We are Winning

Trump is Distancing Himself

Center for Renewing America

No Abortion, No Exceptions

Christian Nationalism

Largest Deportation in History

Ban Pornography

Weaponizing Military against Citizens

Loyal Federal Employees

A New Administration

Project 2025 Training Videos

A series of training videos for potential political appointees in a future Republican administration, created by the Project 2025 transition initiative, emphasize the need for increased political control over federal agencies without explicitly detailing plans for the federal civil service. These Project 2025 training videos were leaked by ProPublica.

Although the Trump administration has distanced itself from Project 2025's controversial policy guide, it continues to align with conservative goals, such as reviving the Schedule F initiative to convert federal workers to at-will employees. These training videos feature former officials discussing the importance of appointing more political appointees to ensure accountability and align with conservative values, while also expressing frustration with career civil servants. Despite some negative experiences shared, others noted that cooperation can occur once newcomers learn the government’s complexities.

Karoline Leavitt, Trump's White House press secretary

Advancing the President's Agenda

Donald Devine

Former Director of the Office of Personnel Management

The Washington Post labeled Donald Devine as Ronald Reagan's "terrible swift sword of the civil service" when he served as Director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management during President Reagan's first term, The New York Times called him "the Grinch," and the Federal Times titled him the "Rasputin of the reduction in force – all because he helped cut 100,000 bureaucratic jobs and save over $6 billion reducing generous benefits.

James Bacon

former special assistant to the president, presidential personnel office

James Bacon has previously worked at the Department of Transportation and Department of Housing and Development. Now in the Presidential Personnel Office, he is the right-hand man to John McEntee, the director of the Presidential Personnel Office. McEntee, who is 29, is in charge of instilling loyalists to the Trump White House, according to Politico.

video highlights

How Cabinet Government is Supposed to Work

Cabinet secretaries should have regular meetings with the President
Accurately communicate the President’s instructions to the team below you
Agency offices should work closely with their counterparts at the White House

Example: The White House Communications Office should utilize each agency’s public relations office to get messaging out
This avoids bureaucratic bloating at the White House with separates the agency principals from the President and his top aides

The agency, not the White House staff, has the legal authority to implement the President’s directives

The White House staff should provide top-level direction but the real work needs to be done at the agency level

orienting new political appointees

Working in the federal government is nothing like working in the private sector

There is no profit and loss system to assess outcomes
You MUST take time to personally determine what’s happening at the bureaucratic levels beneath you
Delegate less, follow up more

The best way to assess what’s going on beneath you is to staff every level of the bureaucracy with political appointees

This will ensure that actions can be delegated and that you, as the principal, are well briefed

your actions & the media

Don’t let the media dictate your actions

When the media hits you, remind yourself that you’re there to make a difference for the country, not to avoid controversy

Don’t expect that a career employee’s first loyalty is to you
Keep your agenda close

Keep in mind that nearly every action you take will eventually become public. Before doing something, think about how it would look on the front page of the Washington Post
Don’t share your agenda widely within your department. It will inevitably leak
The Washington Post (and other legacy media) have contacts at every agency

identifying successful political appointees

Successful appointees are willing to take risks and not just go with the flow
Successful appointees are willing to stand up to the media
The best place to find these candidates is in the campaign (the earlier in the campaign the better)

implementing the president's agenda at the agency

Cabinet secretaries should report DIRECTLY to the President
It’s imperative for cabinet secretaries to develop a close working relationship with the President
Cabinet secretaries should be loyal to the President and support his or her agenda

Cabinet secretaries should constantly ask themselves “how would the President govern if he were here in charge of my agency?”

have confidence in your legal authority to act

Become a jailhouse lawyer - know the law regarding your agency

Study the legal authorities of your position

Always check the law being referenced by a career federal employee, especially if you are being told you cannot do something
Always ask questions and get a second opinion
There’s no substitute for knowing the law yourself
Have a lawyer on staff who is a political appointee

first steps to take as a cabinet secretary

On day one, you MUST rescind all delegations of authority to your subordinates
- This will ensure no official below you can perform an official agency action without your approval
Place political appointees in the proper roles beneath you before day 1
- Use the myriad tools at your disposal to clear the way of insubordinate careerists: reassign them, incentivize them, and as a last resort, fire them

Appointee Survival Guide

Bethany Kozma

Former Deputy Chief of Staff, USAID

Before joining the Trump administration in 2017, Kozma advocated against…transgender students. She has played a key role in advancing conservative causes globally, such as opposing references to sexual and reproductive health in United Nations documents.

katie sullivan

Former Acting Assistant Attorney General Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice

Katharine “Katie” Sullivan served as a state trial court Judge for 11 years prior to joining the Trump Administration at the Department of Justice.

Matthew Mangiaracina

Former White House LiaisonUS Dept. of the Interior

He served as the Assistant Secretary of Community Planning and Development in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and as White House Liaison for the U.S. Department of the Interior in the Trump administration.

Pam Pryor

Former Acting Assistant Secretary, Bureau of International Organization Affairs, US Dept. of State

Ms. Pryor’s distinguished career before joining the Department of State included a key role on the presidential campaign of Donald J. Trump leading his faith outreach initiative.

Max Primorac

Former Acting Chief Operating Officer, USAID

Max Primorac is a Senior Research Fellow in the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom at The Heritage Foundation. His key areas of specialization are global development, especially the adverse effects of China’s global expansion and climate policies, waste, fraud and abuse in U.S. foreign aid, complex global crises, and international religious freedom.

Kristen Eichamer

Former Deputy Press SecretaryNASA

Kristen is an Advisor for Coalitions Communications at The Heritage Foundation.

John Zadrozny

Former Deputy Assistant to the President, The White House Office

Zadrozny worked in the White House shop that reported to Miller, Trump’s virulently anti-immigration advisor who is considered the chief architect behind some of the administration’s most controversial policies. Miller advised Trump on his travel ban executive order and policy of separating parents and children trying to cross into the United States.

video highlights

Top Tips

Cabinet secretaries should have regular meetings with the President
Accurately communicate the President’s instructions to the team below you
Agency offices should work closely with their counterparts at the White House

Example: The White House Communications Office should utilize each agency’s public relations office to get messaging out
This avoids bureaucratic bloating at the White House with separates the agency principals from the President and his top aides

The agency, not the White House staff, has the legal authority to implement the President’s directives

The White House staff should provide top-level direction but the real work needs to be done at the agency level

Appointees and Policymaking

derrick morgan

executive vice president, heritage foundation

Derrick Morgan is the Executive Vice President of The Heritage Foundation, overseeing policy, communications, and government relations under President Dr. Kevin Roberts. Previously, he was senior vice president of the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers, leading national advocacy efforts and testifying before Congress. Morgan has worked for four senators and one representative, and served in the Bush Administration as assistant, special counsel, and staff secretary for Vice President Dick Cheney. His legal career includes roles at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher and the Department of Justice. A recognized conservative voice, he has appeared on major news outlets and his commentary has been published in prominent publications. He holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Dallas and a JD from Georgetown University Law Center.

roger severino

Vice President of Domestic Policy

Roger Severino is the Vice President of Domestic Policy and the Joseph C. and Elizabeth A. Anderlik Fellow at The Heritage Foundation, specializing in civil rights, conscience and religious freedom, administrative law, and information privacy, particularly in healthcare. He previously led the HHS Office for Civil Rights, where he was instrumental in enforcing civil rights laws and founded the first division focused on conscience and religious freedom. Severino has a background in both the DeVos Center for Religion and Civil Society at Heritage and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. His notable achievements include significant regulatory reforms, landmark civil rights resolutions, and the largest HIPAA settlement in history. Severino holds a JD from Harvard, a master’s in Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon, and a bachelor’s from USC, and he is also a member of the bars in D.C. and Virginia. In his personal time, he enjoys teaching salsa and west coast swing.

erin walsh

Senior fellow in international Affairs at the Asian Study Center

Erin Walsh is a Senior Research Fellow for National Security at The Heritage Foundation’s Asian Studies Center, with a distinguished career spanning both public service and the private sector, including roles in four Republican presidential administrations. Over 16 years in government, she has worked at the White House, the State Department, the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, and the Department of Energy, notably serving as Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Director at the National Security Council from 2017 to 2020. Walsh also has experience with the United Nations in Bosnia during the war and spent 12 years in the private sector at Goldman Sachs and Cisco, where she led initiatives focused on corporate engagement and technology education across Asia and developing countries. She holds a bachelor's degree from Georgetown University and a master's from the London School of Economics, and has traveled to over 100 countries.

video highlights

impact of service

Importance of understanding the regulatory role in federal agencies.
Many opportunities exist for influencing policy at various levels.

importance of excellence

Starting in junior roles, doing excellent work leads to opportunities for greater influence.
The need for preparedness when called upon for opinions on important matters.

religious freedom initiative

Erin highlighted the successful push for the president to address religious freedom at the UN.
This marked the first time a U.S. president spoke on this issue at the UN, showcasing leadership.

hiring criteria for administration roles

Look for candidates with relevant academic or real-world experience.
Candidates must align with the president’s conservative policies.
Team players with a supportive attitude are essential.
Individuals from various professional backgrounds (e.g., small business, law) are encouraged to contribute to the conservative movement.
Diverse experiences can enrich the administration's effectiveness.

flexibility and work ethic

Candidates should be adaptable and willing to work in a fast-paced environment.
The unpredictability of roles means candidates must be ready for rapid changes.
Flexibility is crucial; adapting to changing issues is key to success.
Maintaining energy and optimism is important during challenging times.
Building a broad network of contacts is beneficial for support and guidance.
Time is a precious commodity; administrations have limited periods (4-8 years) to accomplish their goals.
It’s essential to work efficiently from day one to execute promises and initiatives.

opportunities for young professionals

Entry-level positions, such as confidential assistants, offer valuable training and experience.
Internships and volunteer opportunities can lead to full-time positions in administration.
Experience in government enhances credibility and opens doors for future opportunities in both public and private sectors.
Being a known quantity within the conservative movement can lead to hiring opportunities.

policy implementation process

The transition from idea to reality involves navigating executive orders, regulations, and potential litigation.
Proper planning from the start is vital for success in implementing policies.
The country faces significant challenges from progressive ideologies; conservative principles need representation.
National security threats, particularly from China, highlight the need for strong leadership.

first 100 days:

This period is critical for establishing momentum; the administration must capitalize on the initial excitement.
Every hour counts, and unexpected events can arise that impact plans.

