A Rare Sign of Life in Congress
Peter Zeihan
7 min
The Republican Party has effectively ceased to exist as an institution, but the withdrawal of E.J. Antoni's nomination shows Congress is finally considering acting independently. This event marks a very good day because Congress is finally considering doing its job as an independent branch of government.
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Donald Trump
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Tulsi Gabbard
Chapters
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0:00
The Collapse of the Republican Party
The speaker describes how the Republican Party has lost its institutional structure and policy expertise under the new administration, becoming merely a tool for personal service rather than a training ground for future leaders.
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1:29
Unqualified Cabinet Appointments
The speaker details the confirmation of several highly unqualified individuals to key cabinet positions, noting that these appointments would have been impossible under normal circumstances.
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4:04
The Crisis at the Bureau of Labor Statistics
The speaker explains that the nomination of E.J. Antoni, a social media personality with no data expertise, was withdrawn after Republican senators refused to support him. The speaker concludes that the withdrawal of Antoni's nomination signals a rare moment where Congress is finally considering acting as an independent branch of government.
Key points
- 0:00
The Republican Party no longer exists as an institution for training young leaders or generating policy experts.
- 1:29
The new administration confirmed cabinet members who are deplorably unqualified and lack relevant experience.
- 2:22
Centrist senators demanded assurances that new appointees are not actually nuts before confirming them.
- 2:22
The Bureau of Labor Statistics is considered by almost all major countries to have the best statistics in the world.
- 4:04
Donald Trump selected E.J. Antoni for the BLS despite his background as a social media star with no data expertise.
- 4:04
E.J. Antoni made it clear that if confirmed, he would rip up the entire system and start making up statistics.
- 4:04
The Heritage Foundation, once a solid conservative think tank, has now denigrated into a MAGA world focused on conspiracy theories.
- 4:04
Republican senators refused to meet with Antoni, leading the administration to withdraw his nomination.
- 6:25
At least half a dozen Republican senators have signaled they will no longer support the administration's unqualified picks.
- 7:06
This event marks a very good day because Congress is finally considering doing its job as an independent branch.
Who and where
People · 2
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Donald Trump 8
President of the United States (2017–2021; since 2025)
Photo 1
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Tulsi Gabbard 2
American politician (born 1981)
Photo 2
1. Photo: Daniel Torok, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons · Wikidata · redrawn in our house style (Donald Trump)
2. Photo: Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons · Wikidata · redrawn in our house style (Tulsi Gabbard)
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