Episode 2: Gov Actually — The transition pep talk

People are nervous. Tensions are high. Morale is low.

It’s been eight years since the federal government has experienced a presidential transition, and many federal workers haven’t been through such a drastic change. Adding in the fact that President-elect Donald Trump campaigned on platforms of “draining the swamp” and that Washington is broken, many civil servants may be questioning whether they want to stay on for the new administration.

In this episode of the Gov Actually podcast, hosts Dan Tangherlini and Danny Werfel, who’ve both experienced presidential transitions firsthand, make the case that federal employees shouldn’t let their anxieties get the best of them.

Giving a pep talk of sorts, Werfel says in the podcast “I actually feel this is the exciting moment. This is what you signed up for when you’re a civil servant, which is this moment where things are going to shift underneath your feet in terms of the direction your agency is going, and above your head the politics are moving in very different directions. Yet you have to keep moving forward and serve the institution, and serve the mission, and continue on your path as a career civil servant.”

Tangherlini published a blog post about this in November in response to the many talented members of the U.S. Digital Service and 18F who were considering leaving government, putting the future of their young organizations in jeopardy. As he explains in this episode, he believes those civil servants should give the new administration a shot.

As always, let us know what you think of the podcast and what you might want to hear on future episodes.

And if you missed it, catch up on the first episode of Gov Actually.