Donald Trump famously promised to “drain the swamp” upon his election in 2016. And if you’ve ever been to Washington, D.C. in the summer, you know that’s not just a metaphor for the convoluted, bureaucratic political system: D.C. is a literal, humid, marshy swamp!
Geography aside, now that the possibility of another Trump administration is looming, federal employees are probably getting nervous. Trump’s promises to “demolish the deep state” and target agencies like those enforcing environmental regulations are leading many workers to rethink their futures, from delaying big purchases to fearing job loss.
That sounds like a bad thing, of course: Job losses hurt the individuals who lose their jobs and the broader economy is hurt because unemployed folks tend to buy fewer things from others. However, in the case of government jobs specifically, it’s not so clear cut. Unlike every other business or job provider, the government and the people who work for it do not create value or wealth; they only take it from others and redistribute it.
As Ludwig von Mises writes in Human Action, “A government can spend or invest only what it takes away from its citizens.”
Now, does this mean you’ll see me out there at a Trump rally chanting “Drain the swamp?” Absolutely not. These promises to “demolish the deep state” are political pandering. He’s trying to score points with voters, while knowing there are many aspects of the federal bureaucracy he would never demolish and indeed would like to make bigger.
After all, who would enforce all those tariffs he proposes, and which economists seem to hate?
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