When critics call every DOGE target “the dismantling of the administrative state,” and supporters call every target “waste,” what test should separate a bad program from a disputed program?

Myrtle Beach, SC I want the test on the wall and I want to start by running it on our own side, because two of the exhibits our side has been waving fail it. The four-part screen this Forum has been building is sound. Is it authorized as written or as stretched? Does it have … Continue reading When critics call every DOGE target “the dismantling of the administrative state,” and supporters call every target “waste,” what test should separate a bad program from a disputed program?

Are large-scale buyouts, hiring freezes, and return-to-office rules a legitimate first cut at a bloated workforce, or a blunt instrument that will hollow out the few functions the public still wants done well?

Gastonia, NC The question asks about buyouts, freezes, and return-to-office. Those are the three things that were announced. They are not the three things that happened. The buyout happened and produced about seventy-five thousand acceptances — roughly three percent of the civilian workforce, against a stated hope of five to ten percent. The freeze happened. … Continue reading Are large-scale buyouts, hiring freezes, and return-to-office rules a legitimate first cut at a bloated workforce, or a blunt instrument that will hollow out the few functions the public still wants done well?

Myrtle Beach, SC The most informative thing that happened in this story happened three days ago and almost nobody has covered it. David Lebryk was the Fiscal Assistant Secretary at Treasury. Career civil servant, more than thirty years in the department, the senior official responsible for the systems that move federal money. He was placed … Continue reading Should a review team get access to payment files, contractor data, and headcount records — or does that access itself create a new risk that outweighs the audit?

Gastonia, NC Everybody in this argument is debating a recusal wall. Before you can build one you have to know which law is doing the building, and right now the answer is none. The federal conflict-of-interest statute reaches officers and employees of the executive branch. That is the whole of its coverage. It criminalises participating … Continue reading Do Elon Musk’s federal contracts and regulatory exposure disqualify him from directing efficiency policy, or is that a manageable conflict if the scope is disclosed?