FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Who Keeps Government Working? Democracy Forward’s Rob Shriver Explains Why Civil Service Matters
New York, NY — [3/10/2026] — At a time when the role of government workers is under intense national scrutiny, The Good Government Show features Rob Shriver, Managing Director of Civil Service Strong at Democracy Forward, in a timely conversation about the people behind the federal government and why their work matters to every American.
Shriver, a National Academy of Public Administration Fellow and former Acting Director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, joined host Dave Martin to discuss the growing challenges facing the federal workforce. With more than 2 million federal employees serving across the country, Shriver says the dedication of career civil servants often goes unnoticed — until something goes wrong.
“Federal workers care deeply about the trust that the American people put in them,” Shriver said. “They understand that they have a special obligation to taxpayers.”
According to Shriver, the federal workforce is currently undergoing one of its most dramatic changes in generations. More than 317,000 federal employees — roughly 14 percent of the workforce — have left government service in the past year, a shift that could significantly affect agencies’ ability to deliver services and maintain institutional knowledge. Democracy Forward’s Civil Service Strong initiative is working to defend a nonpartisan civil service while also proposing reforms to modernize how government hires, manages, and supports its workforce.
During the conversation, Shriver highlighted the importance of a merit-based civil service, a system dating back to the Pendleton Act of 1883, which replaced the old political “spoils system.” He warned that weakening this system risks replacing expertise with political loyalty — a shift that could affect everything from food safety inspections to disaster response and financial oversight.
Shriver and his colleagues at Democracy Forward are also leading a major initiative called “Democracy Works 250,” an effort to rethink how the federal government should function for the next generation. The project examines how agencies hire and train workers, how government teams are structured, and how new technologies like artificial intelligence will shape the future of public service.
“We need to connect the work that the federal government is doing to the American people and show them the results they get from it,” Shriver said. “If we’re going to rebuild trust in government, people need to understand how much of their daily lives depend on the work of civil servants.”
Shriver’s appearance on The Good Government Show highlights a central theme of the podcast: that effective government often depends on the quiet dedication of public servants working behind the scenes to keep critical systems running.
The full episode featuring Rob Shriver is available now at GoodGovernmentShow.com and on all major podcast platforms.
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About The Good Government Show
The Good Government Show is a national podcast highlighting leaders, programs, and ideas that demonstrate government working effectively for the people it serves.