Background Checks and Security Clearances

dennis dean kirk

Former Director of the Office of Personnel Management

Donald J. Trump Announces His Intent to Nominate Dennis Dean Kirk of Virginia, to be a Member and Chair of the Merit Systems Protection Board

Dennis Dean Kirk of Virginia, to be a Member and Chair of the Merit Systems Protection Board for the remainder of a seven year term expiring March 1, 2023.

Investigators May Contact

Friends
Coworkers
Landlords
Family
Neighbors

Four Levels of Security Clearances

Confidential: this type of security clearance provides access to information that could cause damage to national security if disclosed without authorization. It must be reinvestigated every 15 years.
Secret: same as confidential clearance but must be reinvestigated every 10 year
Top Secret: same as confidential clearance but must be reinvestigated every five years
Top Secret, Sensitive Compartmented information: SCI is an access program that gets “added on” to the clearance

Federal Employment Disqualifiers

Citizenship
Criminal History

Crimes such as fraud, embezzlement, and tax evasion show a lack of moral character

Bankruptcy or Debt
Substance Abuse
Inconsistencies
Conflicts of Interest
SF-85 Disqualifications - providing false information
Bad Credit

Improving Chances of Obtaining a Government Position

Become a US Citizen
Be Qualified
Complete Application
Pay off debts and improve credit rating
Rehabilitated Behavior

Coalition Building

Paul Teller

Former Deputy Assistant to the President & Director for Strategic Initiatives, Office of the Vice President

Paul Teller is the Executive Director of Advancing American Freedom, the policy-and-action organization that Vice President Mike Pence created after departing the White House. Prior to this honor, Paul served all four years in the Trump-Pence White House: first as a Special Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs, where he operated as the White House liaison to U.S. House and Senate conservatives and to all the groups and activists of the Conservative Movement who were helping advance the President’s legislative agenda; and subsequently as Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Strategic Initiatives for the Vice President, where he served as the Vice President’s liaison to the Conservative Movement at large.

Sarah Makin

Former Deputy Assistant to the President & Director of Public Liaison & External Affairs, Office of the Vice President

On LinkedIn, Makin, a University of Connecticut graduate, lists her title as a deputy assistant to the president; various reports also describe her as Pence’s director of public engagement and intergovernmental affairs. She’s worked in the past as a congressional aide and as a lobbyist, according to online documents and media reports. She is one of only a few original staffers left in the vice president’s office, having been tapped by Pence to join his team in early January 2017.

An Overview of Coalitions

What is a coalition?

A coalition is formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal
Building coalitions means you are engaging people on the outside of government to influence policy
Individuals who take part in coalition groups are passionate about specific industries or policy areas, they are vocal, and they want to make a difference
Examples of coalition groups: the pro-life movement, supporters of the second amendment, religious liberty groups

Why are coalitions important?

These individuals elected the President and expect the President and their administration to make good on campaign promises
These individuals serve as a voice for the American people and can advise the administration on what policies are needed
These are the individuals who will determine the outcome of the next election

Where can coalition work be accomplished?

The main place to work in coalitions is the White House Office of Public Liaison
However, coalition work can and should be done throughout the administration
Building relationships with the American public is important!

Should I work in coalitions?

Do you like working at the intersection of people and ideas?
Do you enjoy policy AND building relationships?
When working in coalitions you get a front row seat to the impact of the President’s policy agenda

What to do on Day One

Start small. Don’t take on too much at once
Figure out who your key allies are
Make yourself available
Take initiative - proactively reach out to people
Listen twice as much as you speak!

How to use Coalitions to Advance the President’s Agenda

You are an extension and a reflection of the President in your role
Coalition relationships should be genuine and mutually supportive, not transactional
Once you have built trust, you can then use coalition groups to help advance policy.
Tangible actions/requests for coalitions partners:

Release statements in support of specific bills or presidential actions
Attend presidential events to show support (in DC or across the country)
Speak at presidential events to show how specific policies have positively impacted their industry

Pre-existing relationships and trust are crucial

Best Practices

Build contact lists that can be sorted by interest (one person can be on multiple lists!)
If you meet someone at a conference, get their business card, take it back to your desk, and put that person on as many lists as possible
Bring people in, make them feel involved between major action items

Send out a weekly or monthly update email

Meet with coalition partners BEFORE a policy roll out and ask good questions:

What do you think about this?
How would you frame it?
Are you willing to participate?
Are you willing to help amplify?

Soliciting feedback makes people feel involved and in that process, you acquire great ideas
Remember: You are a reflection of the administration and of the President in everything you do, everything you say, and everything you write.
Don’t be afraid to get to know people on a personal level. It doesn’t always have to be all policy!

You will have opportunities to make people feel unique - for example, requesting a letter be sent from the President

Share your contact information and encourage people to reach out to you
Make sure to invite coalition partners to a variety of events - schedule an informal coffee, invite them to a roundtable, request their attendance at a Presidential event
Seek out mentors - reach out to former conservative political appointees for guidance!
Build a team around you - the bigger your team, the more people you can reach
Each person on the coalitions team should lean into their strengths, interests, and background
It’s okay to go outside your comfort zone too!

Damage Control

Address any negative situations immediately
Give coalition partners the opportunity to express their concerns - make sure they feel heard
Pivot to show them something you have done or can do for them - offer real solutions
You represent the President and sometimes you just have to take the heat
If you messed up, apologize and find a way to make it up to the person

Conservative Movement History

christopher malagisi

Executive Director of Outreach, Hillsdale College (D.C.)

Christopher Malagisi is the Executive Director of Outreach for Hillsdale College’s Washington, D.C. Campus, where he oversees external relations, marketing, and communications, playing a key role in launching the Van Andel Graduate School of Government. With over five years of experience, he has significantly enhanced the college's profile in the capital through innovative outreach strategies. Malagisi is also Co-Chair of the Conservative External Relations Professionals group, which connects over 200 members from various influential organizations. His expertise in the political and philosophical history of the conservative movement has led him to teach at the university level and consult for multiple sectors. His previous roles include leadership positions at the American Conservative Union and The Leadership Institute, and he has been involved in multiple presidential campaigns and democracy development initiatives. Recognized with several awards for his contributions to the conservative movement, he is also a frequent media commentator and has published articles in notable outlets. Malagisi holds a Master’s in Public Administration from Syracuse University and a dual B.A. from American University, and has participated in various fellowships. Originally from Buffalo, NY, he has traveled extensively, sailed around the world, and recorded two piano albums.

What are Conservatives trying to Conserve?

American Exceptionalism

The Progressives

Woodrow Wilson

First federal income tax
Drastically increased federal spending
Federal Reserve Act
Amendment XVII - Direct election of senators

The Old Right included Harding and Coolidge, who swung the pendulum back to limited government
FDR and the New Deal legacy

If there was a Mt. Rushmore for progressive presidents it would have:

Woodrow wilson
Franklin Roosevelt
Lyndon Johnson
Barack Obama

The History of the Philosophical Foundations of the Conservative Movement

The Four P’s of a Political Movement

Philosophers

Conservative Three-Legged Stool

Classical Liberals / Libertarians

Laissez-faire economics

Traditionalists

Shocked by the Red Scare, wanted to return to old religions
Robert Nisbet - “The history of the West since the end of the Middle Ages was the story of decline of intermediate associations b/t the individual and the state. The weakening and dissolution of such ties as family, church, guild, and neighborhood had not, as many had hoped, liberated men. Instead, it has produced alienation, isolation, spiritual desolation, and the growth of mass man. But man cannot live in Hobbesian isolation, and so, to satisfy his longings, he seeks out community eventually, finding it in the totalitarian state”

Anti-Communists

Conservative Fusion and the Popularizers

Buckley, meyer, and Fusionism

Popularizers

Human Events : Early Conservative weekly newspaper
The five tidal waves of conservative media

Philanthropists

Building the Movement Infrastructure
The Funding Fathers

SO MANY, including Joseph Coors, ULine, Peter Thiel & Paypal
They wrote a book about it called “Funding Fathers”

Politicians

Conserving America

MATTHEW SPALDING

Vice-President, Hillsdale College

Dr. Matthew Spalding, vice president for the College’s Washington, D.C. operations and dean of the Van Andel Graduate School of Government, has been appointed executive director of the Commission by the Trump Administration.

The Commission was created by executive order in November 2020 to advise the President about teaching future generations about the history and principles of the founding of the United States in 1776 and correcting the rising tide of anti-American scholarship that rejects that history and those principles.

The Goal of Conservatism

To recover, to restore, to conserve, and to save our country.

Two Pivotal Periods in America’s Founding

Between 1775 (Battle of Lexington) and 1783 (Treaty of Paris)
Between 1785 and 1797 (The Constitutional Period)

Fundamental Rights

Life, Liberty, Pursuit of Happiness

The Right of the People

To alter or abolish government when government becomes destructive of its ends. Namely, securing rights.

NO GOVERNMENT POSSESSES RIGHTS, THEY ONLY HAVE LIMITED POWERS

Principles of the Early Progressives

No absolute truth or first principles
System based in relativism
No principle stands the test of time

The beginnings of Conservatism is a Rejection of Progressivism.

