Max Stier

After a year of unprecedent change, destruction and politicization, where does our democracy stand as we move into 2026? I joined 1A's "If You Can Keep It" on NPR to discuss the current state of our democracy, its history and answer calls from listeners. the1a.org/segments/if-yo…

Read more about what we can expect from the Trump administration in 2026: contrarian.substack.com/p/trumps-2026-…

The administration's actions in 2025 traumatized the federal workforce, moved us closer to autocracy and diminished the ability of the government to serve the public interest. The year ahead promises to be a continuation of these destabilizing and antidemocratic efforts.

I spoke with Andrea Hsu for @NPR, reflecting on this year's disruption to our government. Read the article for more from me and read three personal stories from former federal employees. npr.org/2025/12/18/nx-…

For years, President Trump vowed to "drain the swamp," insisting that his administration is saving the country from waste, fraud and abuse. I could not disagree more. They are burning the whole house down.

@publicservice We need to think and act boldly. My full statement here. ourpublicservice.org/press-release/…

@publicservice Small tweaks will not be enough to address the challenges, both longstanding and emerging, that make our government less effective and responsive than it should be.

Today, @publicservice launched Government for a New Era, a reform initiative to make government more effective, responsive and accountable to the American people. neweragov.org

Failing to keep the government open and operational is an egregious disregard of taxpayer resources and has unnecessarily eroded the functioning of critical public services. Read my full statement here. ourpublicservice.org/press-release/…

While I’m relieved to see an end to this wasteful government shutdown, this crisis should have never happened in the first place.

We launched the Public Service Viewpoint Survey because we know our government’s most important asset is its people, and it is critical that federal workers have an opportunity to share their views about their organizations and leaders. Learn more here. ourpublicservice.org/public-service…

For more than 20 years, workforce data generated through the FEVS has helped leaders across government—regardless of administration—identify problems, track progress, and deliver better results for the American taxpayer. ourpublicservice.org/press-release/…

Are you a current federal employee? In the absence of the 2025 FEVS, we created the Public Viewpoint Survey to assess today's federal employee view on their jobs and workplaces. Have your voice heard. Complete the survey today. ➡️ourpublicservice.org/PSVS

It should be unacceptable in the greatest country on earth that our elected leaders can’t meet their most basic responsibility of keeping our government open and working for the public. My full statement here. ourpublicservice.org/press-release/…

This is now the longest shutdown in history, and our nation will be experiencing long-term damages for years to come, in addition to the real and frightening immediate harms.

One by one, Trump has undercut and weakened each in pursuit of unrestrained power. The weakening of these guardrails is the weakening of our democracy. Read more in my piece for The Contrarian. contrarian.substack.com/p/the-guardrai…

The Office of Special Counsel, agency inspectors general, judge advocates general and the Merit Systems Protection Board might not be household names, but the backbone of our democratic system runs through them.

Our recent research finds that nearly half of Americans are already noticing the shutdown’s impact. Leaders in Congress have an obligation to come back into session and end this crisis by reopening the government before these harms multiply further for the public. ourpublicservice.org/press-release/…

Career federal employees, both military and civilian, should not bear the brunt of this dereliction of duty. The Shutdown Fairness Act partially remedies the financial harms for some federal workers but ought to apply to all public servants.

For the past 22 days, federal workers and their families have faced financial uncertainty and hardship because our elected officials have failed in their most basic responsibility of passing appropriations on time to keep our government running. ourpublicservice.org/press-release/…