Yuval Levin

If you saw a lot of attrition in the FDA, the effects of that would be pretty serious. It's actually quite important that the agencies that keep us safe and healthy operate and do their basic work. This is the basic challenge of administration in a system as big as we're talking about.

If you saw a lot of attrition in the FDA, the effects of that would be pretty serious. It's actually quite important that the agencies that keep us safe and healthy operate and do their basic work. This is the basic challenge of administration in a system as big as we're talking about.

is that there are a lot of effects on the ground that it's possible to think through if you involve the different parts of the system in coming up with the reform. But it's very hard to think through if you're just sitting in a room and coming up with it on your own or just throwing it out there because it's something that worked at Twitter.

is that there are a lot of effects on the ground that it's possible to think through if you involve the different parts of the system in coming up with the reform. But it's very hard to think through if you're just sitting in a room and coming up with it on your own or just throwing it out there because it's something that worked at Twitter.

And you don't have very much experience in the government, as Musk and his crew do not. Yeah.

And you don't have very much experience in the government, as Musk and his crew do not. Yeah.

It runs deeper than that because the federal workforce is constrained by a challenge that isn't really present in the private sector, which is that there are salary caps that prevent you from paying the most qualified people the kinds of pay they could get in the private sector, which means that places like not just the VA, but the FDA, NIH, all the Commerce Department sub-agencies –

It runs deeper than that because the federal workforce is constrained by a challenge that isn't really present in the private sector, which is that there are salary caps that prevent you from paying the most qualified people the kinds of pay they could get in the private sector, which means that places like not just the VA, but the FDA, NIH, all the Commerce Department sub-agencies –

Those places are full of people who spend their day sitting across the table from private sector people that they're regulating or working with and thinking, I have the same skill set as this guy, but he's got a much nicer house. Why am I working at the FDA rather than at Pfizer? And now there's an answer to that question. And, you know, a lot of people in those jobs really enjoy them.

Those places are full of people who spend their day sitting across the table from private sector people that they're regulating or working with and thinking, I have the same skill set as this guy, but he's got a much nicer house. Why am I working at the FDA rather than at Pfizer? And now there's an answer to that question. And, you know, a lot of people in those jobs really enjoy them.

They like them and they have, you know, they have real significance and authority and that matters to people. But In the federal government, those are the people who are marginally attached to their job, who are constantly thinking, you know, I got to pay for my kid's college in a few years. Shouldn't I be working at a much higher paying contractor job or private sector job?

They like them and they have, you know, they have real significance and authority and that matters to people. But In the federal government, those are the people who are marginally attached to their job, who are constantly thinking, you know, I got to pay for my kid's college in a few years. Shouldn't I be working at a much higher paying contractor job or private sector job?

So that when you make an offer like this buyout offer, it's those people who are thinking, maybe I don't really want to do this job. Whereas the people who are thinking, I can't get another job. I got to stick with this one. I'll do whatever they want.

So that when you make an offer like this buyout offer, it's those people who are thinking, maybe I don't really want to do this job. Whereas the people who are thinking, I can't get another job. I got to stick with this one. I'll do whatever they want.

Those are probably your lower performing employees or at least your less valuable employees so that you're creating a situation where the people who are going to be hardest to replace are the people who are most likely to leave.

Those are probably your lower performing employees or at least your less valuable employees so that you're creating a situation where the people who are going to be hardest to replace are the people who are most likely to leave.

I think the key to that point is in the sense that they're trying to look strong but not doing it in a way that actually is strong. They face a very challenging fact. As much as they want to act as though they've just won a massive election victory and they now dominate everything, they've actually won a very narrow election victory.

I think the key to that point is in the sense that they're trying to look strong but not doing it in a way that actually is strong. They face a very challenging fact. As much as they want to act as though they've just won a massive election victory and they now dominate everything, they've actually won a very narrow election victory.

And their majorities in Congress, especially in the House, are very, very narrow. The House majority is the narrowest majority we've seen since there have been 50 states. And that means they can't get much through Congress on their own.

And their majorities in Congress, especially in the House, are very, very narrow. The House majority is the narrowest majority we've seen since there have been 50 states. And that means they can't get much through Congress on their own.