The Cardinal Virtue of PRUDENCE

TRANSLATES ABSTRACT TRUTHS and fundamentals and how we apply them in particular circumstances

The Principles We’re Working to Save

Equal rights for all, special privileges for none
Under the laws of nature and nature’s god
The right to life, liberty & the pursuit of happiness
The right to property
Religious liberty
Legitimate government is based on the consent of the governed
All government stems from the rule of law
Our government is a limited constitutional government with delegated powers

Executive Orders

steve bradbury

Distinguished Fellow - Heritage Foundation, General Counsel of the Department of Transportation in the Trump Administration

Bradbury served in the Trump Administration as the Senate-confirmed general counsel of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) from November 2017 until January 2021. As the Department’s chief legal officer, he oversaw all of DOT’s rulemaking and enforcement actions. During his time at DOT, he also served as the Acting Deputy Secretary of Transportation and briefly as the Acting Secretary of Transportation.

During the Bush 43 Administration, Mr. Bradbury served as the Principal Deputy and Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel at the U.S. Department of Justice.

Mr. Bradbury clerked for Justice Clarence Thomas on the Supreme Court and for Judge James L. Buckley on the D.C. Circuit.

Executive Order Drafting & Implementation

Executive orders are a primary means by which the President exercises the authorities he has under Article II of the constitution, under statues or treaties
Criminal Limitations of Executive Orders:

Executives Orders must be consistent with the law
The President does not have the authority to appropriate money or create budgets for executive branch spending

Structure of Executive Orders

The structure of an executive order is dictated by the Justice Department and the Office of the Federal Register
Statement of Authority

The President’s constitutional authority is referenced
Specific statutes are sometimes referenced

Policy Statement

The President’s statement - the reason for the executive order and the direction the president is giving his administration to take on the specific policy area
May include definitions of relevant terms that need to be defined for the purpose of understanding the directions in the executive order

Executive Order Development and Approval Process

Initial proposal
Proposal assigned to the Director of the Office of Management & Budget to coordinate the development of the text
First draft is written
Draft is circulated by the OMB Director to all relevant departments, agencies, and offices
Draft is sent to the Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) to review it for form and legality
The Office of the Federal Register will review for formatting and typographical errors
The White House Staff Secretary circulates it to all White House Senior Advisors who have final review and approval authority
The final draft of the executive order is reviewed by the President
The President signs the order
The order is published in the federal register.

How Executive Orders are Used

Can be used as a public relations document for the incoming administration to set the tone and change direction from the previous administration
To give direction to agency heads and potentially instruct them to create task forces
To create enduring frameworks for taking action within the executive branch

Examples of Enduring Executive Orders

The office of Management and Budget was created by executive order and later institutionalized by Congressional legislation
Executive Order 12866 to analyze the cost/benefit of regulations issued by agencies

First used by President Reagan and still used today

CFIUS - Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States

Created by President Ford

Federal Budget

michael duffey

Former PAD for National Security, White House Office of Management and Budget

Duffey was a member of Donald Trump's presidential transition team. The transition team was a group of around 100 aides, policy experts, government affairs officials, and former government officials who were tasked with vetting, interviewing, and recommending individuals for top cabinet and staff roles in Trump's administration. He was part of the Department of Defense landing team.

Michael Duffey, a politically appointed Office of Management and Budget official, was given authority by the White House to keep aid to Ukraine on hold after career budget staff members questioned the legality of delaying the funds.

Budget Concepts such as:

authorization vs. appropriations

Authorization: “[An authorization] can establish, continue, or modify an agency, program, or activity for a fixed or indefinite period of time.”
Appropriation: An appropriations measure provides budget authority to an agency for specified purposes

The power to appropriate is exclusively a legislative power and functions as a limitation on the executive branch
An agency may not spend more than the amount appropriated to it and it may use available funds only for the purposes and according to the conditions provided by Congress

Unauthorized appropriation: an appropriation in the absence of a current authorization, in excess of an authorization ceiling, or for purposes not authorized by law

discretionary vs. mandatory spending

Mandatory spending:

About 65 percent of the federal budget is classified as mandatory spending
Congress authorizes a program through legislation that both determines its purposes and rules and also sets the funding amount, often through eligibility criteria that establishes who - persons, households, or levels of government - is eligible for what benefit and/or who must pay user fees

Discretionary Spending

The annual appropriations bill determines how much funding is made available to each program through one or more accounts and budget line items.

Budget Structure - the Structure and Contents of the Federal Budget

The budget is organized into a hierarchical structure that includes:

The first level of organization within the federal budget parses total federal spending into approximately 20 categories known as budget functions

A function comprises a set of programs that serve a shared purpose or activity such as agriculture, health, or national defense.

Funding in the federal government ties back to appropriations accounts, which in turn are owned by departments and agencies.

Each agency conducts its own budget development process. The proposals are submitted to OMB by agency, and the budget chapters are organized by agency.

Executive branch agencies carry out programs financed through approximately 7,500 appropriations accounts in the federal budget

Each appropriations account is established by Congress and includes an agency, account name, and specific time frame in which to commit and spend the funding made available through that account.

A budget line item further subdivides budget accounts often into a particular expenditure, such as program, subprogram, or object class

The information contained in the President’s budget is based on information submitted by agencies and revised in the executive’s annual budget process to reflect the President’s priorities.
In summary, the budget provides data and information including:

The amount, by account, that each agency may obligate the Government to pay (budget authority) and estimates of the payments (outlays) that result from these obligations by agency and account.
The amount of receipts each agency collects from various sources.
The resulting surpluses or deficits, which in turn affects the level of the national debt.

Organizations & Stakeholders - The Organization and Stakeholders of the Federal Budget Enterprise and their Role in Budget Development and Execution

Budget Committees
- The House and Senate Budget Committees are responsible for drafting budget plans for Congress and for monitoring and enforcing rules surrounding spending, revenue, and the federal budget.
- Each chamber introduces its own resolution, which, when jointly agreed to by the House and the Senate, becomes the so called “budget resolution”
Appropriations Committees
- The United States House and Senate Committees on Appropriations are standing committees within each chamber that are responsible for passing appropriations bills
- Upon submission of the President’s budget request to Congress, the appropriations committees convene hearings with witnesses to review and consider the President’s budget proposal.
- List:
  - Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies
  - Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
  - Defense
  - Energy and Water Development
  - Financial Services and General Government
  - Homeland Security

Congressional Budget Office (CBO)

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is a federal agency within the legislative branch that provides budget and economic information to Congress in a strictly nonpartisan fashion

Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

The role of the Office of Management and Budget is to manage the process of producing the annual budget proposals of the President for consideration by Congress
OMB has traditionally had five (recently changed to six) resource management offices (RMOs), organized by agency and by program area.

RMOs carry out OMB’s central role of assisting the President in preparing the budget, transmitted annually to Congress, and also help supervise each agencies’ administration of law and policy.
RMOs:

Assess the effectiveness of agency programs, policies, and procedures
Review and assess agency funding proposals and policy initiatives
Help OMB leadership prioritize competing funding demands consistent with presidential priorities and guidance

OMB splits budget-related work among six RMOs organized by policy/program area:

National security
Education, Income Maintenance, & Labor (IML)
Health
Natural Resources, Energy, and Science
Financial Service & Housing
Homeland Security, Justice, and Transportation

Federal Budget Process - the Outline of Key Events Throughout the Fiscal Year.

Formulation: during this phase, which starts about a year and a half before the fiscal year begins and ends the following February, the Executive Branch prepares the President’s budget request
Congressional: This phase starts in late January when the Congressional Budget Office submits its baseline to the Congress
Execution: After Congress has appropriated funds, OMB RMOs apportion those funds.

Major Milestones during the formulation phase of the budget process in a normal year:

Spring: The OMB Director issues a guidance letter to agency heads
Spring/Summer: Agencies analyze budget issues and options
July: OMB issues Circular No. A-11 to all federal agencies, which provides detailed instructions for submitting budget data and materials
Early September: Agencies finalize their budget requests and submit them to OMB
September to November: OMB staff will review the agency budget proposals
November: The OMB director recommends a complete set of budget proposals to the President
First Monday in February: OMB transmits the President’s Budget to the Congress

The Congressional Phase

The House and Senate create their own budget resolutions, which must be negotiated and merged into a concurrent resolution.
Proposed funding is divided amongst the 12 subcommittees of the Appropriations Committees, which hold hearings.

Each subcommittee is responsible for funding for different government functions such as defense spending or energy and water

As these bills move through hearings, markups, and Floor consideration, they are constrained by the levels and allocations in the budget resolution and the enforcement of the Budget Act and through House and Senate rules
Congress sends the approved funding bills to the president to sign or veto
Execution - once the budget has been enacted and signed by the President, OMB and the federal agencies are empowered to begin executing those funds.

Federal Regulatory Process

David R. Burton

Senior Fellow in Economic Policy, The Heritage Foundation

David R. Burton focuses on tax matters, securities law, entrepreneurship, financial privacy and regulatory and administrative law issues as The Heritage Foundation’s senior fellow in economic policy.

Mr. Burton was general counsel at the National Small Business Association for two years before joining Heritage’s Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies in 2013. He previously was chief financial officer and general counsel of the start-up Alliance for Retirement Prosperity, a conservative alternative to AARP.

Basic Rulemaking Structure

The Administrative Procedure Act (APA) requires an agency to publish in the Federal Register a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“proposing release” or NPRM)
The agency must then receive comments from the public and address those comments in the document releasing the final rule

The Proposing Release Must Contain:

A summary of the proposed rule
Information About how to provide comments
The date by which comments are due (the comment period)
The statutory authority for the proposed rule
An explanation of the rule and the reasons for the proposed rule
An initial regulatory flexibility analysis
A discussion of the likely impact of the proposed rule on small entities
An initial Paperwork Reduction Act analysis (If the rule requires the provision of information to the government)
An office of Management and Budget Circular A-4 compliant cost benefit analysis and other OMB required material
The actual proposed amendment to the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)

The Final Rule Must Contain:

A summary of the final rule
The statutory authority for the final rule
An explanation of the final rule and the reasons for the rule
A discussion of the comments and the reasons why the agency accepted or rejected those comments
A final regulatory flexibility analysis
A discussion of the likely impact of the final rule on small entities
A final paperwork reduction analysis (if the rule requires the provision of information to the government).
An Office of Management and Budget Circular A-4 compliant cost benefit analysis and other OMB required material
The actual final amendment to the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)
The effective date of the final rule.

