"But I do know this: that the two and a half years that I've been at HUD, I am absolutely convinced that some of the best workers in the world are in Federal Government"
About this Quote
The line pushes back against an old American reflex to deride bureaucracy as slow, indifferent, or mediocre. Alphonso Jackson grounds his claim in direct experience: after two and a half years leading the Department of Housing and Urban Development, he says he has seen enough to be certain that federal employees rank among the best workers anywhere. The phrasing matters. I do know this and absolutely convinced signal testimony rather than ideology, an appeal to what he has watched up close rather than a partisan talking point.
HUD offers a revealing vantage point. Its mission spans fair housing enforcement, mortgage insurance, community development, and the complex partnerships that move money from Washington to local authorities and nonprofits. During Jacksons tenure, the department faced intense demands, including post-Katrina recovery and heightened scrutiny of program effectiveness. Much of that work falls to career civil servants: lawyers, economists, inspectors, field staff, and grant managers who implement rules with limited resources and under constant political pressure. Praising their competence and commitment challenges the popular narrative that private-sector talent is inherently superior.
The statement also functions as leadership. Public servants often encounter skepticism from the media and lawmakers, and morale can sag when accomplishments are invisible while failures are headline news. By publicly affirming their excellence, a cabinet secretary validates the expertise that anchors federal capacity beyond any single administration. It is a defense of institutional memory and procedural rigor, the quiet infrastructure that allows policy to translate into results.
At a time when the federal workforce faced calls for outsourcing and aggressive performance reforms, Jacksons words argue that reform should build on strengths rather than assume deficiency. They invite a recalibration of public expectations: if federal workers are among the best, then investing in their tools, training, and autonomy is not indulgence but a prerequisite for effective governance, especially in domains as intricate and consequential as housing and urban development.
HUD offers a revealing vantage point. Its mission spans fair housing enforcement, mortgage insurance, community development, and the complex partnerships that move money from Washington to local authorities and nonprofits. During Jacksons tenure, the department faced intense demands, including post-Katrina recovery and heightened scrutiny of program effectiveness. Much of that work falls to career civil servants: lawyers, economists, inspectors, field staff, and grant managers who implement rules with limited resources and under constant political pressure. Praising their competence and commitment challenges the popular narrative that private-sector talent is inherently superior.
The statement also functions as leadership. Public servants often encounter skepticism from the media and lawmakers, and morale can sag when accomplishments are invisible while failures are headline news. By publicly affirming their excellence, a cabinet secretary validates the expertise that anchors federal capacity beyond any single administration. It is a defense of institutional memory and procedural rigor, the quiet infrastructure that allows policy to translate into results.
At a time when the federal workforce faced calls for outsourcing and aggressive performance reforms, Jacksons words argue that reform should build on strengths rather than assume deficiency. They invite a recalibration of public expectations: if federal workers are among the best, then investing in their tools, training, and autonomy is not indulgence but a prerequisite for effective governance, especially in domains as intricate and consequential as housing and urban development.
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| Topic | Work |
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