Dear editor:
If re-elected, Donald Trump wants more control over our federal agencies. That would be bad for democracy and violate the constitution.
He has vowed to re-issue an executive order (Schedule F) that was stalled by court challenges late in his first term. Schedule F would reclassify thousands of high-level federal employees as at-will workers who could more easily be fired. It would return civil service employment to the political spoils system and is the primary mechanism he intends to use to gain more control over federal agencies in a second term.
As a retired management consultant who spent 25 years working with numerous federal programs, I have a strong appreciation for the necessity of insulating federal agencies from too much political influence. Politics should be kept to a bare minimum in agencies that deal with prescription drug safety, air traffic control, criminal justice and many other issues.
While it is not unusual for a president to try to influence agency policies, Trump wants to make a civil servant’s job contingent on loyalty to presidential politics. That would jeopardize democracy.
Most of us have benefited enormously from a democracy that has endured for nearly 250 years. We are often the envy of the world with a living standard far above average, a great transportation system, good educational opportunities, an economy that offers potential for nearly everyone, strong environmental standards and so much more. None of this would be possible without a stable government anchored in the principles of democracy.
Schedule F threatens that stability. It would result in massive staff turnover at the beginning of each administration. It would also lead to major policy oscillations revolving around the political values of the party in control of the presidency. Some of the politics could be extreme. For example, during his first term in office President Trump pushed hard for the Department of Homeland Security to build a moat along the southern border and stock it with alligators (read “Blowback”, by Miles Taylor).
Regrettably, there has been a growing lack of faith in our government institutions in recent decades. In his inaugural address, Ronald Reagan stated “Government is not the solution to the problem, government is the problem.” A few years later, he said the nine scariest words in the English language are “I’m from the government and I’m here to help.” Statements such as these opened the flood gates to a never- ending criticism of federal agencies which unfortunately has given Trump political license to pursue Schedule F.
Some of the most criticized alphabet agencies include: BLM (the Bureau of Land Management), CDC (the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), DHS (Department of Homeland Security), DOJ (the Department of Justice) and EPA (the Environmental Protection Agency) to name a few.
These agencies were created by Congress to be administered by the executive branch within congressional parameters that are not supposed to be manipulated by a president. They employ professional staff who are trained in the nuances of air and water pollution control, food and prescription drug safety, criminal justice, sustainable land management, and much more. In addition to providing expertise, which helps to shield decision making from politics, they assure continuity of government from one presidential administration to the next. They are the glue that holds our government together as elected officials come and go.
Presidential control of our government agencies, including the judiciary, would be contrary to the intent of the Constitution. According to James Madison, “The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many, and whether hereditary, self-appointed, or elective, may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny.”
There are many reasons not to vote for Donald Trump. High on the list is his intent to violate the constitutional tenet of separation of powers between the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government. His resolve to nudge our country toward authoritarianism with him in control of our federal agencies is a direct threat to democracy.
Sincerely,
Earl DeGroot
Cheyenne