Statutory Authority

Congress provides the agency with the authority to promulgate a rule.
All rules must point to a statute that grants the agency the authority to promulgate the rule in question
Political appointees should familiarize themselves with the relevant statutory language in their agency
Any rule that you choose to promulgate must fall within the statutory authority granted by Congress

What is Considered a Major Rule?

A major rule is defined generally as one that has resulted in or is likely to result in:

An annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more;
A major increase in costs or prices for consumers, individual industries, federal, state, or local government agencies, or geographic regions; or
Significant adverse effects on competition, employment, investment, productivity, or innovation, or on the ability of the United States-based enterprises in domestic and export markets

Guidance Documents and Interpretive Rules

Guidance Documents: Agencies have increasingly sought to evade teh APA notice and comment requirements by issuing so-called “guidance documents”
- In principle, guidance documents do not have the force of law
- In practice, however, they do since they inform the agencies’ enforcement posture
- Unfortunately, the Biden Administration revoked a Trump era executive order which required agencies to post all guidance documents to a single, searchable, indexed website

Interpretive Rules: Under section 552 of the APA, “interpretative rules, general statements of policy, or rules of agency organization, procedure, or practice” are exempt from the notice and comment requirements of the APA.

So what is an interpretive rule?

Courts are all over the map when it comes to setting standards and analyzing guidance documents and interpretive rules

For clarity and certainty of enforcement, prospective conservative political appointees should avoid circumventing the notice and comment requirements by issuing a guidance document or deeming a rule interpretative

Removing Guidance Documents

Guidance documents are much easier to remove than rules
Prospective political appointees should prepare a running list of guidance documents issued during the Biden years, evaluate those documents, and identify which should be withdrawn
This should be done during the first week of the new administration

Comment periods and Effective Dates

The APA imposes no statutory minimum comment period

Comment periods are generally around 60 to 90 days
The Biden administration has been criticized for its excessively short comment periods

The APA requires final rules to be published 30 days prior to their effective date

Basis & Purpose

The APA requires a general statement of a rule’s basis and purpose
You will need to put significant effort into explaining why your proposed rule makes sense from a legal, policy, and economics perspective - this will help ensure the proposed rule will survive judicial review

Notice, Comments, & Response to Comments

The APA requires the agency to provide notice and receive comments with respect to legislative or substantive rules
In your final rule, you need to address the issues raised by these comments

You do not need to accept the recommendations made in the comments
You do not need to address each comment separately
You do need to address legitimate issues and concerns raised by the comments in the final release and explain why you accept or reject the point made in the comment.

Office of Information & Regulatory Analysis (OIRA)

OIRA is an office within the Office of Management and Budget
OIRA plays a crucial role in the regulatory process
OIRA is one of the few agencies in government that limits the regulatory ambitions of other agencies

EO 12866 & OMB Circular A-4

Executive Order 12866

EO12866 was originally adopted by President Clinton
It has been amended several times, most recently by President Biden’s Executive Order 14094
The Biden Executive Order increases the threshold of a “significant regulatory action” from $100 million to $200 million, thus allowing more regulations to pass muster

OMB Circular A-4

OMB Circular A-4 lays out in detail how cost benefit analysis should be done and other regulatory requirements
Again, the Biden administration has proposed amending Circular A-4 in a manner that will let more regulations pass muster

What you need to know:

As a political appointee, you must ensure your agency complies with these rules as revised.
Compliance is not optional
OIRA has the authority to return a rule to an agency for non-compliance
Poor cost-benefit analysis is a common reason why courts invalidate rules

Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA)

The Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) was enacted to minimize the paperwork burden for individuals, small businesses, educational and nonprofit institutions, Federal contractors, State, local and tribal governments and other persons resulting from the collection of information by or for the federal government
Under the PRA, if an agency is going to institute a new information collection requirement, it must place a notice in the Federal Register separate from and before the proposed rule and seek public comment and then later provide notice that OIRA clearance has been requested
This process typically adds about six months to the overall rulemaking process

Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA)

The Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980 requires federal agencies to examine the impact of their proposed and final rules on small businesses, small governmental jurisdictions, and small organizations and to solicit the ideas and comments of such entities for this purpose.

Unfunded Mandates Reform Act

The Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 is designed to address federal legislation or regulation that imposes an enforceable duty on state, local, or tribal governments whether that involves costs or impedes those entities’ ability to collect revenue without a corresponding funding mechanism from the federal government
An agency that may impose such costs must provide a variety of information, including an estimate of the costs being imposed in both the proposing release and the final rule

Congressional Review Act (CRA)

The CRA has been used successfully about 20 times

It is usually used by an incoming Congress and new President to reverse so-called midnight regulations by a previous administration of the other party

Make sure that your rule is submitted to Congress and the GAO, as required, so that the CRA clock starts running
Try to get your rule out more than 60 legislative days before Congress adjourns sine die if a new administration might take office so that the disapproval resolution clock will have expired

Judicial Review

You should expect that any rule you promulgate will be challenged in a courtroom and draft your rule, the proposing release, and the final release assuming that will happen.
Five major causes for rules being invalidated by courts:

The rule is found to be arbitrary, capricious, or an abuse of discretion
The rule is found to be contrary to constitutional right, power privilege, or immunity
The rule is found to be in excess of statutory jurisdiction or authority
The rule is found to be unsupported by substantial evidence
The rule is found to have been promulgated in violation of some procedural requirement

10 Recommendations to be an effective policy maker

Download and completely read three or four proposed rules and three or four final rules published by the agency or agencies where you hope to work
Download and read a few proposed rules and final rules from other agencies
Download and read the section of the Unified Agenda of REgulatory and Deregulatory Actions at OMB that describes the regulatory agenda of the agency or agencies where you hope to hold office
Read the following: The Administrative Procedure Act, the Regulatory Flexibility Act, the Paperwork Reduction Act, The Unfunded Mandates Reform Act, and The Congressional Review Act
REad Executive Order 12866, as amended, and OMB Circular A-4
Download and read the sections in the Office of the Federal Register’s Document Drafting Handbook relating to proposed rules and final rules
Read the parts of the US Code that relate to the bureaucratic structure of the agency or agencies where you hope to work and the grant of authority ot the agency or agencies where you hope to work
Become familiar with the statues that govern the general regulatory structure that applies to those whom your agency regulates
Read chapter three in Project 2025’s Mandate for Leadership
Read the relevant chapters in mandate for Leadership relating to the agency or agencies where you hope to work

Left-Wing Code Words and Language

Bethany Kozma

Former Deputy Chief of Staff, USAID

Katie Sullivan

Former Acting Assistant Attorney General, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice

Katharine “Katie” Sullivan served as a state trial court Judge for 11 years prior to joining the Trump Administration at the Department of Justice.

The 5 Topic Areas:

Women, Children, & Family
- It’s bad to teach girls about their sexual parts at a young age
- Girls who get pregnant should not think abortion is an option
- She believes it is good that there is no mention of reproductive rights at G7 development ministerial
- Other words for “abortion” that have been weaponized by the left include:
  - “Sexual and reproductive health” (SRH)
  - “Reproductive rights”
  - “Sexual and reproductive health services”
  - “Reproductive health services”
  - “Health services”
  - “Sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights (SRHRR)
  - “Sexual and reproductive health and rights” (SRHR)
- Trump’s Mexico City Policy prevents abortion rights in other countries
- The left created “She Decides” which was an international movement that actively promoted abortion services and advocacy
Environment
- Global warming and climate change is a hoax. In the 80’s it was the ice age, then acid rain, then global warming during the Obama administration. Climate change just means seasons.
If there is a conservative president, they would have to eradicate climate change references from absolutely everywhere.
- The narrator believes that the left uses climate change to scare people out of having children (not true) and it is used for population control.
Human Rights and Border Security
- The left is always coming up with new “rights”. Conservatives changed the language to “unalienable rights”, which is grounded on our nation’s founding principles
- “Illegal immigration is one of the most devastating challenges america faces today, especially when including human trafficking and illicit drugs
  - The left uses “migrants”, “undocumented immigrants” to sound softer. They avoid using the word “alien”. She suggests later in the video that we need to match the law to conservative language in order to win more fights over the narrative.
  - One of the narrators alleges that the Biden administration is working with the Mexican cartels to smuggle in illegal immigrants.
The Gender Cult
- Overblows the fact that sex and gender are different, and says that the left has made gender identity a big deal. She says that we should not use the word “gender”, and should instead use “sex”, “biological sex”, “male”, “female”
- The phrase “sex assigned at birth” is the left’s attempt to change biological fact and enforce their belief that biological sex can change
- Pronouns are stupid, apparently. Don’t use it in email signature blocks, or linkedIn.
- Every political appointee should expect to get pestered by staff for issues like this. The political appointee, no matter what position of seniority, has the job of implementing the president’s agenda
- Gender affirming care should scare parents, it is genital mutilation.
Equity
- Equity no longer means all men are created equal, the narrator suggest that the left’s equity gives people unfair advantages

How to Identify (and replace) Misguiding Language

- Look for OMB guidance (office of management and budget)
  - Instruct career employees that you want to be informed of ALL OMB guidance and how it is being implemented internally
  - Be aware of HOW career employees reporting to you are implementing the President’s executive orders and OMB directives. Be involved in that process
- Look at guidance documents
  - These are a federal career employee’s interpretation of a statute or an appropriation given by congress, or a rule or regulation and how it’s going to be implemented
  - A guidance document is NOT binding
  - OMB can and should come out with a plan to take down all Guidance Documents that reflect the Biden Administration Agenda
- Read every single executive order
  - Be a part of the process that career employees are using to implement executive orders
  - Inserting yourself into the implementation process ensures career employees are not inaccurately executing executive orders, thus diminishing the order’s intended purpose and negating positive contributions to the President’s agenda
- Identify and remove unnecessary conditions from preexisting grants
  - Beware of existing conditions that fund or otherwise support organizations that are not aligned with the President's policy priorities

Any “Equity” executive orders are going to be repealed very early in the next conservative administration.

