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The Transition: The bureaucrats are back

Political Theater, Episode 168

Running against the swamp is a time-honored tactic. But someone needs to run the government.
Running against the swamp is a time-honored tactic. But someone needs to run the government. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call file photo)

Running against the swamp — official Washington and its government workers, policy makers, lobbyists and the like — is a time-honored tactic. People like to rail about the bureaucracy, at least until they need something from it.

What we’re seeing from President-elect Joe Biden is a different approach than the swamp bashing we have all become accustomed to. He’s given the technocratic approach to government a boost with a series of Cabinet nominees who have deep experience in government, both in the executive and legislative branches.

On the latest Political Theater Podcast, CQ Roll Call Chief Correspondent Niels Lesniewski and I are going to talk about how the Biden team is loading up on workhorses and making a concerted effort to reach out to Congress.

And Staff Writer Ben Hulac talks about the how busy the EPA has been with its latest batch of midnight rules and what that means for environment and energy policy as we get ready for the Biden administration.

Show Notes:

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