Under Trump, the Executive Branch has been decimated. The Department of “Justice” has become anything but. Under the leadership of Jeff Sessions and Bill Barr, the department has made a mockery of the rule of law, rescinded protections on civil rights, and protected the rich and powerful at the expense of average people. Over the past three years, the Trump’s Treasury Department has presided over the gutting of financial regulations put in place by the Obama Administration in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis.
During Trump’s administration, the White House has gutted the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), pushed out lifelong diplomats, thereby increasing the risk of another costly war, and gutted other vital oversight agencies. Re-building the federal government after four years of ransacking will be a monumental task, but it’s one that needs to be done if Biden wants to make his campaign’s progressive vision into reality.
In June we released a memo explaining in detail what each cabinet agency does and how a progressive cabinet would bring concrete benefits to all Americans. Data for Progress has released a historic, first of its kind memo exploring who would be the best fits for each cabinet position under a progressive administration.