The next conservative president must make the institutions of American civil society hard targets for woke culture warriors. This starts with deleting the terms sexual orientation and gender identity (“SOGI”), diversity, equity, and inclusion (“DEI”), gender, gender equality, gender equity, gender awareness, gender-sensitive, abortion, reproductive health, reproductive rights, and any other term used to deprive A,mer98cans of their First Amendment rights out of every federal rule, agency regulation, contract, grant, regulation, and piece of legislation that exists.”

Navigating Policymaking

dennis dean kirk

Former Director of the Office, Former Legal Advisor, White House Office of Presidential Personnel Management

Dan Huff is a former counsel to the Senate and House Judiciary Committees. In those positions, he led investigations of high-profile issues including the Obama Justice Department’s settlement slush fund. He also foresaw major policy challenges such as nationwide injunctions and advised Chairman Goodlatte on innovative solutions. In 2019, he was appointed General Deputy Assistant Secretary for enforcement at HUD, overseeing a staff of 400 and working on policy issues including AFFH. In February 2020, Mr. Huff joined the White House where he worked directly for President Trump on some of his signature policy projects including AFFH (Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing)

It’s Not Your Policy - It’s the President’s

Surround yourself with people who believe in the President’s agenda, because they will go the extra mile to get it done
If you are passionate about the policy reform, if you are invested in making it happen, you will be undaunted and unrelenting. You will think creatively about how to get it done
If you want to work in the next conservative administration, you need to be willing to help implement a dramatic course correction

Background on the Policy Making Process

There are two principal ways agency policy gets expressed: regulations and guidance documents

Regulations impose legally binding obligations or prohibitions
Guidance documents merely explain how the agency will exercise its broad enforcement authority

Process for Agency Regulations

The process for agency regulations is governed by the Administrative Procedures Act (APA)
There are two tracks:

Formal Rulemaking: establishes a trial like hearing process in which a rule is developed (almost never used)
Informal Rulemaking: a tangle of official steps and requirements (what we are discussing today)

Process for Informal Rulemaking

Regulations begin with a policy idea that has been put into written form
Practical Tip #1: If you have to draft a regulation, ask your general counsel for a template and focus on the summary and supplemental information sections which deal with the substance of the rule.
Major regulations will require White House and interagency consultation overseen by the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA)
First, the agency will publish a proposed rule for the public to comment upon. Then, after addressing those comments, it will issue a final rule
Issuing a regulation can take months or even years. Guidance documents can simply be issued as white papers without any such process

Take Down Agency Guidance

Start with quick victories to build momentum and set the tone
Your first target should be the low-hanging fruit of liberal agency guidance. For example, DEI initiatives, enforcement policies based on disparate impact theory, etc.
As guidance, these items can be eliminated simply and immediately
As you prepare to start work at your agency, peruse their website to identify major policy issues that the agency has addressed via guidance, so you know exactly what to take down on Day 1
When you get rid of the guidance, do it all at once, not piecemeal. It’s much harder for the opposition to stymie you when they have to fight a multifront war.

Tackle Grant Conditions

Each year agencies dole out hundreds of billions of dollars in taxpayer money in the form of grants
These grants go to organizations, states, and corporations and there are strings attached
The Left is adept and unabashed at using grant conditions to implement their radical agenda
Conservatives will not win unless we do the same
Practical Tip: Look for grant conditions within the agency’s Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) which sets forth the grant conditions and application procedures
Matters relating to agency grants, contracts or benefits are exempt from the notice and comment requirements of the APA. (See 5 USC 553(a)(2))
Some agencies voluntarily impose notice and comment procedures on matters relating agency grants

Typically, the secretary can waive internal agency rules for “good cause,” including this one, but the best strategy is to formally eliminate voluntary application of notice and comment

Practical Tips for Making Policy Changes

Rule #1: Know when to get into the weeds yourself to overcome obstacles

You are passionate about implementing the President’s agenda
Your subordinates will likely not be as passionate and, therefore, will not be as motivated to think creatively to accomplish goals, especially when obstacles stand in the way
Sometimes you have to do it yourself

Rule #2: Think bold

To avoid confrontation and the appearance of being extreme, conservatives tend to make piecemeal changes to policy rather than completely eliminating policy
Bold solutions are often the most elegant and easiest to architect and justify (bright lines stop you from getting bogged down in gray areas)

Rule #3: Watch your language

The way you talk about something affects the way you think about it
Do not use the Left’s euphemisms in agency documents or communications (e.g. affordable housing vs. low-income housing; gender-affirming care vs. sex change)

Rule #4: Focus on common sense justifications

Keep it bold and simple so it can be reviewed faster by colleagues
It is difficult to argue with a common sense argument

For this reason, using common sense arguments to justify regulations may be superior to economic arguments

How to Deal with the Inevitable Lawsuits

Seek injunction bonds

Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 65(c) requires plaintiffs seeking an injunction to post a bond to pay the costs and damages sustained by the party should it be found later to have been wrongfully enjoined
Activist groups will have a hard time posting the bonds especially because they might lose the money in the end if the regulation is upheld. But the government has failed to seek injunction bonds
Insist that, in any policy litigation, your agency demands a significant injunction bond backed by agency economic analysis. If the court refuses to issue the bond, appeal.

Stop Grantees from suing the agency

There are numerous cases of grantee organizations spearheading activist litigation to stymie the policy priorities of the agency that gave them money
Impose a grant condition, barring grantees from bringing policy litigation against the agency
There will be legal challenges, but it is worth litigating all the way to the Supreme Court

Be honest about policy justifications

The Commerce Department lost on the citizenship question in the Supreme Court because their justification was contrived
Be proud of the policy you are making and don’t be ashamed to proclaim the true reasons

Remember they’re going to sue you anyway

Toning it down won’t stop them from suing you

Most Important Quality: High Heat Tolerance

The most important quality for a political appointee is having a high heat tolerance - being able to stand up to the media and the mob
To be effective, you must ignore what the Left and the media are saying about you. In today’s climate, that takes real courage
The secret to steeling yourself is humility.

Know your Enemy’s Tactics

The Left’s tactic is to become hysterical at any conservative policy change no matter how slight. This accomplishes two things:

Makes political staff think a policy change is making a big impact when it’s doing almost nothing
Scares political appointees out of taking bolder action for fear of blowback

Fight back by teaching the Left the lesson that complaining will make it worse. Replace the criticized policy with something even bolder.

Oversight and Investigations

Mike Howell

Director, Oversight Project, The Heritage Foundation

Mike joined The Heritage Foundation in October 2018 from the Department of Homeland Security, Office of the General Counsel, where he was the Chief Legal Point of Contact for the department’s 3,000-lawyer office for all congressional oversight and investigations. Prior to joining the Trump administration, he was on Capitol Hill for five years as an attorney for both the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and the House Oversight Committee. During this time, he worked under Senator Ron Johnson, Chairman of House Oversight Jason Chaffetz, and Subcommittee for National Security Chairman Ron DeSantis.

Tom Jones

Founder & President, American Accountability Foundation

While on Capitol Hill he served as the Legislative Director for Senator Ron Johnson, ran the opposition research program for Cruz for President, and previously as a Senior Policy Advisor to Senator Jim DeMint. During his time with Senator DeMint, he was part of the oversight team that helped Senator DeMint and his colleagues successfully ban Congressional earmarks. As a subcommittee staff director, he conducted on-going agency oversight and regularly investigated waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal government. His research was crucial in helping Senators defeat flawed presidential nominees and kill wasteful government programs.

Michael Ding

America First Legal

[At America First Legal], We believe that all Americans deserve a government that puts their needs, their interests, and their country FIRST. This is the sacred obligation of every elected leader. This is the system our Founding Fathers established. This is the priceless heritage of every American citizen.

Yet America First principles are now under attack like never before. Our security, our liberty, our sovereignty, and our most fundamental rights and values are being systematically dismantled by an unholy alliance of corrupt special interests, big tech titans, the fake news media, and liberal Washington politicians.

Areas of Oversight and Investigation

Congressional Oversight

Leveraging Congressional Oversight to further the president’s agenda

Identify a supportive Member of Congress who can give you the opportunity to better control the narrative (rephrase answers as necessary and provide better context)

Inspectors General Community & Government Accountability Office (GAO)

Inspectors General

Permanent staff within the agency who are responsible for rooting out fraud and abuse within agency operations

Organ of the United States Congress that provides fact-based, non-partisan information that can be used to improve government and identify waste of taxpayer dollars.

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)

A federal statute that lets anyone request records from the federal government.

Common pitfalls and mistakes to avoid

Do your best to go in with a clean slate
Clean up your social media

All the agencies under the federal government are governed by certain records retention policies - be sure to follow the policies at your agency.

The casual nature that we use in daily communications is not appropriate for communications within the federal government.

Opposition research is about storytelling; it’s gathering facts and presenting them in a way to tell a story.

Vulnerability Assessment

Treat your principal like the target
Approach their vulnerabilities from the site of the opposition.

