Russell Vought: The Man Plotting the Great Bureaucratic Heist

The Strategist Leading Trump’s Fight Against the Administrative State.

In the epic saga that is Trump’s second term, there emerges a new antihero—a man who might just be the Thanos of the administrative state.

Enter Russell Vought, the self-proclaimed Christian nationalist, budget czar, and bureaucratic wrecking ball.

If you’ve been snoozing on federal policy until now, it’s time to wake up. Vought is not just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic; he’s throwing the whole ship into the ocean while humming the national anthem.

The Fourth Branch: Government or Comic Book Villain?

To Vought, the federal government isn’t just bloated or inefficient—it’s a rogue organism, like the Death Star, run by unelected rebels (a.k.a. civil servants) with a taste for soy lattes and “woke” agendas. His mission? Destroy it before it destroys us.

“We’re living in a post-constitutional moment,” Vought declared, presumably while wearing sunglasses indoors.

In his view, these bureaucrats are part of a shadowy “fourth branch” of government—an unholy alliance of career pencil-pushers and policy nerds who, apparently, have spent the past century secretly running the country. Think “House of Cards” meets “The Office.”

His solution is simple: fire everybody. That’s not hyperbole. Under Vought’s plan, potentially tens of thousands of federal employees will become “at-will” staffers, ready to be replaced by individuals with one unshakable qualification: undying loyalty to Trump.

Forget expertise, experience, or even basic competence. What matters is that you’re on board with the agenda—or at least, you retweeted it once.

Schedule F: F Is for Firing Frenzy

Vought’s crown jewel is the infamous “Schedule F,” an executive order that feels ripped straight from the script of a dystopian drama.

Picture this: thousands of federal employees waking up to find their job protections gone overnight. Suddenly, your EPA scientist neighbor is polishing their resume while your cousin, who runs a pro-Trump Facebook page, is eyeing their desk.

During his first term, Vought tried to push this through, but democracy got in the way.

Now, with the Supreme Court leaning conservative and Trump 2.0 running on main-character energy, Schedule F is back, and it’s coming for everyone.

Money Matters: The Impoundment Showdown

Ah, the federal budget—a hotbed of thrilling drama and Excel spreadsheets. But Vought has found a way to make it spicy.

He wants to revive a presidential power that was effectively buried in 1974: impoundment. Translation? The president could decide not to spend money Congress has already approved, simply because he feels like it.

Think of it as Venmo, but if your boss could cancel payments after the fact. This, of course, already got Trump impeached once. But hey, second time’s the charm, right?

Radical Constitutionalism: Now in Theaters

Vought calls his playbook “radical constitutionalism,” which sounds like something a college freshman would say after taking one political science class.

The idea is simple: the president, as the head of the executive branch, is the ultimate boss of all its departments. EPA? The president’s playground. SEC? Same deal. FBI? Don’t even think about independence.

To Vought, the notion of “bureaucratic independence” is not just outdated; it’s a slap in the face to democracy. Forget checks and balances. The president is now the CEO, the board of directors, and HR—no questions asked.

The Deep State Diaries

Vought’s ultimate ambition is to dismantle the so-called “deep state.”

Vought wants to cut FBI background checks for senior officials, declassify government documents, and essentially turn the intelligence community into a group chat. The goal? Transparency, sure, but also chaos.

Vought’s critics argue that tearing down these institutions without a plan to rebuild them is like demolishing your house because you don’t like the wallpaper. But for Vought, that’s the point. He’s less Bob the Builder, more a guy with a wrecking ball and no exit strategy.

Boldness Meets Self-Denial (Or So They Say)

Vought’s vision, as outlined in the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, is for Trump to be both bold enough to destroy the administrative state and humble enough to give power back to the people.

How does one simultaneously “bend or break” the bureaucracy while practicing self-denial? It’s like asking someone to bake a cake and then not eat it—ambitious, but also deeply improbable.

America: Now Hiring, No Experience Necessary

So, what’s next for America under Russell Vought?

Imagine a federal government run like a startup, but instead of innovating, it’s cutting regulations and firing everyone over Zoom. Instead of seasoned professionals, you’ll have a rotating cast of political appointees with LinkedIn profiles that scream, “Unqualified but willing to tweet.”

Will this work? History says no.

Reagan tried to take on the bureaucracy and failed. But Vought insists this time will be different—because if there’s one thing the federal government really needed, it was more chaos.

In the end, Vought’s revolution may leave the federal government smaller, weaker, and significantly dumber.

But hey, at least it’ll be loyal.

See you tomorrow - assuming you haven’t blocked me by then.

Za-Head