Kenny Lowande
@lowande.bsky.social
Pinned
Kenny Lowande
@lowande.bsky.social
· Jul 7
Police Map - EPRG
Interactive map showing Department of Defense equipment on loan to local law enforcement
police.executivepolicy.org
The DOD has billions in military hardware circulating among state and local police. Pleased to announce a tool developed to visualize and track this equipment, along with clean, historical data on all controlled items circulated between 2014-2025.
police.executivepolicy.org
police.executivepolicy.org
This policy change might also might lead Congress to, at last, defeat Taco Bell in the contest for who has a lower annual staff turnover rate.
I have long argued that the single best thing you could do to improve the functioning of the US government is double the salaries of everyone working on Capitol Hill. Serving Congress shouldn’t involve poverty wages in DC. You could attract a much wider set of perspectives netting a better result.
people hate hearing this but it's 100% true, creating a huge pay gap between political leaders, their staffs, and other elites is a recipe for corruption. of course the flip side of that is taxes on the rich should be jacked way the hell up
November 7, 2025 at 5:29 PM
This policy change might also might lead Congress to, at last, defeat Taco Bell in the contest for who has a lower annual staff turnover rate.
This isn't just a Trump thing. The presidency has been moving in this direction for decades. This is just the logical conclusion.
October 3, 2025 at 11:33 AM
This isn't just a Trump thing. The presidency has been moving in this direction for decades. This is just the logical conclusion.
i see your bat signal and respond by throwing a book
September 30, 2025 at 2:35 PM
i see your bat signal and respond by throwing a book
The Trump admin owns the public narrative by taking executive action, over and over. Our new study shows this strategy has detectable impacts on Google search traffic for the incumbent president. Ballpark est. similar to pop artists when they release a new album.
August 4, 2025 at 2:03 PM
The Trump admin owns the public narrative by taking executive action, over and over. Our new study shows this strategy has detectable impacts on Google search traffic for the incumbent president. Ballpark est. similar to pop artists when they release a new album.
NEW STUDY: White House staff hiring over 1996-2024 shows the diploma divide is in the White House. Elite universities sent far more alumni to work for Democratic presidents. Full paper: myumi.ch/pVMM5
Details:
First --> Overall, Democratic presidents tend to value more credentials...
1/6
Details:
First --> Overall, Democratic presidents tend to value more credentials...
1/6
July 23, 2025 at 2:38 PM
NEW STUDY: White House staff hiring over 1996-2024 shows the diploma divide is in the White House. Elite universities sent far more alumni to work for Democratic presidents. Full paper: myumi.ch/pVMM5
Details:
First --> Overall, Democratic presidents tend to value more credentials...
1/6
Details:
First --> Overall, Democratic presidents tend to value more credentials...
1/6
The DOD has billions in military hardware circulating among state and local police. Pleased to announce a tool developed to visualize and track this equipment, along with clean, historical data on all controlled items circulated between 2014-2025.
police.executivepolicy.org
police.executivepolicy.org
Police Map - EPRG
Interactive map showing Department of Defense equipment on loan to local law enforcement
police.executivepolicy.org
July 7, 2025 at 5:20 PM
The DOD has billions in military hardware circulating among state and local police. Pleased to announce a tool developed to visualize and track this equipment, along with clean, historical data on all controlled items circulated between 2014-2025.
police.executivepolicy.org
police.executivepolicy.org
Counterpoint: there's never been more data available about what the government actually does. Most political scientists just have a soft spot for what happens between peoples' ears.
I’m as guilty as anyone, but it’s sad that we study voters and behavior because that’s where the data is. I want to be bold and study the real small N causes of policy, like Thiel or Musk or smartphones or the libs who boosted JD Vance to stardom
July 1, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Counterpoint: there's never been more data available about what the government actually does. Most political scientists just have a soft spot for what happens between peoples' ears.
My book won the 2025 Neustadt award for best book on the American presidency.
Presidents enact bad policies, on purpose, because it helps them define their brand & gives the impression they're in charge. If that basic message resonates, please give it some of your reading time: lnkd.in/dVPsriXt
Presidents enact bad policies, on purpose, because it helps them define their brand & gives the impression they're in charge. If that basic message resonates, please give it some of your reading time: lnkd.in/dVPsriXt
May 20, 2025 at 7:22 PM
My book won the 2025 Neustadt award for best book on the American presidency.
Presidents enact bad policies, on purpose, because it helps them define their brand & gives the impression they're in charge. If that basic message resonates, please give it some of your reading time: lnkd.in/dVPsriXt
Presidents enact bad policies, on purpose, because it helps them define their brand & gives the impression they're in charge. If that basic message resonates, please give it some of your reading time: lnkd.in/dVPsriXt
When someone tells you a unitary executive will lead to more "energy" (a la Hamilton) remember that the President is a decision-making bottleneck. It's not complicated. The more things you put on his plate, the slower government moves.
I don’t think we’re getting those “90 deals in 90 days.” 😔
May 16, 2025 at 1:08 PM
When someone tells you a unitary executive will lead to more "energy" (a la Hamilton) remember that the President is a decision-making bottleneck. It's not complicated. The more things you put on his plate, the slower government moves.