Keep in Mind How Your Actions and Decisions will Play Out in the Media

Passing New Regulations

Roger severino

Former Director of the Office for Civil Rights, US Department of Health and Human Services

Prior to joining HHS, Severino served for two years as Director of the DeVos Center for Religion and Civil Society at Heritage, advocating for life, family, and religious-freedom policies. Before that, he was a trial attorney for seven years at the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division where he enforced the Fair Housing Act and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Severino started his legal career at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, where he was Legal Counsel and Chief Operations Officer and defended the rights of people of all faiths under federal and international law. Severino holds a JD from Harvard Law School, a master’s degree in Public Policy, with highest distinction, from Carnegie Mellon University, and a bachelor’s degree in Business from the University of Southern California. He was appointed by President Trump to the Administrative Conference of the United States and is a member of the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Virginia bars.

Constitutional Authority

As a regulator you must first answer to the Constitution, to the law and to the President

It’s the President’s authority that you are ultimately executing

Our system has moved away from lawmaking where Congress issues the rules, to regulators who issue the rules

That is how we are governed today, often for the worse
It is imperative for Conservatives to learn the processes involved in regulating because that is where we could have the biggest impact

What is a Regulation?

A regulation is little more than a federal bureaucracy interpreting existing statutes, passed by Congress
Regulations have the force and effect of law
If there’s any gap, any ambiguity, any conflict that is visible in any federal statute, if Congress empowers an agency to issue regulations, they have the power to fill in all those gaps to resolve the ambiguities

Public Disclosure & Meetings

Regulatory Agenda: Every federal agency must identify major rules on the horizon and disclose them to OMB who will then share proposed rules with the American public (Spring and Fall)
12866 Meeting: In addition to outside parties being able to comment on a rule, they can also request a meeting to discuss a proposed rule. This is made possible by executive order 12866

Administrative Record

The administrative record is the paper trail that documents the agency’s decision-making process and the basis for the agency’s decision
The administrative record should include every single resource used when drafting the rule. This could include: policies, guidelines, manuals, articles, books, factual information or data, communications the agency received from other agencies and the public (all comments and all 12866 meeting notes)

Have a process in place up front that tracks every resource you use.

Overview of the Regulatory Process

Regulatory agenda
12866 meeting
Drafting the regulation

Generally internal but pending the topic, could include other agencies

Internal clearance

You will likely have to collaborate with several other components within your agency.

Interagency review

It is important to have an open exchange within your agency, with other federal agencies, and with the White House to discuss how the policy will be shaped
Be careful of leaks and do your best to ensure the media does not become involved in those discussions

NPRM (Notice of Proposed Rulemaking) is issued

Issuance of the NPRM opens the public comment period
The NPRM will include:

The authority Congress has given the agency to draft the rule
The justification for the proposed rule that identifies why the rule is needed
The regulatory text

Comment Review

You must consider every single comment, which means you will need a process!
You will likely have identical comments submitted by advocacy groups - those can be batched and responded to at once
You need a mechanism to sort and categorize comments - contractors and career staff can assist with this process
You do NOT need to address comments that say “I am for” or “I am against” this rule

Tactics of the Left

The Left will strategize postcard campaigns to flood the agency with comments to make it seem like the public is opposed to the rule
The left will try to block every rule by going to very liberal judges in hand-picked districts
To ensure a judge doesn’t immediately block a rule, you CANNOT make a technical mistake in the regulatory process

Technicalities

When drafting a rule, regulators should:

Consult the Paperwork Reduction Act (does the rule impose undue paperwork burden for those living under the rule)
Use Plain language when drafting the regulation
Consult federal tribes
Assess the impact on small businesses
Assess the impact on Federalism
Assess the impact on families - ensure the rule is helping American families, not hurting them

Arbitrary & Capricious

“Arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, or otherwise not in accordance with law.”
The arbitrary-or-capricious test is used by judges when reviewing the factual bases for agency rulemaking
Courts can overturn agency rules if they find the underlying rationale or factual assertions to be unreasonable.

Final Lessons

You must always anticipate what the left will do to trip you up and block your rule

Their number one tactic is to say you ignored or failed to respond to legitimate arguments. Don’t leave any argument unaddressed!

Go to regulations.gov and file a comment - it will be beneficial for you to see what it looks like from the commentor’s perspective and for you to familiarize yourself with the process.
Check to see if you are using any terms that are defined elsewhere in the code

You can either stick with the default definition of the word or you can draft and submit your own definition

Presidential Transitions

Rick Dearborn

Visiting Fellow, Project 2025, The Heritage Foundation

Rick A. Dearborn, former White House Deputy Chief of Staff to President Donald Trump, returned to The Heritage Foundation as a Distinguished Visiting Fellow to support Project 2025, an initiative to prepare the next presidential administration.

Ed Corrigan

President and CEO, Conservative Partnership Institute

Corrigan has over 25 years of leadership experience on Capitol Hill and in the conservative movement. In 2009, GQ magazine named Corrigan to its list of “50 Most Powerful People in DC.” He was tapped by the Trump Transition to lead the personnel selection process for all domestic policy departments, placing hundreds of conservatives in key administrative positions.

The History of the Presidential Transition Act

The conversation emphasizes the historical context of presidential transitions, mentioning the Transition Act established in 1963 following the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
The 2000 election between George W. Bush and Al Gore prompted further legislation to enhance the transition process, ensuring national security and government continuity.

Finding Individuals

The speakers discuss the importance of finding qualified individuals who genuinely want to serve in the administration during the transition process.
Ed Corgan shares his experience managing ten departments focused on domestic policy, emphasizing the need for personnel aligned with the president's values and expertise.
Transition teams prioritize filtering recommendations from campaign allies and organizations to identify suitable candidates for political appointments.
Rick Dearborn describes the organization of transition meetings, where candidates for key positions are presented to the president-elect.
They encourage job seekers interested in serving in the administration to engage early in the transition process, highlighting various roles available.
The transition involves different components, including agency action, policy formulation, and congressional affairs, all critical to establishing a new administration.
Dearborn elaborates on the agency action team, which develops operational blueprints for government agencies under the new administration.
Corgan emphasizes the importance of having a strong network and recommendations for political appointments, comparing it to job searching in the private sector.
The conversation underlines that each political appointment is like a mini-campaign, requiring advocates to support candidates effectively.

Complexities of Political Appointments During the Transition

Networking is Crucial: Politics relies heavily on relationships and connections. Building a network of supporters who can vouch for you is essential, especially when seeking positions within a new administration.
Political Appointments: Positions like PAS (Presidential Appointments, Senate confirmed) require navigating the Senate confirmation process, which can be lengthy. Having connections with senators or their staff can facilitate this process.
Landing and Beachhead Teams:
- Landing Teams: These teams enter departments before inauguration to receive briefings and understand existing operations. They help prepare for the transition by cataloging ongoing initiatives and establishing connections with career staff.
- Beachhead Teams: They come in closer to inauguration and focus on implementing plans while waiting for political appointees to be confirmed. They work with career staff to ensure continuity in operations.
White House Liaisons: These individuals play a crucial role in connecting departments with the White House and are influential in personnel decisions.
Getting Involved: Engaging in the transition process, whether through a landing team, beachhead team, or other roles, is a strategic way to position yourself for future opportunities in the administration.

Key Takeaways

Understanding Transition Phases: The transition process involves several phases, starting with informal engagement during the campaign, followed by structured roles in the transition team after the election. Each phase provides opportunities to build connections and gain experience.
Diverse Opportunities: Many positions, including Schedule C roles (political appointees that don’t require Senate confirmation), are crucial in the administration. Exploring various departments based on personal interests can lead to fulfilling opportunities.
Importance of Engagement: Getting involved early, especially in Beachhead teams, can be advantageous. Early involvement helps establish relationships and understand departmental operations, which is beneficial once formal appointments are made.
Vetting Process: The vetting process for political appointees includes background checks and scrutiny of social media. Being mindful of public statements and online presence is crucial for those looking to serve in government.
Building a Supportive Network: Support for the president-elect is essential. Engaging in the transition process and demonstrating dedication to the administration's goals can help individuals position themselves for future roles.
Commitment to Public Service: Ultimately, a career in government is about serving the public good. Having a genuine interest in the work and a commitment to solving problems for citizens can be incredibly rewarding.
Structured Teams: Transition teams are organized into various groups, including policy teams, public relations, and congressional relations. Each plays a critical role in shaping the incoming administration’s approach and priorities.

Social Media Messaging

ben friedmann

Former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Digital Strategy, U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Global Public Affairs

Benjamin Friedmann was appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary of Digital Strategy for the United States Department of State in April 2019. He leads the multiple offices responsible for the Department’s global digital communications and engagement strategy, including the Office of Global Social Media, the Office of Global Web Platforms, the Global Public Affairs CRM Office, and the Digital Lab.

Over his 22 month term as the Department of State’s top digital strategy official, the Digital Strategy organization grew from 20 to 120 personnel, across four continents, through the Department’s largest internal merger in 20 years. Friedmann’s historic transformation and expansion of the Department’s Digital Strategy organization powered unprecedented growth in global reach and engagement.

Best practices in Social Media to Advance Policy

Recommendations for operating effectively within a government agency
Building your toolkit food managing social media output
Principles to guide your content creation process

Part I - Recommendations for Operating Effectively Within a Government Agency

Best practices for how to empower your team:

Find and empower your allies in the civil service

Identify smart, motivated civil servants who are eager to support your work
Limit the influence and involvement of those who are going to hurt morale or hinder the quality or volume of output

Convey your policy priorities internally

Whether civil service employees do not agree with the President’s policy or they simply do not understand it, you MUST properly train them to articulate policy - explain the what, the how, the why
Create externally shareable talking points, quotes, and other approved messaging material that are accessible to everyone on the team

Seek continual feedback

Hold weekly 1:1 meetings with senior staff
Use the SWOT analysis to encourage individuals to assess and collaborate on the team’s strengths and weaknesses
Send an end of week email to staff to highlight key priorities, share accomplishments, and give some positive shout outs

Get support and buy in from leadership

Career civil servants can be adamant about operating within their hierarchy
The most effective tool against bureaucratic pushback is to have the support of political appointees higher up the ladder

Part II - Building your Toolkit for Managing Social Media Output

Approval process

Document your team’s approval process in detail
Keep it as lean as possible, to not slow down or complicate getting content out the door
Everyone in the organization should have a copy of the approval process and confirm their understanding

Create an agency-specific style guide

This is one of the most valuable tools for making sure your content is visually consistent
Your style guide should include everything from the fonts to the color palettes, logos, and icons that are most commonly used by your organization and guidelines for how to use them.

