Podcast Summary: Federalist Radio Hour
Episode: DOGE And The Age Of Accountability
Date: March 18, 2025
Host: Matt Kittle
Guest: Stuart Whitson, Senior Director of Federal Affairs, Foundation for Government Accountability
Overview
In this episode, host Matt Kittle welcomes Stuart Whitson to discuss the rise of government accountability in the "age of DOGE." The main topics center on efforts to root out waste, fraud, and abuse in government spending—particularly Medicaid—under the Trump administration, the political implications, challenges posed by entrenched federal bureaucrats, and reforms and transparency measures in federal agencies such as the FBI. The conversation also delves into partisanship in the federal workforce, the impact of federal spending on electoral politics, and the controversies surrounding Biden-era executive orders.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. The "Age of Accountability" in Government
- DOGE's Role: The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is hailed as ushering in a new era of transparency and results in federal spending oversight.
- Presidential Leadership: President Trump is credited with driving actionable accountability reforms that previous administrations only identified but failed to address.
Quote:
"I think as President Trump would characterize it, we are definitely entering a golden era for America when it comes to accountability, the DOGE effort."
— Stuart Whitson [02:24]
2. Medicaid Abuse and Systemic Waste
- Scope of Abuse: Whitson explains that one in five Medicaid dollars is an improper payment, potentially costing taxpayers over a trillion dollars in the next decade.
- Root Causes: Traces the expansion of Medicaid eligibility and lax oversight to the Obama administration, with exacerbation during the COVID pandemic and the subsequent Biden administration's "Medicaid streamlining rule."
- States were limited to checking program eligibility once per year.
- "Reconsideration periods" kept ineligible individuals on the rolls.
- Congressional Budget Office estimated $224 billion in added costs due to these rules.
Memorable Quotes:
"Under the Obama administration, what we saw is new regulations that basically made it harder for states to kick people off the program who are ineligible."
— Stuart Whitson [04:18]
"Even when the states would identify people that they knew didn't belong on the program, the Biden administration would require them to keep them on the program anyway."
— Stuart Whitson [06:19]
3. Political Narratives & Resistance from the Left
- Accusations Against Reformers: The left claims Trump is "cutting Medicaid," but Whitson insists the aim is to focus benefits on the truly needy, not able-bodied adults who could work.
- Defending the Indefensible: Democrats reluctant to admit the waste for fear of political fallout.
- Upcoming Legislation: A reconciliation bill seeks $880 billion in savings, mostly through reducing waste—not cutting benefits.
Quote:
"Their argument is that the 20-year-old playing Xbox is going to lose his Medicaid… is that really what—the Hill that they're dying on?"
— Matt Kittle [15:59]
"If you remove the able-bodied people off of that program and encourage them to go back into the workforce...that frees up resources and dollars for the truly needy."
— Stuart Whitson [16:54]
4. Media Influence and the "Accomplice Media"
- Changing Dynamics: The corporate media's traditional gatekeeping role is challenged by independent outlets and social media, giving Americans direct access to facts.
- Elon Musk's Influence: The purchase of Twitter is cited as a turning point in decentralizing media, limiting the left’s ability to "pull the wool over the eyes of Americans."
Quote:
"Elon Musk keeps coming back to the forefront, but his purchase of Twitter changed the world for the left-wing media and started to revolutionize the way people get information."
— Stuart Whitson [22:25]
5. Entrenched Bureaucrats & Need for Reform
- Personnel Is Policy: Systematic protections for federal employees have led to a bureaucracy that resists change, disproportionately favors Democrats, and impedes reform.
- Location Bias: DC-centric agencies trend heavily Democratic; moving agencies nationwide could help dilute the political monoculture.
- Firing & Restructuring: Congress needs to codify the ability to remove insubordinate or underperforming employees.
Quote:
"Federal employees shouldn't have more protection than employees in private sector or employees in other, even in Congress..."
— Stuart Whitson [24:54]
"Democrats have a 30-point advantage over Republicans in terms of identification... in welfare agencies, it rises to nearly 60 percentage points."
— Stuart Whitson [28:11]
6. Effects on Electoral Politics
- Federal Workforce as Political Base: Massive federal employment in DC, Virginia, and Maryland shifts those states leftward, impacting the electoral map.
- Government Growth for Political Power: Much of the resistance to reducing government size or relocating agencies is about preserving Democratic power.
Quote:
"It's amazing how much politics has played into this...a lot of the growth and development in government, expansion in government has been done for the sake of political power."
— Matt Kittle [36:16]
7. "Biden Bucks," NGOs, and Election Integrity
- Executive Order 14019 ("Biden Bucks"): Billed as expanding voting access, Whitson describes it as a partisan get-out-the-vote effort embedded in federal agencies.
- NGOs and Transparency: Foundation for Government Accountability sued DOJ for transparency; Trump revoked the order on Day 1.
- Accountability for Bad Actors: Importance of rooting out "burrowed-in" officials still pursuing partisan objectives within agencies.
Quote:
"One of his first acts was to get the federal executive branch out of the business of elections..."
— Stuart Whitson [38:34]
8. FBI Reform and Rebuilding Trust
- FBI's Loss of Trust: Whitson, a former supervisory special agent, supports new director Cash Patel’s mandate for reform and transparency.
- Entrenched Resistance: Even one percent of the workforce can undermine change; the DC environment is seen as corrosive to agency culture.
- Call for Decentralization: Moving support functions out of DC could limit politicization and help rebuild public trust.
Quote:
"You got to do a lot of things to fix the FBI, but to re-earn the trust of the American people, you have to do even more."
— Stuart Whitson [42:57]
"Just an, yet another reason to just move that out of D.C. where you can..."
— Stuart Whitson [48:09]
Notable Timestamps
- 00:00–01:24: Ads and intro skipped
- 02:12: Start of substantive interview—Age of accountability
- 03:04: Medicaid waste and targeting improper payments
- 06:19: Biden's Medicaid streamlining rule and its fiscal impact
- 09:24: Motivations behind program expansions and socialized medicine allegory
- 13:53: Political motivations behind resistance to cuts
- 22:25: Media landscape changes and the impact of “X” (Twitter)
- 24:54: Bureaucratic resistance; “personnel is policy”
- 28:11: Partisanship in federal workforce explained
- 36:16: Electoral map and political consequences of government sprawl
- 38:34: Biden Bucks, NGOs, and the legal fight for transparency
- 42:57: FBI’s new leadership, needed reforms, and cultural challenges
Conclusion
This episode delivers an in-depth, spirited critique of government inefficiency and partisanship, focusing on Medicaid reform, bureaucratic inertia, and efforts to restore accountability via new Trump-era executive actions and Congressional oversight. The hosts and guest maintain a skeptical yet hopeful tone, emphasizing the importance of continued transparency and reform—not just at the program level, but also within the federal workforce and key institutions like the FBI. The underlying message is clear: accountability is both underway and necessary for restoring public trust and efficient governance.