May 2, 2025 at 1:46 PM
Why 100 days? Because humans like this number.
How many policies were pushed out the door before they should have so the administration could pad its stats?
More than any American should be comfortable with.
How many policies were pushed out the door before they should have so the administration could pad its stats?
More than any American should be comfortable with.
April 22, 2025 at 11:39 AM
Why 100 days? Because humans like this number.
How many policies were pushed out the door before they should have so the administration could pad its stats?
More than any American should be comfortable with.
How many policies were pushed out the door before they should have so the administration could pad its stats?
More than any American should be comfortable with.
The irony is that Congress started delegating this power a century ago because taking it out of their hands helped REDUCE uncertainty about economic winners and losers after elections.
NEW. @jasonfurman.bsky.social on Trump's tariffs.
"I don’t see how the president can get rid of what is now a massive amount of uncertainty...The only way to put that genie back in the bottle would be for Congress to take tariff-setting power back to itself."
youtu.be/b6HAqPdgixE?...
"I don’t see how the president can get rid of what is now a massive amount of uncertainty...The only way to put that genie back in the bottle would be for Congress to take tariff-setting power back to itself."
youtu.be/b6HAqPdgixE?...
Jason Furman on the Trump Tariffs and the US Economy
YouTube video by Conversations with Bill Kristol
youtu.be
April 9, 2025 at 2:21 PM
The irony is that Congress started delegating this power a century ago because taking it out of their hands helped REDUCE uncertainty about economic winners and losers after elections.
Journalists always frame stories about executive action with words that assign more credit to the Pres, relative to Congress.
Executive action is a PR win, even when it's bad policy.
(Dark bars: news with exec. action. Light: everything else about the pres, frm Ch 6 of my book: shorturl.at/eilg2)
Executive action is a PR win, even when it's bad policy.
(Dark bars: news with exec. action. Light: everything else about the pres, frm Ch 6 of my book: shorturl.at/eilg2)
April 2, 2025 at 3:44 PM
Journalists always frame stories about executive action with words that assign more credit to the Pres, relative to Congress.
Executive action is a PR win, even when it's bad policy.
(Dark bars: news with exec. action. Light: everything else about the pres, frm Ch 6 of my book: shorturl.at/eilg2)
Executive action is a PR win, even when it's bad policy.
(Dark bars: news with exec. action. Light: everything else about the pres, frm Ch 6 of my book: shorturl.at/eilg2)
As someone educated outside the elite doctoral programs, EITM was huge for me.
If you want to be good enough at finding stuff out (i.e., "research") to be paid to do it, there's no substitute for being around the best of the best and trying to learn from them.
If you want to be good enough at finding stuff out (i.e., "research") to be paid to do it, there's no substitute for being around the best of the best and trying to learn from them.
Applications for the 2025 EITM Summer Institute are now open! Program dates: Aug 4-15. Program location: University of Michigan. Deadline: April 15. eitminstitute.org/institute/20...
2025 – Empirical Implications of Theoretical Models (EITM) Institute
eitminstitute.org
April 1, 2025 at 7:33 PM
As someone educated outside the elite doctoral programs, EITM was huge for me.
If you want to be good enough at finding stuff out (i.e., "research") to be paid to do it, there's no substitute for being around the best of the best and trying to learn from them.
If you want to be good enough at finding stuff out (i.e., "research") to be paid to do it, there's no substitute for being around the best of the best and trying to learn from them.
Again: The Trump admin is showing you they have capacity constraints -- they can only do this shake-down procedure piecemeal. If these institutions want this to stop, they'll refuse to negotiate and take them to court. Hold the line, create a bottleneck.
Breaking News: The Trump administration said it was reviewing billions in federal grants to Harvard, accusing the school of allowing antisemitism to run unchecked on its campus.
Trump Administration Will Review Billions in Funding for Harvard
The administration has already canceled hundreds of millions in federal grants and contracts at Columbia and the University of Pennsylvania.
www.nytimes.com
March 31, 2025 at 10:58 PM
Again: The Trump admin is showing you they have capacity constraints -- they can only do this shake-down procedure piecemeal. If these institutions want this to stop, they'll refuse to negotiate and take them to court. Hold the line, create a bottleneck.
Someone get me a formal theorist stat, I need to know if inter-party bargains are possible when there's no credible commitment for any deal.
Politico: "Trump and White House officials have been telling GOP holdouts who want more spending cuts that the administration will pursue impoundment...according to two Republicans who were in a recent meeting with the president." www.politico.com/newsletters/...
March 11, 2025 at 2:32 PM
Someone get me a formal theorist stat, I need to know if inter-party bargains are possible when there's no credible commitment for any deal.
Going to the bargaining table guarantees this will continue. But if the goal is to stop executive action, they'd ignore the "review" period and take the gov to court. The President needs to know that if he uses this tactic, that's all his legal counsel will be doing for months. Every time.
