It’s slow, inefficient and sclerotic. Here’s a progressive blueprint to fix it.

President Donald Trump’s unrelenting assault on the federalworkforce has prompted many progressives to leap reflexively to government’s defense.  

Some progressives, however, are acknowledging the need for reform. “The truth is, Trump and Elon Musk alone didn’t break our governing institutions,” write Hannah Garden-Monheit and Tresa Joseph in a new report for the Roosevelt Institute. “Unfortunately, for most Americans, the federal government is distant, abstract, labyrinthine."

Garden-Monheit and Joseph interviewed 45 former officials from President Joe Biden’s administration, many of whom conveyed the frustration of ambitions thwarted by risk aversion, red tape and a cumbersome civil service system.  Based on these conversations, they offer more than 160 fixes to make government more efficient and responsive.

Rebuilding public trust, Garden-Monheit and Joseph argue, demands bold action that delivers visible benefits to Americans’ lives.

Host: Anne Kim

Guest: Hannah Garden-Monheit, former director of the Office of Policy Planning, Federal Trade Commission