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(Daily Signal)—President-elect Donald Trump poses a serious threat to the woke bureaucrats and their left-wing allies who have injected their ideology into the administrative state, but these activists won’t be giving up easily.
As Trump staffs up for a second term, the bureaucrats have hatched at least three strategies to oppose him: returning to the left-wing nonprofit sphere to act as a government-in-waiting; passing new regulations to cement their ideology into the rules before Trump can reverse them; and burrowing into the bureaucracy to oppose him from within, the same way they did during his first term.
Trump will enter office Jan. 20 with a mandate to drain the swamp, but the swamp is working overtime to clog up the drains while it still can.
Here’s how the swamp is fighting back to defend its bureaucracy.
1. The Revolving Door
Trump has vowed to carry out a mass deportation of illegal aliens, but it is often better for aliens to “deport” themselves by leaving the country on their own terms. Similarly, some woke bureaucrats in the administrative state have begun the process of self-deportation, electing to depart the Biden-Harris administration on their own terms before Trump forces them out of government.
Tracy Stone-Manning, director of the Bureau of Land Management, is getting the heck out of Dodge. She’ll be taking over as president of The Wilderness Society in February.
The Wilderness Society, like so many other environmentalist groups, began with the noble goal of conservation, but has since become a woke activist group that opposes fossil fuels and supports “diversity, equity, and inclusion,” or DEI.
As I explain in my forthcoming book “The Woketopus: The Dark Money Cabal Manipulating the Federal Government,” Stone-Manning is already well familiar with the environmental activism sphere. She spent four years at the National Wildlife Federation before joining the Biden-Harris administration.
The National Wildlife Federation has worked hand in glove with the federal bureaucracy. In 2009, the Interior Department (which includes the Bureau of Land Management) found that the Bureau of Land Management was consulting with National Wildlife Federation staff on budgeting and that the staff were writing and editing official BLM materials to promote the federation’s priorities.
“We’re honored that some of our team members have served in and gone on to serve in essential state, local, and federal roles, including in Democratic and Republican administrations,” Mike Saccone, the federation’s vice president of communications, told me in remarks for the book.
Of course, The Wilderness Society also wanted a cut of the action. The Functional Government Initiative revealed in 2023 that Wilderness Society lobbyists brainstormed “legal and policy pathways” with Interior Department lawyers regarding the Twin Metals project in Minnesota. Interior later canceled leases owned by Twin Metals Minnesota, terminating a critical minerals project, as The Wilderness Society had demanded.
Stone-Manning, who notoriously wrote a threatening letter on behalf of tree-striking eco-terrorists, represents the first Biden-Harris administration official to leave in the lead-up to Jan. 20, but she won’t be the last.
2. ‘Trump-Proofing’ the Bureaucracy
Even before Trump won the 2024 presidential election, bureaucrats had been gearing up to “Trump-proof” the administrative state.
In April, the Office of Personnel Management finalized a rule that will make it harder for Trump to reinstate his “Schedule F” executive order—an order that would have made it easier for the president to fire certain bureaucrats.
Public sector unions have also schemed with bureaucrats to tie Trump’s hands ahead of time.
The Environmental Protection Agency and its employees’ unions signed a collective bargaining agreement in May that created mechanisms for employees to report any other employee whom they deem to have had “improper influence” on a scientific study.
Public sector unions may also be working to extend collective bargaining agreements to preserve certain perks, like working remotely.
I’m hearing via allies that federal government unions are scrambling to update their collective bargaining agreements to avoid getting fired. The prospect of being asked to return to the office 5 days per week like most working Americans apparently has them “in tears.”
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) November 18, 2024
Similarly, the National Institutes of Health has designated an official to identify political meddling in the agency’s work, creating a scientific integrity council to review any such cases, Politico reported.
Of course, “political meddling” is in the eye of the beholder. Conservatives rightly consider Chicken Little climate warnings (the burning of fossil fuels will bring about the end of the world) a form of political meddling in science.
Unfortunately, the bureaucrats who staff these agencies would likely consider any attempt to dial down the doomsday rhetoric a form of “political meddling,” even though the American people selected Trump, who ran on a platform of unleashing all forms of energy production, including fossil fuels.
The organization Protect the Public’s Trust has compiled a list of at least a dozen breaches of scientific integrity under the Biden administration.
