Letters from an American – October 7, 2025

Host: Heather Cox Richardson (read by Michael Moss)
Main Theme:
A critical examination of the Trump administration’s recent efforts to shift power away from elected officials and congressional responsibility, using historical context to draw parallels to the government dynamics of the 1920s. The episode focuses on the weaponization of bureaucratic agencies, the erosion of traditional democratic norms, and the resulting implications for American governance.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. OMB’s Attempt to Deny Back Pay to Furloughed Workers

• The episode opens with a scoop: The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) floated the idea that federal workers furloughed in the ongoing government shutdown may not receive back pay, reversing previous understandings and laws.
• Quote:

  “Caputo notes that the OMB’s new reading of the law is a major departure from the administration’s own guidance issued last month.” (01:00)

• During the 2019 shutdown, a law signed by President Trump assured furloughed workers would be compensated. The memo’s purpose appears to be giving Republicans leverage in negotiations.
• Tactics: OMB Director Russell Vogt threatened mass firings to force Democrats’ compliance, but “the machinery for such firings does not appear to be in place.” (03:00)

2. Republican Strategy and Public Reaction

• Polls reveal most Americans blame Republicans for the shutdown and overwhelmingly support continuing premium tax credits central to Democratic demands.
• Trump attempts to frame ongoing negotiations as potentially beneficial for healthcare—a claim denied by Democratic leadership.
  Quote:

  “If he’s finally ready to work with Democrats, we’ll be at the table.” – Chuck Schumer (04:20)

3. Historical Comparison: The 1920s Government Power Vacuum

• Richardson draws a parallel to 1920, when Republican Warren G. Harding took the presidency amid public fatigue after World War I. Harding was selected not for his policies, but his background and likability.
• Memorable Moment:

  “His speeches leave the impression of an army of pompous phrases moving over the landscape in search of an idea.” (07:40)

• The lack of strong executive leadership shifted power to cabinet officials—namely Commerce Secretary Hoover and Treasury Secretary Mellon—who enacted pro-business, anti-reform policies. Ultimately, this contributed to the Great Depression.
• Insight: The abdication of responsibility by elected lawmakers leaves a void filled by unelected bureaucrats, with perilous results.

4. Current Power Structures: Trump’s Governance Style

• In Trump’s second term, a similar scenario is unfolding: the president appears focused on punishing political enemies and self-enrichment rather than governance.
• Attorney General Pam Bondi epitomizes this approach, stonewalling senators’ inquiries on controversial topics, including potential corruption (e.g., a $400 million airplane gift from Qatar, bribes, and the Epstein files).
• Notable Exchange:

  “Bondi, who says she has seen the [Epstein] files, would not answer no. Instead, she accused Whitehouse of trying to slander President Trump.” (14:30)

5. Congressional Abdication & The Rise of Unelected Power

• Congressional Republicans have not filled the governance void left by Trump. Instead, unelected figures like Elon Musk, OMB Director Russell Vogt, Stephen Miller, and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. now wield significant authority.
• Quote:

  “With their abdication, power appears to have flowed to unelected officials...” (17:00)

• Miller is advancing the narrative that administration opponents are tantamount to insurrectionists, raising specter of the 1807 Insurrection Act (which allows domestic troop deployment).
• In a CNN interview, Miller asserted the president has “plenary authority…complete, unchecked power to use the military to put down an insurrection,” but faltered mid-sentence. (19:45)

6. Philosophical Underpinning: Carl Schmitt’s ‘Exception’

• The concept that “exceptions to the rule reveal where true power rests” is invoked—noting its roots in the philosophy of Carl Schmitt, the Nazi-aligned political scientist.

7. Public Health Under Threat

• Robertson highlights a bipartisan condemnation by all six living former Surgeons General, decrying HHS Secretary Kennedy Jr.’s mismanagement as a direct threat to American lives and trust in public institutions.
• Memorable Statement:

  “The consequences of his mismanagement and promoting misinformation…will be measured in lives lost, disease outbreaks and erosion of public trust that will take years to rebuild.” (22:30)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Bureaucratic Power:

  “OMB is in charge—the power being wielded by unelected officials in the Trump administration echoes the conditions of the US government a century ago.” (05:15)

• On Harding’s Oratory:

  “His speeches leave the impression of an army of pompous phrases moving over the landscape in search of an idea. Sometimes those meandering words would actually capture a straggling thought and bear it triumphantly, a prisoner in their midst until it died of servitude and overwork.” (08:00)

• On Congressional Abdication:

  “But they have chosen not to exercise their constitutional duties, instead going along with what White House officials want.” (16:15)

• On Health Misinformation:

  “Their oaths to care for patients and to protect the health of all Americans compelled them to say that Kennedy's actions are endangering the health of the nation.” (21:40)

Key Timestamps

• 00:00-02:30 OMB memo and threat to deny back pay to furloughed workers
• 02:30-05:30 Shutdown negotiations, public polling, and Republican strategy
• 05:30-10:30 Historical analogy: The Harding administration and the 1920s’
• 10:30-15:00 Attorney General Bondi’s Senate stonewalling; corruption allegations
• 15:00-20:00 Congressional abdication, rise of bureaucratic power, Miller’s claims about presidential authority
• 20:00-23:00 Surgeons General oppose HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.; consequences for public health

Conclusion

This episode uses both current reporting and American history to warn of the dangers of unchecked bureaucratic power, the abdication of congressional responsibility, and the manipulation of democratic institutions. It ends with a somber assessment of the risks posed to public trust, democratic governance, and national health when unelected officials and anti-democratic ideologies are allowed to fill a vacuum left by disengaged elected leaders.