Moving away from his promise, Trump lets “revolving door” restrictions lapse

As a presidential candidate, Donald Trump promised that during his second term he would ban federal workers from taking jobs at companies they regulated. 

"I will work to ban federal bureaucrats from taking jobs at the companies they deal with and that they regulate," Trump said in a March 2023 video.

But he has not followed up on that promise and has even taken some steps away from it.

Federal law already includes some "revolving door" restrictions for former federal employees. For example, if they want to go into lobbying, they are prevented from representing topics related to their former position for a period of time determined by their government seniority and their degree of involvement with a topic.

During his first term, Trump imposed restrictions on former executive branch employees, including a five-year ban on all lobbying after leaving government employment. This was terminated as he left the White House in 2021. 

Trump's successor, President Joe Biden, instituted an ethics pledge that banned appointees from participating in matters related to their former work for two years after leaving office. 

Trump signed an executive order revoking Biden's pledge, but he has not enacted an updated pledge.

"This administration has really not treated these ethics restrictions seriously," said Max Stier, the chief executive officer of Partnership for Public Service, a nonprofit focused on improving democracy in government.

Meanwhile, the Campaign Legal Center, a group that tracks campaign finance and lobbying, published a list of 21 people who worked as lobbyists in the past who are now working in senior positions in federal agencies that oversee issues relevant to at least one of their former clients.

When contacted for comment, the White House provided no information on whether the administration would issue new or stricter barriers on what jobs former federal employees can hold.

There is still time for Trump to issue an order during his second term that bans former federal employees from taking jobs at companies they regulated. But he hasn't done that, and he's also allowed Biden's rules to expire without replacing them. We rate this Stalled.