October 17, 2023
Since June 2022, the America First Transition Project team, has been working to ensure that the next America First administration has the necessary knowledge, skills, and personnel to govern effectively on day one, and to quickly advance the president’s agenda on behalf of the American people. We know from experience that success will require an administration led by America First leaders who understand how the executive branch works. The work we do now will pay significant dividends later as we pave the way for more political appointees and officials to have a clear plan of action when they start on day one.
Through this initiative, America First Policy Institute (AFPI) brings together more experienced former senior administration leaders than any similar effort has ever seen. Our work is also broader and deeper in scope than previous transition efforts because we are crafting action-oriented plans for each federal department and agency. These action plans outline the management, personnel, policy, financial, and administrative strategies the leadership teams of these departments and agencies will need to gain control of their organizations and execute America First policies swiftly. We are also documenting universal best practices for administration officials across the federal government. And, we are coordinating with other conservative organizations to maximize the impact that our work will have.
The America First Transition Project is focusing on three key areas to prepare the next conservative administration to hit the ground running and succeed on day one.
PROCESS - Creating detailed action plans that clearly establish how to implement the President’s agenda faster and more effectively than any administration in history.
POLICY - Developing executive and legislative actions that align with the priorities of any incoming administration, ready to be executed quickly.
PERSONNEL - Ensuring a bigger, more qualified, better trained, and loyal team to take control away from the administrative state on day one.
Lessons Learned
We have conducted hundreds of in-depth interviews with former officials, identifying key management and personnel actions that will help a new administration successfully implement an America First agenda on day one.
Department Action plans
Over 30 different action plan teams are charging forward to develop detailed plans to gain full operational, management, policy, and financial control of every department and agency. The complete 2025 action plans will include information on key personnel, budget, and administrative actions, informed by the lessons learned by those who served in prior administrations and by those with other government and private sector experiences. Our action plan teams are led by former senior officials—Cabinet secretaries, deputy secretaries, chiefs of staff, general counsels, CFOs, policy leaders, and component heads. They have been in the trenches of government, know from experience how these federal departments work, and have direct knowledge of what any incoming leadership team will need to do to be successful on behalf of the American people.
KEY POLICY DEVELOPMENT – LEGISLATION & EXECUTIVE ACTIONS
To provide the next America First administration with the tools needed to command the policies of the federal government immediately, we have begun a robust executive actions project. We already have begun more than 50 draft executive orders to counter the radical progressive policies of the current administration, and another 100 are in development. We are also drafting strategic legislative packages and coordinating with key stakeholders.
PERSONNEL
Our team is conducting robust personnel planning, including identifying critical positions in every department that need to be filled on day one. We are focused on the “what,” “why,” and “when” of personnel planning. We are also developing a training program for individuals interested in serving as political appointees that a new administration could use to raise the baseline readiness of the next America First administration’s team members. Complementing that, we have begun the important work of identifying outside talent pipelines and networks that will to assist the imperative work of staffing an in supporting an incoming conservative administration.
2024 and Beyond
The America First Transition Project will finalize the work of the department and agency action plan teams and refine our cross-functional action plans. We will also advance the development of critical trainings for those interested in serving as a new administration could use to train its appointees in the executive branch and who have been vetted and identified through trusted channels. By taking these steps, we will stay ahead of the curve and continue to identify and further cultivate the best leaders and best practices for a new conservative administration, so that it can advance the America First Agenda quickly and once again empower the American people.