You Report to Me - by David Bernhardt

About the Book

"Only a short while ago, it was unimaginable that our nation would face a baby formula shortage facilitated by a bureaucratic delay, or witness the national massive embarrassment of flawed military and diplomatic action, such as the withdrawal from Afghanistan. Yet, our leaders and our federal agencies consistently fail the American people, despite the massive growth of these institutions. When David Bernhardt became Secretary of the Interior in the Trump Administration, he witnessed the full dysfunction of our federal agencies and learned that America's sprawling civil service was often unresponsive to the will of the nation's chief executive. In fact, agency staff aligned with the ideology of one political party often worked to actively "resist" the other. Meanwhile, our elected officials in Congress happily punted significant questions of public policy to those unaccountable agencies. In You Report to Me, Bernhardt provides a firsthand chronicle of how the bureaucratic swamp really works and reveals how unaccountable power has quietly concentrated in the administrative state over the last two decades. Drawing on his experiences working under two administrations, Bernhardt details how President Trump's enabling leadership revealed a path for curtailing the administrative state in the future. You Report to Me calls on America's leaders to turn off autopilot and retake control of this ever-multiplying, unaccountable federal bureaucracy before it completely destroys the Founders' vision of a government based on the consent of the governed"--

Book Synopsis

Only a short while ago, it was unimaginable that our nation would face a baby formula shortage facilitated by a bureaucratic delay, or witness the national massive embarrassment of flawed military and diplomatic action, such as the withdrawal from Afghanistan. Yet, our leaders and our federal agencies consistently fail the American people, despite the massive growth of these institutions.

When David Bernhardt became Secretary of the Interior in the Trump Administration, he witnessed the full dysfunction of our federal agencies and learned that America's sprawling civil service was often unresponsive to the will of the nation's chief executive. In fact, agency staff aligned with the ideology of one political party often worked to actively "resist" the other. Meanwhile, our elected officials in Congress happily punted significant questions of public policy to those unaccountable agencies.

In You Report to Me, Bernhardt provides a firsthand chronicle of how the bureaucratic swamp really works and reveals how unaccountable power has quietly concentrated in the administrative state over the last two decades. Drawing on his experiences working under two administrations, Bernhardt details how President Trump's enabling leadership revealed a path for curtailing the administrative state in the future. You Report to Me calls on America's leaders to turn off autopilot and retake control of this ever-multiplying, unaccountable federal bureaucracy before it completely destroys the Founders' vision of a government based on the consent of the governed.

Review Quotes

"As Solicitor, Deputy Secretary and Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior, David was a talented and diligent public administrator. His willingness to share his thoughts and experiences of driving change within the executive branch is to be embraced. They will contribute to the debate of precisely how policymakers can work to deliver better results for the American people."

--U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan.

"Secretary Bernhardt is one of the most astute experts in administrative, environmental, and natural resource policy I have ever worked with. I had the privilege of hosting him in rural North Dakota where he listened to landowners and farmers discuss the overreaches of the Fish and Wildlife Service. Standing in the heart of the prairie potholes, he was blunt yet constructive and everyone left the meeting better informed and hopeful some progress could be made. David's candor in this book is a refreshing reminder of basic civics: officials elected by the public determine policy and the bureaucracy should follow their lead."

--U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer.

"In a Washington, D.C., filled with officeholders who leave no mark, David Bernhardt stood up--and stood out. His stewardship of American lands and heritage as President Trump's Secretary of the Interior was marked by a drive to transform his Department on the American people's behalf... I can't think of anyone better placed to explore, explain, and advance the America First Agenda."

--Brooke Rollins, President and CEO of the America First Policy Institute.

"David Bernhardt is an effective public administrator who strove to make improvements during his tenure in the executive branch. His willingness to provide an insider's perspective on driving change during the Trump administration, as well as lessons for future political appointees, should be welcomed."

--Matt Schlapp, Chairman, Conservative Political Action Coalition (CPAC).