No. of Recommendations: 7
Increase Presidential Power
Mr. Trump and his associates have a broad goal to alter the balance of power by increasing the president’s authority over every part of the federal government that currently operates independently of the White House.
- Bring independent agencies under presidential control
Congress has set up various regulatory agencies to operate independently from the White House. Mr. Trump has vowed to bring them under presidential control
- Revive the practice of “impounding” funds
He has vowed to return to a system under which the president has the power to refuse to spend money that Congress has appropriated for programs the president doesn’t like.
- Strip employment protections from tens of thousands of longtime civil servants
During Mr. Trump’s presidency, he issued an executive order making it easier to fire career officials and replace them with loyalists. Mr. Biden rescinded it, but Mr. Trump has said that he would reissue it in a second term.
This would be extremely corrosive to our government and would bring back the bad old days before we had a merit based civil service. Corruption and graft would be rampant. THIS IS ONE OF THE STUPIDEST IDEAS.
- Purge officials from intelligence agencies, law enforcement, the State Department and the Pentagon
Mr. Trump has disparaged the career work force at agencies involved in national security and foreign policy as an evil “deep state” he intends to destroy.
An authoritarian move that would undermine our liberties in so many ways.
- Appoint lawyers who would bless his agenda as lawful
Politically appointed lawyers in the first Trump administration sometimes raised objections to White House proposals. Several of his closest advisers are now vetting lawyers seen as more likely to embrace aggressive legal theories about the scope of his power.
These would all be disastrous for our Republic. Kiss the Constitution goodbye.
