Greg Larson

Because she believes in public service

A government is only as good as its people, and a president is recruiter in chief.

We mostly focus on cabinet officials and senior advisors, but it trickles all the way down. Harris would inspire a new generation of public servants to take on the country’s next chapter—while Trump’s return would likely trigger an exodus from federal government, hollowing out our institutions and further eroding public service in America.

I can imagine it because I saw it the first time. I was a career employee in the Treasury Department for three energizing years under Obama, then three exhausting ones under Trump. His disdain for expertise and analysis cast a pall over our ranks, and eventually, a lot of great staff left. Talented young staff, but also seasoned veterans and grizzled old-timers with institutional memory. Trump wore me down too—like many others, I left before his first term ended.

Civil servants are professional nonpartisans: they serve administrations from both parties, because they know our government can’t function otherwise. Sure, things could be more efficient. But by and large, these are smart and principled people who care deeply about serving the public. 

Trump, explicitly, seeks the opposite: a government serving him. And it’s gotten much worse. He’s talking about “enemies within” and loyalty tests and replacing thousands of civil servants with his hand-picked people. He doesn’t want to run the government; he wants to turn it into the Trump Organization. This is chilling for politically impartial civil servants, especially in our military, intelligence, and law enforcement communities. 

On policy grounds, there are a million reasons why Trump is dangerous. But his eagerness to transform the government into a political machine is what makes those dangers treacherous—because strong, capable institutions would be needed more than ever. 

Our civil service is still reeling from Trump’s first term. We can’t let him further degrade the notion, spirit, and force of public service in this country. There is no choice; we must elect Harris: a leader whose entire career has been shaped by service to the people.

Greg Larson is a writer, editor, and former economist for the Treasury Department.