Template your creatives

Create social media graphic templates that align with your style guide and fit almost every possible messaging use case
This will revolutionize the speed and consistency of your social media output AND make your messaging more effective

Create a Content Calendar

Populate your calendar a year out with any well-established events, anniversaries, or holidays
Allocate sufficient time to properly execute social media campaigns. It may take several weeks to produce and approve high quality videos, graphics, and landing pages

It is very hard to do high production value work at the last minute! Avoid these fire drills!

Be wary of scheduling posts

You do not want to accidentally put out content that is outdated or tone deaf based on events that have taken place since the scheduling was set

Take advantage of collaboration tools

Identify a collaboration tool for instant communication between teams as well as a place for shared documents
Make sure all necessary contributors are included on these platforms

Create a Pre and Post-Production Checklist

Errors in social media posts have often attracted the attention of the national media. Proofreading is critical to prevent distracting or embarrassing news coverage
Pre-publishing protocol

Check the handles
Check the links
Proofread for spelling and grammar three times
Publish

Post-publishing protocol

Click the handles on the live post
Click the links on the live post
Reread for spelling and grammar three times

Define Success and Select Metrics to Measure Success

Design a simple report that the team can pull every week that will allow you to:

Compare the metrics to your definition of success
Compare performance over previous weeks

Messaging Best Practices

Message for the medium
1. What works well on one social media platform is going to be different in both minor and significant ways from what works well on other platforms
Competitive Advantage
1. What information or access do you have that differentiates your account from everyone else?
2. Leveraging these areas and others can make your accounts indispensable for those who want to be in the know
Test and iterate
1. Don’t get complacent with your content
2. Think strategically about what large or small differences could have an impact on how audiences engage with your accounts
Keep your eyes on the horizon
1. Whether they are in your sphere or an entirely different one, pay attention to which accounts are building audiences and shaping narratives
2. How can you learn from these accounts and bring those best practices back to the platforms that you manage
Make it Brag Worthy
1. Be proud of the content you create!
2. If you or your team are not proud of the content being produced, you may not be operating at your fullest potential
Do no harm
1. If you're joining the administration to increase your follower count, you're the wrong person for the job
2. You are there to deliver a message for the president
3. An off message or offensive post from a juror staffer with a small following could capture far more media attention than the accounts and content that your team is working to amplify

Staffing an Office

jeff small

Former Senior Advisor to the Secretary, US Department of the Interior

Lauren Boebert, representative-elect for the 3rd Congressional District, has announced her senior staff members. Small is a presidential appointee currently serving as senior adviser to U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary (and Rifle, Colorado, native) David Bernhardt. Jeff serves as a senior official on federal land, water, and energy matters. He manages relationships with governors and other elected officials in 11 western states as well as national and local external organizations. Jeff was instrumental in relocating the Bureau of Land Management’s headquarters to Grand Junction, was a key contributor to the Administration’s NEPA reforms, and established a western water and agriculture users working group

He was also a policy analyst for the House Freedom Caucus.

How to Staff Your Principal

Effective Strategies for Staffing Your Principal:
- - Know the preferences and expectations of your principal
    - How quickly do they expect you to respond to a text or email?
    - What format do they like their schedule in?
    - What format do they like briefing papers in?

Remember: expectations cannot be met if they are not adequately communicated.

Always anticipate their needs

What can you do to make their day and their job easier?
What can you take off their plate?

Know the schedule and be able to adapt quickly to changes

Memorize the schedule - make sure your phone is charged and always have the calendar at the tip of your fingers
Preparation and organization are critical, but in politics things don’t always go as planned
You may not be the scheduler, but you need to be able to think on your feet and find quick solutions

Know the President’s agenda and your agency’s policy priorities and initiatives.

You need to be able to articulate recent wins for your principal, the agency, and the administration

Staffing your principal during onsite meetings

Do your research and obtain pertinent background information on all meeting attendees and the organization(s) they represent

Include this information in a clear and concise briefing memo for your principal

Be the first person to greet meeting attendees/guests upon their arrival

You are a direct representation of your principal, so make a good first impression!

Update the scheduler and let them know when meeting attendees are in place and ready for your principal
Use small talk to make your principal and the Administration look good! (Highlight policy accomplishments)
Actively take notes during the meeting - if your principal says your office will do something, write it down, task it out, and follow up with the meeting attendees.

Staffing your principal at events

While in the car with your principal, let them set the tone and initiate conversation
Always be at your principal’s side
Know the names of the people who will be interacting with your principal

Ideally you should know where they met or the last time they interacted

Have plenty business cards on hand (yours and your principal’s)
Take notes on conversations and be sure to follow up on actionable items

The Administrative State

Paul Ray

Former Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management & Budget

Paul Ray leads The Heritage Foundation’s work on regulatory and economic policy as director of the Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies.

Ray brings to the role wide experience at the highest levels of government and private practice, including service as the Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs—the federal “regulations czar”—within the White House’s Office of Management and Budget, to which position he was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in January 2020. As Administrator, Ray supervised the review of hundreds of regulations and led federal efforts on regulatory reform.

Laws vs Regulations

Laws are enacted by Congress
Regulations are issued by agencies
Guidance is issued by agencies but does not carry penalties for violation

Guidance is agency advice
Regulated parties often want to stay on their regulator’s good site, so they follow agency guidance

What is an Agency?

An agency is an arm of the Federal Executive Branch - the branch headed by the President

Non-Regulatory Agency Activities

Enforce the law
Adjudicate cases
Make loans and grants
Conduct scientific research
Manage public buildings and land
Carry out foreign relations
Conduct espionage
Anything else you can think of

Overview of Agencies & Commissions

There are 19 cabinet-level agencies

These tend to have tens or hundreds of thousands of employees

There are many sub cabinet-level agencies. They include:

Securities and exchange commission (SEC)
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

The president appoints agency heads with the advice and consent of the Senate

Cabinet secretaries can be fired at the President’s discretion
Many heads of commissions are protected by statute

Regulatory Authority

An agency’s regulatory authority comes from and is limited by Congress
Regulatory decisions can come from the agency or from the White House

It is likely to come from the agency if the regulation is run of the mill
It is likely to come from the White House if the regulation is high profile or implicates one of the President’s policy priorities or campaign promises

Why Regulators Regulate

They see a problem they think they can fix

What counts as a “problem” in need of fixing may be viewed differently by the agency than by the individuals living and working under a newly imposed regulation
Because agency staff often have different interests and perspectives from the people they regulate, they may, even with the best intentions, issue regulations that are not best for the people

Factionalism

Factionalism is the use of government power to favor some citizens at the expense of others

Factionalism was one of the primary concerns of Founders like James madison
Factionalism leads to tyranny by rendering some citizens mere instruments for the good of others
The legislative process is designed to tame factionalism

The Problem with the Administrative State

“[Under bureaucracy, men] become mere cogs in a machine that carry out the decisions of others rather than deliberating and deciding for themselves. They are thus excluded from an important aspect of human thriving.”

Problems of the federal regulatory system

It allows rulemaking by agency staff who do not share the interests and perspectives of those who must live under their rules
It allows the president to engage in factionalism, pitting Americans against each other
It forecloses opportunities for Americans to thrive by contributing their initiative and practical wisdom to building up their communities.

Solutions to the problem

Officials should be sure to adopt the perspective of the people when regulating
Officials should hew carefully to the law when issuing regulations
Officials should ask whether the substance of the document they intend to issue is regulatory (does it tell the public what they must or must not do)?

If yes, then issue a regulation NOT agency guidance

It is absolutely essential that each and every regulation serve the interests of the American people as a whole
Within the bounds of the law, executive appointees must carry out the decisions of the President about regulatory policy

The Art of Professionalism

Chris hayes

Careers Coordinator, The Leadership Institute

The Leadership Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization located in Arlington, Virginia that teaches "political technology." The institute was founded in 1979 by conservative activist Morton Blackwell. Its mission is to "increase the number and effectiveness of conservative activists" and to "identify, train, recruit and place conservatives in politics, government, and media."

karoline leavitt

Former Assistant Press Secretary, The White House

Leavitt graduated from Saint Anselm College in 2019, earning a degree in politics and communication. She spent time volunteering at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics while she was earning her undergraduate degree. As a student during the 2016 election, she began working for Fox News.

After graduating, she worked for former president Donald Trump and served as a presidential writer and assistant press secretary in the press office.

Characteristics of a Professional

Competence

Whatever your job description is, your boss is relying on you to do that on time and with excellence

Knowledge

Professionals are committed to becoming experts in their field and they share that knowledge with others
Different types of knowledge:

Institutional knowledge: As you work weeks, months and years in an administration you acquire more institutional knowledge over time
Day to day knowledge: Knowledge or information about your specific job that is immediately available to you.

