RELATED September 14, 2023 The States of Our Union August 16, 2023 Presidential Transitions are a Perilous Moment for National Security April 24, 2023 Effective presidential transitions can earn the public’s trust Donald Trump, bureaucracy apprentice January 2, 2016 Every election year, politicians of both parties portray Washington as a Gomorrah of influence peddling, goldbricking and waste, funded by hardworking taxpayers. But to the civil servants who process Social Security payments, hunt tax cheats, track terrorists, enforce environmental laws, maintain national parks or test experimental drugs, the federal government is not just the source of a reliable paycheck but an honorable mission.