I consider myself a distruptor who shakes things up and seeks to embrace positive change. Donald Trump represents the most cataclysmic change I’ve seen in my three-plus decades in Washington, DC. While there are ample concerns, I am excited, entertained and even somewhat euphoric about it — and I’m a Democrat!
Trump may tout his knowledge of the “art of the deal,” but if he wants to accomplish anything during his presidency, he needs to do these three things:
The anti-establishment, outsider and outspoken nature of the president-elect is extremely threatening to the mainstay of the federal workforce, the majority of whom are civilian workers supporting their own families with their federal paychecks. While arguably a bloated bureaucracy in need of a restricted diet, it remains the braintrust and workhorse of government services ranging from Social Security and Medicare reimbursement to veterans benefits, food safety, medical research and epidemic control. Mr. Trump should want to calm some anxieties, while keeping true to his demeanor and daily disruptive management and manipulative media style.
Even if Mr. Trump does come up with a list of regulations to be gutted, there are only a handful of ways in which that could be accomplished. Most would require instituting the Government in the Sunshine Act where public comment is afforded to citizens. Such transparency is good in that it ensures nefarious private backroom deals aren’t cut. That law and others that some might consider “pesky policies and procedures” actually serve as a cleaning agents for what can be messy circumstances. They protect citizens. Mr. Trump will need to ensure that as he goes about his disrupting business in an expedient fashion, and that he doesn’t violate any of these important laws implemented to ensure that government conducts business with integrity, fairness and openness.
The President-elect should establish (as CNBC’s Andrew Ross Sorkin has suggested) what is called a monitor. The monitor — in the form of an independent, nonpartisan overseer, a person beyond reproach — should have access to all of the myriad Trump organization dealings, including meetings with government officials, deals and pending deals, account statements, etcetera. At least twice a year, the monitor should produce a detailed and digestible report that is available to Congress, the media and the public at large. Here again, transparency is key. It would further demonstrate his ability to put the nation before his business interests. It would go a long way toward addressing what will be persisting questions of conflicts and ethical balancing acts to rest by creating a greater sense of confidence, clarity and accountability.
We start this year with enormous opportunities and an equal amount of trepidation. The economy has been gaining increased steam. We have a new administration about to begin, a time when we hope the nation can heal election-year wounds and come together. Let’s hope that the president-elect and his team take full advantage of this disruptive dealmaker modus operandi and confront the immediate challenges before them. If they do so, he will defy the oddsmakers, disarm adversaries, and garner cooperation from key components of his federal workforce. It will benefit Mr. Trump, his new administration and the country as a whole.
