President Trump Is Dismantling The Federal Bureaucracy -- But He's Playing a Long Game To Do So

Fire Employees, Close Facilities, Deprive It Of Money, and Drive The Private Sector NGOs Funded by it Out of Business -- All Part Of A Plan

The 47^th President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, has a plan. That plan is the large-scale dismantling of the “Fourth Branch” of the federal government -- the “Administrative State” – over 4 years.

Through the first 50 days of his Administration we have seen only individual components of this plan as they have been put into play. In some instances I believe we have only seen test cases — efforts to establish authority to take steps as the Executive that others have not taken before him. The earlier failure to do so have contributed to the unchecked growth of the Administrative State since the New Deal.

But the plan is more broad and multi-faceted than seems obvious at this point. I see four primary axes of attack coming into focus – so far. But each axis should result in a level of deconstruction of key components which can be expanded over time once the foundation is laid. The deconstruction will be difficult to reverse in the future, particularly if there is a diligent “small government” Republican party standing watch over what President Trump leaves behind.

1. First Axis: Substantially reduce the size of the federal civilian work force.

2. Second Axis: Close down permanently federal facilities that house large parts of the bureaucracy.

3. Third Axis: Decapitate Leadership of Administrative Agencies to slow their work.

4. Fourth Axis: Starve the network of private NGO’s that are the patrons of the Administrative State of the funds they need to survive.

Reduction in the Civilian Work Force.