Self-Reflection and the Federal Bureaucracy

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ASPA as an organization.

By Julie A. Bargo
February 10, 2025

Will the Federal Bureaucracy take the Opportunity provided by DOGE to pause for Self-Reflection?

There is no shortage of federal government topics to discuss since President Trump took office on January 20. Quite frankly, the hardest part of writing has been narrowing down topics and diluting them succinctly enough to meet word maximums. It may be controversial, but great minds of history, philosophy, and psychology encourage self-reflection as part of the growth process, and I think it is time that the federal bureaucracy take a long look in the mirror and really think about its way forward.

The public bureaucracy has evolved over the years with varying interpretations of its purpose, and fluctuating organizational charts on how it should be operationalized and to whom it should be accountable. One of the most well-known periods was the infamous reign of the “Spoils System”. For those not familiar, a spoils system is exactly what it sounds like; lobbyists, although they may not have used that label during the time, would personally stand outside of the offices of the President or in the Capitol to petition for favors (usually for a federal job or appointment) for having provided monetary support or voters during the previous election.

It took a while, but eventually the powers that be took a good hard look at the spoils system and decided that it was probably not the most efficient, nor the most ethical way to run a government.  Thus, the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act was enacted in 1883, and became the first real attempt at creating a federal bureaucracy that served the people rather than a political party or idea. The original scholars of Public Administration (Woodrow Wilson, Frank Goodnow, and Leonard White) viewed the role of the public servant as one that was separated from the everyday clashes and compromises of politics as stated in the 2016 edition of Holzer’s and Schwester’s text Public Administration: An Introduction. Within the same text, Wilson championed a firm separation of policy determination and policy administration in that policy determination should occur via the political process, while policy implementation should remain in the realm of non-political administrators.

Fast forward from 1883 to present day 2025.  Does the current state of the federal bureaucracy embody these principles?  Is the perception of the current federal employee that of someone who is dedicated to serve the country regardless of the who is the President and the political party to which he belongs?  Do federal workers see themselves as policy administrators and not policy creators or implementers? Do federal workers see it as their duty to follow the law and implement policies they may not personally disagree with, or do they see themselves as unelected change-agents set on defying the will of a duly elected President because they disagree with his policies?

These are the questions the federal employees should be asking themselves to determine if they are serving the American taxpayer, or if their loyalties are directed more toward a political party or idea. Ask yourself if you would be the kind of federal employee that would advise your FEMA employees to avoid the homes of disaster victims that were exercising their First Amendment right to free speech by having a campaign sign in their yard because it was a person with whom you disagree?  Do you believe that is your role if you were a FEMA administrator? 

Everyone will have to answer these questions for themselves.  You do not have to agree with me one way or the other, but employees of the federal bureaucracy should all be asking themselves these questions with each changing of an administration. If you cannot objectively do the work of the American people and the President and Congress they elect to office, your talents and skills might be best put to use working at a non-profit or Political Action Committee. 

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Author: Julie Bargo has a master’s in public administration from Eastern Kentucky University and has worked for nearly 20 years in a public health organization.  Questions and comments can be directed to [email protected] or on X at @Julie0285.   

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