of bureaucracy in the American governmental system.
‘Two officials, who spoke to Reuters anonymously for fear of retaliation, said that some senior staff in the Office of Personnel Management were denied access to specific departmental data systems. Agency informants reported that the systems include a comprehensive Enterprise Human Resources Integration database, which contains sensitive government employee information.’
We do not know what exactly Elon Musk is doing to the federal government
Irony much?
1. Anonymous bureaucrats run the government in darkness
2. Trump is elected and names is his reform team
3. Press complains that Musk is operating in darkness
‘People are supposed to know about the people who run their government
‘That’s why Trump’s nominees to lead agencies have to undergo nomination hearings on Capitol Hill and why top officials are supposed to file paperwork with the Office of Government Ethics disclosing their financial interests and pledging to act ethically.
‘They’re supposed to know how their government is spending money and who is doing the spending. The mass resignation offer that caught everyone off guard was made under authority granted to the OPM director. Trump’s nominee, the venture capitalist Scott Kupor, has not yet been confirmed, so the agency is operating with an acting director.’
Elon Musk touts DOGE's 120-hour workweek vs US bureaucracy: 'Losing so fast'
‘Labour unions and watchdog groups have also raised concerns about workplace conditions, with some alleging that DOGE employees face unrealistic expectations and burnout.’
AI Regulation in 2025 - Has the UK Government’s Wait-and-See Gamble Played Off?
Maybe American AI doesn’t have to touch Europe. Or the UK.
‘The extra-territorial scope of the AIA means that any in-scope AI system deployed in the EU or whose output affects individuals in the EU is caught, regardless of where the developer or provider is located. Other AI acts introduced internationally bite similarly. Due to the nature of AI-based technology, there will be no material AI system that operates exclusively within one jurisdiction. This means that AI legislation, wherever passed, raises the standards of every jurisdiction to a higher threshold. AI systems that are already being used and impacting individuals in the UK may therefore already be subject to legislative standards elsewhere. The commercial reality for financial services firms operating internationally will be a drift towards the highest standard of AI regulation, albeit not without significant compliance headaches when it comes to reconciling differing national approaches. Practically, we see the AIA serving as the global reference point.’
Deregulation of Food Imports and Exports in Argentina
What advantage do Argentinian food regulators have over their EU and US counterparts?
‘Javier Milei deregulates food imports and exports in Argentina. On imports, no more permits for any food product that comes from a developed nation with high standards (e.g. Europe, U.S.), and for exports, no regulation anymore to do anything to sell abroad.’
Another blow to electric vehicle takeup.
‘Trump has revoked Carter's 1977 EO – the one that empowered CEQ to issue binding NEPA regulations. This could dramatically reshape how federal agencies conduct NEPA reviews. In the post-Marin Audobon landscape, this is a HUGE deal!’
Elon Musk’s Team Now Has Access to Treasury’s Payments System
It’s not so much that DOGE can disrupt government payments.
These systems contain a treasure trove of data.
Follow the money.
If there’s nothing to report, then no harm, no foul.
But we may be surprised by the cornucopia of crap inside.
‘The new authority follows a standoff this week with a top Treasury official who had resisted allowing Mr. Musk’s lieutenants into the department’s payment system, which sends out money on behalf of the entire federal government. The official, a career civil servant named David Lebryk, was put on leave and then suddenly retired on Friday after the dispute, according to people familiar with his exit.
‘The system could give the Trump administration another mechanism to attempt to unilaterally restrict disbursement of money approved for specific purposes by Congress, a push that has faced legal roadblocks.’
Apply pressure.
See what happens.
‘BREAKING: USAID Senior Officials put on Leave after Physically Trying to stop DOGE from accessing Agency Systems Two USAID officials, John Voorhees and his deputy, were put on leave late Saturday night after refusing to allow DOGE members access to USAID systems. The DOGE members threatened to physically call the police after being refused entry. They were trying to access the security and personnel files. Federal Officials are concerned that Trump is trying to fold USAID into the US State Department in an effort to cut Government corruption and bloat. USAID employs approx. 10,000 people, excluding contractors, with 2/3 of them overseas. 60 USAID members were already put on leave last week after trying to circumvent President Trump’s executive order on stopping foreign aid.’