Participation Trophy
Employees in the public sector should undergo more critical scrutiny than their counterparts in the private sector
Connolly demands rescission of regulations reviving Schedule F
This is grandstanding with little practical impact.
‘In a letter to acting OPM Director Charles Ezell Thursday, Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., ranking member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, decried the proposal as an effort to “purge and politicize” the federal workforce and called for its rescission.
‘“The administration’s proposed rule has bipartisan opposition in Congress, because of the devastation it would inflict on the expertise and performance of our federal workforce, which would in turn hurt our constituents and the life-saving services they need and deserve,” he wrote. “I strongly urge the administration to rescind the proposed rule and cease its political assault on our federal workforce.”
‘Connolly argued that given the litany of scandals involving “incompetent” Trump appointees across government, including officials’ use of Signal to share classified information and the mistaken firings of nuclear security staffers by Department of Government Efficiency operatives, the government needs fewer political loyalists, not more.’
The Most Unsung Victory of Trump’s Administration
The Biden Administration took extraordinary steps to prosecute a small ranching family in South Dakota over a small commercial dispute.
The power of the bureaucracy to wreak havoc is something to behold.
‘Noem addressed this directly in the press conference:
‘I have letters in my Department of Homeland Security from senators, from congressmen, from people that didn’t get responded to for four years. Not even a response of a form letter was sent back to them answering their questions or bringing any transparency to government.’
‘No participation trophies:’ Trump revamps performance reviews for top bureaucrats
This reminds me of a story about Goldman Sachs during the dot com bubble.
Goldman staffers were asked to rate themselves. Something like 90% rated themselves as above average, i.e., the Goldman average.
‘The Trump administration will soon introduce rules to end what the Office of Personnel Management describes as an “everyone gets a trophy” culture permeating the federal workforce, RealClearPolitics is first to report.
‘The ranks of the Senior Executive Service, top bureaucrats serving throughout the government and across administrations, swelled to around 8,000 under President Biden. Most live in Washington, D.C. They typically earn an annual salary between $183,000 and $250,000. An overwhelming majority, 96%, according to an OPM memo, receive above-average performance ratings even as public trust in government continues to crater.
‘But standards will soon tighten. It is called “forced distribution.”’
Republicans in Congress Use Obscure Law to Roll Back Biden-Era Regulations
This is a bit rich.
It’s not obscure. Trump used it in 2017. Biden used it in 2021.
What it suggests is that there will be a tremendous amount of regulatory uncertainty as power shifts back and forth? It’s not as if Congress is going to be passing significant, unambiguously written legislation anytime soon?
‘In recent weeks, the G.O.P. has pushed through a flurry of legislation to cancel regulations on matters large and small, from oversight of firms that emit toxic pollutants to energy efficiency requirements for walk-in freezers and water heaters.
‘To do so, they are employing a little-known 1996 law, the Congressional Review Act, that allows lawmakers to reverse recently adopted federal regulations with a simple majority vote in both chambers. It is a strategy they used in 2017 during Mr. Trump’s first term and are leaning on again as they work to find ways to steer around Democratic opposition and make the most of their governing trifecta of the House, the Senate and the White House.’
"America First" antitrust enforcement is not regulation, DOJ official says
Lina Khan opened to the door to weaponizing antitrust policy. Gail Slater is just following through.
‘The remarks show Trump's antitrust enforcers plan to forge ahead, despite previous expectation by critics of President Joe Biden's strong approach to antitrust in the corporate world that enthusiasm for blocking mergers and challenging alleged monopolies would cool under the Republican president.
‘Antitrust enforcement "is America First conservatives’ preferred approach to cure market ills," and can prevent the need for regulation of industries after they become too consolidated, Slater said.
‘Slater and Andrew Ferguson, her counterpart at the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, have called on businesses and the public to identify regulations that thwart competition so they can potentially be repealed.’
Say Goodbye to the Antitrust Consumer Welfare Standard
The weaponization of antitrust policy is complete.
‘But Ms. Slater and Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson discarded the consumer welfare standard when they announced that they would be continuing the merger guidelines of former FTC Chairman Lina Khan. Under these guidelines, the government operates according to a “big is bad, little is good” antitrust philosophy, meaning it targets mergers and acquisitions even when they advance competition and don’t cause discernible harm to consumers. The result is excessive regulation and reduced innovation—which is why a bipartisan group of 17 former FTC and DOJ chief economists criticized the guidelines in 2023 for ignoring “consensus economic understanding.” The guidelines don’t even mention the consumer welfare standard, even though it remains the legal standard used by the courts.’
Carr touts all the ways the FCC has reduced regulation
Carr talks a big game, but there are some inconsistencies.
‘Take for example the administration’s crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). While Carr ended the FCC’s promotion of DEI, he also investigated companies like Comcast and Verizon for their diversity practices.
‘The FCC hasn’t made it any easier to get M&A approval, either. T-Mobile had to update its DEI policy to seal the deal on its Lumos fiber acquisition and the carrier is still waiting for the Commission to approve its deal with USCellular. Verizon’s pending $20 billion Frontier purchase could face similar hurdles to get across the regulatory finish line.
‘Regarding T-Mobile/USCellular, Levin noted the FCC is already on day 179 of its 180-day informal merger review clock. Given how Carr signed off on the T-Mobile’s merger with Sprint without any conditions, “it is difficult to understand how he would find a material risk to competition in the current and much smaller deal,” he said.’
BEAD: ‘Bureaucracy, Endless Approvals and Delays’
The speed with which we can deploy funds is staggeringly slow.
‘In 2021, the Infrastructure and Jobs Act was passed. This included a $42.5 billion provision for the Broadhead Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program to provide high-speed internet access to rural areas nationwide. And yet, nearly four years later, not a single home in those locations has been connected to this program.
‘Instead, the money fueled a long, aggravating process where states followed three broad stages — first, prequalification, then, challenge process and finally, grant awards. As of now, all states have submitted their initial proposal, which has been approved by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. However, most states are still shockingly stuck in the challenge process stage.
‘This challenge process is a complex, messy step for stakeholders to identify what territory is considered “rural” and therefore requires funding. Further, even fewer states have begun to select service providers, and only three have submitted their final proposal for approval.
‘Only after approval of this final proposal can a single person access the internet. For a program into which a substantial amount of citizens’ taxes go, it’s concerning that no definite output has been produced.‘