Diogenes
1 account to rule them all
For four years, the institutions meant to safeguard our democracy have come under a relentless assault from within, leaving our government vulnerable to corruption. We have seen a systemic and successful effort by Donald Trump and congressional Republicans to strip away these safeguards.
Of the many challenges the incoming Biden administration must confront, the restoration of checks and balances is the most vital if we are to continue as a united and functioning republic.
It’s easy in the midst of a pandemic to lose sight of things like whistleblowers, inspectors general, U.S. attorneys, and congressional oversight and independence. But they are all linchpins of a healthy democracy. It’s no surprise or accident that under Trump, these guardians of government have been eviscerated.
President-elect Biden needs to put forward an ambitious plan to restore accountability to government.
This plan should include strengthening whistleblower protections, enhancing inspectors general independence, reinstating officials who were removed from their posts via acts of retaliation, and passing new legislation that gives Congress tools to enforce oversight in real time.
Furthermore, the Biden administration should conduct a government-wide audit that exposes every ounce of waste, fraud, abuse, mismanagement and corruption that has transpired throughout the past four years.
If the White House was downplaying the consequences of hurricanes and tropical storms and threatening scientists, that needs to be exposed.
If an agency administrator had a too-cozy relationship with lobbyists, that needs to be exposed.
If COVID relief dollars were being steered to political donors, that needs to be exposed.
If a Cabinet secretary refuses a court order to stop illegally seizing the wages of college students, that needs to be exposed.
Of course, these are all scandals we know about, but imagine the totality of what has happened during these last four years that we don’t know about.
President-elect Biden should give Republicans a double dose of their own sunlight.
Kurt Bardella, a member of USA Today’s Board of Contributors and a senior adviser for The Lincoln Project, was the spokesperson and senior adviser for House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Republicans from 2009-2013. Follow him on Twitter: @kurtbardella
Of the many challenges the incoming Biden administration must confront, the restoration of checks and balances is the most vital if we are to continue as a united and functioning republic.
It’s easy in the midst of a pandemic to lose sight of things like whistleblowers, inspectors general, U.S. attorneys, and congressional oversight and independence. But they are all linchpins of a healthy democracy. It’s no surprise or accident that under Trump, these guardians of government have been eviscerated.
President-elect Biden needs to put forward an ambitious plan to restore accountability to government.
This plan should include strengthening whistleblower protections, enhancing inspectors general independence, reinstating officials who were removed from their posts via acts of retaliation, and passing new legislation that gives Congress tools to enforce oversight in real time.
Furthermore, the Biden administration should conduct a government-wide audit that exposes every ounce of waste, fraud, abuse, mismanagement and corruption that has transpired throughout the past four years.
If the White House was downplaying the consequences of hurricanes and tropical storms and threatening scientists, that needs to be exposed.
If an agency administrator had a too-cozy relationship with lobbyists, that needs to be exposed.
If COVID relief dollars were being steered to political donors, that needs to be exposed.
If a Cabinet secretary refuses a court order to stop illegally seizing the wages of college students, that needs to be exposed.
Of course, these are all scandals we know about, but imagine the totality of what has happened during these last four years that we don’t know about.
President-elect Biden should give Republicans a double dose of their own sunlight.
Kurt Bardella, a member of USA Today’s Board of Contributors and a senior adviser for The Lincoln Project, was the spokesperson and senior adviser for House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Republicans from 2009-2013. Follow him on Twitter: @kurtbardella
