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American Thought Leaders

James Sherk: How Unelected Bureaucrats Sabotage Policy, Such as Trump’s—and What to Do About It

American Thought Leaders

The Epoch Times

News, Government, Politics

4.91.2K Ratings

🗓️ 26 August 2022

⏱️ 45 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

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“It is just a nightmare trying to fire a federal employee,” says James Sherk, director of the Center for American Freedom at the America First Policy Institute.

During the Trump administration, unelected federal bureaucrats delayed, blocked, or subverted much of Trump’s agenda, he says. But firing a federal bureaucrat often requires costly litigation. “More often than not, they get reinstated. … And you’re going to have to cover their attorney’s fees and give them back pay,” Sherk says.

Sherk was deeply involved in efforts during the Trump administration to give presidents the ability to fire powerful bureaucrats that engage in insubordination or intransigence, most notably in the drafting of the Schedule F executive order.

“They have no accountability to the American people … It’s a huge problem in a country founded on the principle of government by the consent of the governed,” Sherk says.

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Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

They have no accountability to the American people.

0:02.4

The fact that the first African delay rules

0:04.1

they don't like by an extra year or a year and a half,

0:06.4

in many cases, that can kill the policy.

0:08.1

Presidents need to be able to fire bureaucrats

0:10.6

that engage in insubordination or intransigence.

0:14.0

Says James Shirk, director of the Center for American Freedom

0:17.1

at the America First Policy Institute.

0:19.4

Shirk was deeply involved in such efforts, most notably

0:22.5

in the drafting of the Schedule F executive order

0:25.8

during the Trump administration.

0:27.4

If you're not trying, you represent your client.

0:28.9

And in the justice problem, your client is the United States

0:31.1

and you're there to enforce the laws.

0:32.6

You shouldn't get to say, these are the laws I like.

0:34.7

These are the laws I don't like.

0:35.7

I'm only going to work on these laws.

0:37.2

It is just a nightmare trying to fire a football ball.

0:39.2

And in many cases, more often than not, they get reinstated.

0:41.9

And you're going to have to cover the attorney's fees

0:44.0

and give them back pay.

0:45.4

This is American Thought Leaders, and I'm Janja Kellek.

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