Conscientiousness & Integrity

Do what you say you’re going to do. Be reliable
Own your mistakes

Respect & Emotional Intelligence

Treat other people with respect and treat yourself with respect
Carry yourself as though you are someone who deserves to be where you are.
Avoid having a negative emotional response in stressful situations. Instead, take a deep breath and execute your job to the best of your ability

Confidence & Appropriateness

Strike the balance between contributing and dominating
Whether you are getting coffee with a coworker, at work happy hour, or at a conservative movement event, always behave professionally
Confidence is key - You are here for this moment; you were chosen and hired for this position, and that qualifies you to be here

Your boss

Attitude - Always go to your boss with the appropriate attitude
Anticipate - Know what your boss needs from you even before your boss has thought to ask it of you.
Make your boss’s life as easy as you possibly can
Approach your boss when necessary:

When there is information that you need to bring to their attention
When you are finishing a project

Being a good colleague

You can be a team player and a leader at the same time
Being a servant leader is the best kind of leader, and it’s also the best kind of colleague

Being a good boss

As a manager, there will be a million variables coming from multiple directions
Be cool, serene and calm
What you put out is what you get back
Treat your staff with respect and foster team camaraderie
Encourage all of your employees to be their best selves

The Federal Workforce

Spencer Chretien

Associate Director, Project 2025

Spencer Chretien is Director of Programs at FreedomWorks, a conservative advocacy organization that breaks down barriers between beltway insiders and grassroots America. From 2020-2021, he served as a Special Assistant to President Donald J. Trump and Associate Director of Presidential Personnel, identifying strong leaders for key positions in the Trump administration.

Kaitlin Stumpf

Senior Job Bank Associate, Heritage Foundation

Kaitlin Stumpf, based in Washington, DC, US, is currently a Senior Program Manager at The Heritage Foundation. Kaitlin Stumpf brings experience from previous roles at The Heritage Foundation, Fox Business Network, Executive Office of the President and EWTN, EWTN News, Inc.

Project 2025 is Organized into Four Pillars

Pillar #1 - Policy Book: Outline a conservative vision of success
Pillar #2 - Personnel Database: Identify and recruit the best talent from Across America
Pillar #3 - Prepare political appointees to be ready on Day 1
Pillar #4 - Playbook: Game Plan for each federal agency through first six months

Presidential Appointment with Senate Confirmation (PAS)

Created by statute
Salary set by law
Top tier of political appointments

Presidential Appointment Without Senate Confirmation (PA)

Senior Level Positions, including jobs within the executive office such as senior White House aides. Example: US Treasurer

Schedule C

Refers to excepted Federal service that is confidential or policy-setting in nature
Schedule C appointees are generally the largest category of political appointees

Senior Executive Service (SES)

Established in the 1970s under President Carter
Provides a set number of well-qualified executive positions in government, above the normal federal civil workforce

The December 2020 Plum Book

1118 PAS positions
354 PA positions
724 non-career SES positions
1566 Schedule C positions
Total: 3762

The Office of Presidential Personnel (PPO): What do they do?

Identify, recruit, and evaluate candidates for all political appointments and nominations across the government

The Office of Presidential Personnel (PPO): What do they do?

Set HR policy for all Federal employees
Decide on the number of political appointees
Determine what positions, if any, are reserved for career federal employees - and why.
Determine which federal employees are considered “essential”
Under what authority should non-career federal employees be hired?
Govern the process for converting a Schedule C political appointee into career federal civil servant

Time Management for Appointees

Katie Sullivan

Former Acting Assistant Attorney General, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice

Katharine “Katie” Sullivan served as a state trial court Judge for 11 years prior to joining the Trump Administration at the Department of Justice.

The 5 Areas of Time Management this Training Will Cover

The First Month

Empower your political staff
Stack the deck in your favor
Learn your agency and become familiar with your office

Find out how to prepare for meetings and what is expected of you in the FIRST meeting. This will save you time down the line!

Start to read executive orders - even if your principal has not arrived
Meet with senior career staff - keep initial meetings to 20-30 minutes

Effective Communication

Communicate preferences, policies and internal direction clearly from the beginning (if you’re a senior staff member) and ask questions (if you are junior staff member)
Everyone has a preferred process to learn
So much time is wasted when staff are guessing what the principal wants.
Set deadlines and communicate them!

External Meetings

Other agencies

If you are headed to a different agency, the same vetting rules apply - know who you are meeting with, get their bio and what their office does

Conferences

It is very important to take these opportunities to highlight the great work of the President
Set up as many meetings as possible with grant recipients and agency funded programs

Congress

Your visits to Congress will usually be handled through your Office of Legislative Affairs
Your time commitment is really preparation

Internal Meetings

Meet with senior career staff on a regular bases - keep meetings to 45 minutes
Junior staff should put together a meeting agenda for all meetings
Meetings should ALWAYS be forward looking - how is your office advancing the presidential agenda?
If a topic starts to monopolize the time, set it aside and schedule a separate meeting for staff who are interested
If stakeholders or other people from outside the government are coming in for a meeting, be sure there is a thorough vet of the individuals and their organization

Document Review

Reviewing and editing documents for external release and internal use is perhaps the most important task you will have while in the Administration

Working With Congress

James braid

Former Political Appointee, Legislative Affairs, Office of Management & Budget - Currently serves as the legislative director for JD Vance

James Braid serves as Deputy to the Associate Director for Legislative Affairs and White House Liaison at the Office of Management and Budget.

hugh fike

Former Political Appointee, Legislative Affairs, Office of Management & Budget

Before OMB, Fike spent nearly four years on the Hill, most recently with Congressman Michael Cloud (TX-27) as his Legislative Director.

Legislative Affairs 101

The role of executive branch legislative affairs is to influence the operation of the “machine” that is Capitol Hill and to ensure the President’\s agenda is considered as favorably as possible.
Three marching orders for executive branch legislative affairs:

Develop staff relationships
Develop principal relationships
Know the members’ issues

Staff Relationships

Know what House and Senate committees have direct legislative jurisdiction over your agency’s policy areas.

Make a list!

Take the time to set up introductory meetings with committee staff and personal office staff

During these meetings, make sure you have their correct contact information, especially a phone number.

Maintain your records! Keep a record of what you have done for a member, the different asks they have, etc.

This will serve as the basis for building a legislative strategy

Principal relationships: Congressional Testimony & Hearings

If you have an adversarial congress, you can almost guarantee your boss will be brought before a Congressional committee
Prior to a hearing or testimony, meet with members and staff to:

Suggest questions for committee members to ask your principal that highlight the work of the member and the agency/administration.
Prepare for more difficult questions that might be tougher to navigate
Ensure members will be present. It is extremely important to have members on your side to give your principal a break from hostile questioning

Principal to principal meetings also serve as an opportunity to highlight how the agency’s work directly affects the member’s constituency

Know the Member’s Issues

In legislative affairs, you are trying to find a champion to not only support the administration’s priorities when the decision is in front of them, but to proactively advocate and advance those priorities
Have a running list of major priorities for each member. Resources to use:

congress.gov (especially the media tab).
The latest version of “The Almanac of American Politics.”
All press releases from the member’s office
The member’s weekly or monthly newsletter

Find a way to highlight how the agency’s work is directly affecting the member’s constituency

Working With the Media

Alexei Woltornist

Former Assistant Secretary (Public Affairs), U.S. Department of Homeland Security

President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Appoint Individuals to Key Administration Posts : Alexei Woltornist, of New Jersey, to be an Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security (Public Affairs).

Self Ownership

Do not seek approval from the media
Don’t take the job in hopes of securing a high-profile job after
You are entering into public service

You are there to serve the American public and the President they elected
Your job is to implement the president’s agenda and disseminate information to the public.
Done right, you will GIVE more than you will get back.

Realize Your Place in the Process

The BEST communicators in a presidential administration are often unnamed
ALL positions are equally important in running an effective communications operation
More than likely, you will be behind the scenes and not in front of the camera.

Credibility is Key - it is imperative to remain credible through your tenure.

Duties You Should Be Fulfilling

Effectively communicate regular government functions
Implement the President’s agenda

This is what makes us a republic.
Political appointees exist to be the direct will of the people in implementing the President’s agenda.

It is not “political work” to discuss what the president campaigned on

Political appointees have the power to decide what should be communicated to the public, NOT career government officials
Political Appointees should NOT be reporting to career government officials.

How the Media Works: Understanding the Media and What Their Interests Are

Two Types of Media

Legacy media: New York Times, Washington Post, cable news networks (ABC, CBS, NBC)
Political or Partisan Media: The Federalist, The Daily Caller, The Washington Free Beacon, The Daily Signal

Remember:

The American people read all kinds of outlets
Different kinds of Americans read different kidneys of outlets

Legacy Media

Legacy media is a multi-billion dollar industry

Their premise for making money is to capture your attention with salacious content

Unfortunately, some communicators will prioritize building relationships with legacy outlets and try to get their approval by leaking.

Legacy outlets will try to convince you to trade in your access and your promise to implement the President's agenda so they can get their next headline

Don’t let legacy media outlets convince you that conservative media is second tier media

The American people read ALL KINDS of outlets

Conservative Media

The American people deserve to know what’s happening
Conservative media outlets can and will factually cover what is occuring
Keep in mind the resource disparity - Legacy media have access to a multitude of resources whereas conservative media often run on a smaller scale
Giving conservative media a heads-up and embargoing information will assist them with resource allocation

Tactics to Communicate with the American People

Tactic #1: Press Releases

Communicators are not JUST distributors of information
Communicators should be in the driver’s seat, crafting messaging and bringing in key insights on how the information at hand is implementing the President’s agenda

Tactic #2: Background Calls and Off the Record Discussions

Give access to higher ranking officials in order to condition coverage in the long term
Assist mainstream outlets in better understanding the issue so they can be more factual
Assist conservative outlets in recognizing how the issue ties in with the President’s agenda
Remember:

Reporters need to know that you are a gatekeeper and that you are helping them to do their job
Create an incentive structure where they want to come to you rather than go around you

Tactic #3: Responding to Inquiries from Reporters

Reporters will ask for a comment and communicate an urgent deadline - those stories are largely already written and your effect is going to be minimal
Ask Good Questions:

Is there any fact that I can provide to you that would convince you that your narrative is incorrect?
What are the facts as you understand them?
Who else have you spoken with about this story?
How did you come to your conclusions?