This "immediate cancellation" violates the law. If the Admin thinks Columbia has violated Title VI by being deliberately indifferent to antisemitic harassment, it has to give Columbia a chance for a hearing first, make findings on the record, & wait 30 days.
www.nytimes.com/live/2025/03...
www.nytimes.com/live/2025/03...
The Trump administration cancels $400 million in grants and contracts to Columbia University.
www.nytimes.com
March 7, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Going to the bargaining table guarantees this will continue. But if the goal is to stop executive action, they'd ignore the "review" period and take the gov to court. The President needs to know that if he uses this tactic, that's all his legal counsel will be doing for months. Every time.
Reposted by Kenny Lowande
This opinion is a good introduction to the debate in the Appointments Clause. I have one gripe, which is just shameless self-promotion. The gripe is about whether unitary executive theory is "efficient." The efficiency argument ignores administrative capacity. 1/
Judge Howell rejects Trump's attempt to remove NLRB Commissioner Wilcox and rejects Trump's extreme version of the unitary executive theory.
Spot-on citations to the real history by @jdmortenson.bsky.social @kexelchabot.bsky.social, among others - Awesome!
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Spot-on citations to the real history by @jdmortenson.bsky.social @kexelchabot.bsky.social, among others - Awesome!
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
storage.courtlistener.com
March 7, 2025 at 8:39 AM
This opinion is a good introduction to the debate in the Appointments Clause. I have one gripe, which is just shameless self-promotion. The gripe is about whether unitary executive theory is "efficient." The efficiency argument ignores administrative capacity. 1/
Grateful to have had the opportunity to talk about presidential power at the annual Teach In at OU's Institute for the American Constitutional Heritage.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAd6...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAd6...
Teach-In | University of Oklahoma
YouTube video by University of Oklahoma
www.youtube.com
March 4, 2025 at 9:11 PM
Grateful to have had the opportunity to talk about presidential power at the annual Teach In at OU's Institute for the American Constitutional Heritage.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAd6...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAd6...
Reposted by Kenny Lowande
Excited to join an amazing group at Oklahoma for tomorrow’s IACH Teach-In—“Presidential Power and the Constitution.” Incredible lineup: Bailey, Lowande, Albert, Katz, Rozelle, Thrower, and Rudalevidge.
The whole event will stream tomorrow.
www.ou.edu/iach/events/...
The whole event will stream tomorrow.
www.ou.edu/iach/events/...
Teach-In
The University of Oklahoma
www.ou.edu
February 27, 2025 at 8:35 PM
Excited to join an amazing group at Oklahoma for tomorrow’s IACH Teach-In—“Presidential Power and the Constitution.” Incredible lineup: Bailey, Lowande, Albert, Katz, Rozelle, Thrower, and Rudalevidge.
The whole event will stream tomorrow.
www.ou.edu/iach/events/...
The whole event will stream tomorrow.
www.ou.edu/iach/events/...
Reposted by Kenny Lowande
The controversial executive orders under Trump 2.0 are unique because political wins are their primary objective, and because they appear to be illegal by design, says Kenneth Lowande @umisrcps.bsky.social, an expert on executive power. Will they succeed? ➡️ myumi.ch/nyMm5 #PoliSky
What is unique about executive orders under the second Trump administration? And will they succeed? - Center for Political Studies (CPS) Blog
The EOs under the Trump administration are "unprecedented because they are illegal power grabs by design."
myumi.ch
February 18, 2025 at 9:44 PM
The controversial executive orders under Trump 2.0 are unique because political wins are their primary objective, and because they appear to be illegal by design, says Kenneth Lowande @umisrcps.bsky.social, an expert on executive power. Will they succeed? ➡️ myumi.ch/nyMm5 #PoliSky
Reposted by Kenny Lowande
@lowande.bsky.social discusses how executive orders work and what they can and can't do.
What is executive action? - Prof. Kenneth Lowande - UM Feb '25 Teach-In
YouTube video by Josh Pasek
www.youtube.com
February 21, 2025 at 11:12 PM
@lowande.bsky.social discusses how executive orders work and what they can and can't do.
Reposted by Kenny Lowande
Unilateral actions serve as window dressing more often than you might think--they allow presidents to make it *look* like they're addressing issues without *actually* doing so.
Interested in learning more? Check out @lowande.bsky.social's new book, False Front!
press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...
Interested in learning more? Check out @lowande.bsky.social's new book, False Front!
press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...
February 18, 2025 at 11:18 PM
Unilateral actions serve as window dressing more often than you might think--they allow presidents to make it *look* like they're addressing issues without *actually* doing so.
Interested in learning more? Check out @lowande.bsky.social's new book, False Front!
press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...
Interested in learning more? Check out @lowande.bsky.social's new book, False Front!
press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...
Its now probably obvious to everyone that the American presidency is the most important political institution in the world, but I almost never meet young scholars who say they want to study it.
February 4, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Its now probably obvious to everyone that the American presidency is the most important political institution in the world, but I almost never meet young scholars who say they want to study it.
Full interview: www.npr.org/podcasts/510...
February 3, 2025 at 5:36 PM
Full interview: www.npr.org/podcasts/510...