Although Biden issued a Scientific Integrity Memorandum early in office, claiming that “[s]cientific findings should never be distorted or influenced by political considerations,” his Office of Science and Technology Policy “formally recognized” “indigenous knowledge” as “one of the many important bodies of knowledge that contributes to the scientific, technical, social, and economic advancements of the United States.”
Federal agencies “do not need to judge, validate, or evaluate Indigenous Knowledge using other forms of knowledge in order to include Indigenous Knowledge in Federal policy, research, or decision making,” Biden’s science office said.
3. Retrenchment
Of course, many bureaucrats will simply refuse to leave.
While some federal bureaucrats are already looking for other work, many are feverishly working to protect their jobs ahead of the Trump purge, The Washington Post reported.
Bureaucrats have started scrubbing social media and even changing their job titles in an effort to preserve their woke functions in the coming new Trump administration.
Some agencies are reclassifying jobs with “titles that could clash with Trump’s agenda, especially those promoting Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, boosting environmental justice and fighting the effects of climate change,” the Post reports.
In other words, the Environmental Protection Agency is working to reclassify the climate activist and purveyor of critical race theory (the notion that America is systemically racist against black people) who got hired to further “environmental justice,” to hide the real reason he has a job.
This will prevent the Trump administration from identifying woke activists and rooting them out, thus enabling these activists to undermine Trump’s agenda from within.
Given how vociferously the deep state fought the first Trump administration, leaking to the press and helping to launch the Trump-Russia probe and the first impeachment, Trump’s second administration must take the threats of entrenched bureaucrats quite seriously.
I humbly suggest that my book, “The Woketopus,” is a good place to start. It lays out many of the woke nonprofits that staff and advise the administrative state, bankrolled by the likes of Alex Soros and his Open Society Foundations.
This vast network should serve as a tool in identifying the worst offenders who seek to turn the federal government into a tool for the woke agenda.
Five Things New “Preppers” Forget When Getting Ready for Bad Times Ahead
The preparedness community is growing faster than it has in decades. Even during peak times such as Y2K, the economic downturn of 2008, and Covid, the vast majority of Americans made sure they had plenty of toilet paper but didn’t really stockpile anything else.
Things have changed. There’s a growing anxiety in this presidential election year that has prompted more Americans to get prepared for crazy events in the future. Some of it is being driven by fearmongers, but there are valid concerns with the economy, food supply, pharmaceuticals, the energy grid, and mass rioting that have pushed average Americans into “prepper” mode.
There are degrees of preparedness. One does not have to be a full-blown “doomsday prepper” living off-grid in a secure Montana bunker in order to be ahead of the curve. In many ways, preparedness isn’t about being able to perfectly handle every conceivable situation. It’s about being less dependent on government for as long as possible. Those who have proper “preps” will not be waiting for FEMA to distribute emergency supplies to the desperate masses.
Below are five things people new to preparedness (and sometimes even those with experience) often forget as they get ready. All five are common sense notions that do not rely on doomsday in order to be useful. It may be nice to own a tank during the apocalypse but there’s not much you can do with it until things get really crazy. The recommendations below can have places in the lives of average Americans whether doomsday comes or not.
Note: The information provided by this publication or any related communications is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice. We do not provide personalized investment, financial, or legal advice.
Secured Wealth
Whether in the bank or held in a retirement account, most Americans feel that their life’s savings is relatively secure. At least they did until the last couple of years when de-banking, geopolitical turmoil, and the threat of Central Bank Digital Currencies reared their ugly heads.
It behooves Americans to diversify their holdings. If there’s a triggering event or series of events that cripple the financial systems or devalue the U.S. Dollar, wealth can evaporate quickly. To hedge against potential turmoil, many Americans are looking in two directions: Crypto and physical precious metals.
There are huge advantages to cryptocurrencies, but there are also inherent risks because “virtual” money can become challenging to spend. Add in the push by central banks and governments to regulate or even replace cryptocurrencies with their own versions they control and the risks amplify. There’s nothing wrong with cryptocurrencies today but things can change rapidly.
As for physical precious metals, many Americans pay cash to keep plenty on hand in their safe. Rolling over or transferring retirement accounts into self-directed IRAs is also a popular option, but there are caveats. It can often take weeks or even months to get the gold and silver shipped if the owner chooses to close their account. This is why Genesis Gold Group stands out. Their relationship with the depositories allows for rapid closure and shipping, often in less than 10 days from the time the account holder makes their move. This can come in handy if things appear to be heading south.
