The tension between politics and governance is an all-too-common part of the lives of federal employees. But, the Trump presidency mainstreamed terms like “drain the swamp” and “Deep State,” putting the federal bureaucracy into the spotlight. In any discussion of the role of civil service during the Trump presidency, neutral competence and expertise in public service need to be examined.
Stuart Shapiro is the Interim Dean at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public at Policy Rutgers University. He’s the author of the book Trump and the Bureaucrats: The Fate of Neutral Competence. He joined the podcast to discuss the book and the role of the professional civil service.