Two Sides
Dodd and Frank present the case against tapering the CFPB
Trump Harms Consumers by Weakening the CFPB
How did the CFPB prevent a financial crisis? Asking for a friend.
‘On one side is the 2010 creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau by Congress and the president, after an extensive, transparent process. This helped resolve a national crisis at the time and has since helped prevent another, while also offering consumers protection from previously unpoliced abusive financial practices.
‘On the other side is the decision by the White House with no legal authority to order a disruptive halt to the work of this duly constituted regulatory agency. This has led to the firing of employees for no cause other than the wishes of administrative entities.’
Thousands of fired federal workers must be rehired immediately, judge rules
The workers can still be let go as part of a reduction-in-force. This is more of a procedural issue.
‘U.S. District Judge William Alsup described the mass firings as a “sham” strategy by the government’s central human resources office to sidestep legal requirements for reducing the federal workforce.’
Even Keir Starmer recognizes that bureaucracy is the bogeyman.
‘Sir Keir Starmer is abolishing NHS England as Labour embarks on the biggest reorganisation of the health service for more than a decade.
‘The prime minister said that scrapping the arm’s-length body would bring “management of the NHS back into democratic control” and reduce spending on “two layers of bureaucracy”.’
Thousands to lose jobs as Starmer scraps NHS England to cut 'bureaucracy'
Interesting comment from Starmer about retaking “democratic control” from the NHS bureaucracy.
‘Thousands of jobs to be cut after Keir Starmer announces NHS England will be abolished to "cut bureaucracy" and bring management of the health service "back into democratic control"
Speaking in Hull, the prime minister says the state is "overstretched" and "unfocused"’
California doesn’t need DOGE, but there’s plenty of wasteful spending and bureaucracy to cut
If DOGE is moving too quickly, it’s because the lesson they learned from prior efforts is that incrementalism is doomed to fail.
The message from the opposition is that, of course, there is waste, fraud, and abuse, but we need to proceed with caution.
They’re not serious about reform.
‘California, with its $322 billion budget and perennial fiscal crises, desperately needs a similar reckoning. Any candidate for governor in 2026 must embrace this challenge — not with Musk’s sledgehammer, but with a scalpel guided by data and transparency.
‘DOGE’s rollout has been a circus. Shutting down entire agencies like USAID overnight, seizing control of Treasury systems that hold sensitive taxpayer data, and wielding AI to slash budgets without congressional oversight isn’t reform, it’s chaos. Lawsuits piling up from unions and states underscore the legal quicksand Musk has stepped into.’
Linda McMahon argues US education will improve once its ‘bureaucracy’ is removed
What McMcahon should say is that we’ll see better education in some states. Not every state will do the right thing or even understand what they should be doing.
‘“Better education is closest to the kids, with parents, with local superintendents, with local school boards,” McMahon said on Fox News’s The Ingraham Angle. “I think we’ll see our scores go up with our students when we can educate them with parental input as well.”
‘McMahon pointed out that only 30% of the United States’s high school graduates can read “proficiently.” She believes the skill is “missing” among the nation’s youth, and addressing this needs to be a focus.
‘The education secretary then detailed the first steps she took in her new job: identifying “where the bloat is” in the department and finding out which programs are “excellent.”’
Another Way Government Regulation Impedes Educational Improvement
We need this kind of rapid skills training yesterday, yet the Department of Education is throwing up roadblocks because this is a different way of doing things.
‘The world of higher education is rapidly changing. Fewer and fewer students want the costly four-year degree with credits earned in classrooms. Many prefer courses online where the emphasis is on skill acquisition. Creating such courses calls for a new kind of expertise, and those who can supply it are called Online Program Managers (OPM).
‘Predictably, however, government regulation is getting in the way of colleges making the best use of OPMs, as Jenna Robinson points out in today’s Martin Center article.’
From bureaucracy to brilliance: AI in federal IT
How do we get workers up to speed quickly on AI?
‘AI fluency helps unlock the full potential of generative AI. Regardless of job function, federal employees will need to understand how to leverage AI and how AI will evolve the nature of work within their organization. This starts with gaining a basic understanding of AI capabilities and then evolves into understanding the specific tasks where AI will add the most value. As AI-powered tools become integrated into everyday workflows, agencies must prioritize upskilling and reskilling initiatives to equip their workforce with the necessary knowledge and skills. This investment in human capital is crucial for maximizing the return on AI investments. As research indicates, 72% of IT leaders already recognize AI skills as a critical gap. Addressing this skills gap within the federal workforce is paramount.‘
FCC chair asks the public to list every regulation he should remove
It is likely that the public response here will be most meaningful from large enterprise players.
They know what needs to be done to make the system more efficient. Their lobbying will be (largely) in the public eye.
‘Carr announced “In re: Delete, Delete, Delete” on Wednesday, in response to President Donald Trump’s executive orders seeking to remove regulations across the government. One order that the FCC cited in its announcement calls for agencies to identify 10 regulations to repeal for every one they propose. Carr has so far made himself one of Trump’s most loyal lieutenants, taking up his preferred policies and investigating media and tech companies Trump has long battled.
‘“For too long, administrative agencies have added new regulatory requirements in excess of their authority or kept lawful regulations in place long after their shelf life had expired,” Carr says in a statement. “This only creates headwinds and slows down our country’s innovators, entrepreneurs, and small businesses. The FCC is committed to ending all of the rules and regulations that are no longer necessary. And we welcome the public’s participation and feedback throughout this process.”’