Lots of Potable Water
One of the biggest shocks that hit new preppers is understanding how much potable water they need in order to survive. Experts claim one gallon of water per person per day is necessary. Even the most conservative estimates put it at over half-a-gallon. That means that for a family of four, they’ll need around 120 gallons of water to survive for a month if the taps turn off and the stores empty out.
Being near a fresh water source, whether it’s a river, lake, or well, is a best practice among experienced preppers. It’s necessary to have a water filter as well, even if the taps are still working. Many refuse to drink tap water even when there is no emergency. Berkey was our previous favorite but they’re under attack from regulators so the Alexapure systems are solid replacements.
For those in the city or away from fresh water sources, storage is the best option. This can be challenging because proper water storage containers take up a lot of room and are difficult to move if the need arises. For “bug in” situations, having a larger container that stores hundreds or even thousands of gallons is better than stacking 1-5 gallon containers. Unfortunately, they won’t be easily transportable and they can cost a lot to install.
Water is critical. If chaos erupts and water infrastructure is compromised, having a large backup supply can be lifesaving.
Pharmaceuticals and Medical Supplies
There are multiple threats specific to the medical supply chain. With Chinese and Indian imports accounting for over 90% of pharmaceutical ingredients in the United States, deteriorating relations could make it impossible to get the medicines and antibiotics many of us need.
Stocking up many prescription medications can be hard. Doctors generally do not like to prescribe large batches of drugs even if they are shelf-stable for extended periods of time. It is a best practice to ask your doctor if they can prescribe a larger amount. Today, some are sympathetic to concerns about pharmacies running out or becoming inaccessible. Tell them your concerns. It’s worth a shot. The worst they can do is say no.
If your doctor is unwilling to help you stock up on medicines, then Jase Medical is a good alternative. Through telehealth, they can prescribe daily meds or antibiotics that are shipped to your door. As proponents of medical freedom, they empathize with those who want to have enough medical supplies on hand in case things go wrong.
Energy Sources
The vast majority of Americans are locked into the grid. This has proven to be a massive liability when the grid goes down. Unfortunately, there are no inexpensive remedies.
Those living off-grid had to either spend a lot of money or effort (or both) to get their alternative energy sources like solar set up. For those who do not want to go so far, it’s still a best practice to have backup power sources. Diesel generators and portable solar panels are the two most popular, and while they’re not inexpensive they are not out of reach of most Americans who are concerned about being without power for extended periods of time.
Natural gas is another necessity for many, but that’s far more challenging to replace. Having alternatives for heating and cooking that can be powered if gas and electric grids go down is important. Have a backup for items that require power such as manual can openers. If you’re stuck eating canned foods for a while and all you have is an electric opener, you’ll have problems.
Don’t Forget the Protein
When most think about “prepping,” they think about their food supply. More Americans are turning to gardening and homesteading as ways to produce their own food. Others are working with local farmers and ranchers to purchase directly from the sources. This is a good idea whether doomsday comes or not, but it’s particularly important if the food supply chain is broken.
Most grocery stores have about one to two weeks worth of food, as do most American households. Grocers rely heavily on truckers to receive their ongoing shipments. In a crisis, the current process can fail. It behooves Americans for multiple reasons to localize their food purchases as much as possible.
Long-term storage is another popular option. Canned foods, MREs, and freeze dried meals are selling out quickly even as prices rise. But one component that is conspicuously absent in shelf-stable food is high-quality protein. Most survival food companies offer low quality “protein buckets” or cans of meat, but they are often barely edible.
Prepper All-Naturals offers premium cuts of steak that have been cooked sous vide and freeze dried to give them a 25-year shelf life. They offer Ribeye, NY Strip, and Tenderloin among others.
Having buckets of beans and rice is a good start, but keeping a solid supply of high-quality protein isn’t just healthier. It can help a family maintain normalcy through crises.
Prepare Without Fear
With all the challenges we face as Americans today, it can be emotionally draining. Citizens are scared and there’s nothing irrational about their concerns. Being prepared and making lifestyle changes to secure necessities can go a long way toward overcoming the fears that plague us. We should hope and pray for the best but prepare for the worst. And if the worst does come, then knowing we did what we could to be ready for it will help us face those challenges with confidence.
