Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Will Royce
Attrition in the Early Months of the Trump Administration | Revolving Door Project
According to data released in July by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), March 2025 was, by a large margin, the single worst month for federal hiring since at least October 2004. In the last 20 years, you can count on one hand the number of months where federal agencies hired fewer than 10,000 people, and March 2025 stands out starkly among them: October 2013: 9,958 March 2017: 9,397 February 2025: 9,841 March 2025: 4,929 The effect on many agencies has been striking.
Don’t Put a Social Security Hater in Charge of Our Economic Data | Common Dreams
On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump nominated EJ Antoni, the chief economist at the Heritage Foundation, to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics, or BLS. The nomination came 10 days after Trump fired Erika McEntarfer, baselessly accusing her of having “rigged” the July jobs report, which showed a slowing labor market and contained large downward revisions to payroll employment for the previous two months.
Corruption Calendar Week 26: Media Merger Madness | Revolving Door Project
This newsletter was originally published on our Substack. Read and subscribe here. Welcome to week twenty-six of the Revolving Door Project’s Corruption Calendar, where we highlight examples of corporate corruption shaping the Trump administration’s agenda and their material impact on everyday people. Sometimes we’re asked if we ever fear that there will not be enough corruption from the Trump administration for us to continue putting this newsletter out weekly. Unfortunately, no, that’s not a fear.
Corruption Calendar Week 21: Trump Cuts the Corruption Cops | Revolving Door Project
This newsletter was originally published on our Substack. Read and subscribe here. Welcome to week twenty-one of the Revolving Door Project’s Corruption Calendar, where we highlight examples of corporate corruption shaping the Trump administration’s agenda and their material impact on everyday people. Read our first twenty issues here and follow us on Bluesky and X for updates.
Elon Musk’s Fake Retreat From DOGE | Revolving Door Project
This article was originally published by The American Prospect. In the past month, much has been made of Elon Musk purporting to step back from his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to focus on running his flailing companies, particularly Tesla, which saw a stunning 71 percent year-on-year drop in profits in the first quarter of 2025. Musk announced on the April Tesla earnings call that his “time allocation to DOGE [would] drop significantly” in May.
Elon Musk’s Fake Retreat From DOGE
The Revolving Door Project, a Prospect partner, scrutinizes the executive branch and presidential power. Follow them at therevolvingdoorproject.org. In the past month, much has been made of Elon Musk purporting to step back from his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to focus on running his flailing companies, particularly Tesla, which saw a stunning 71 percent year-on-year drop in profits in the first quarter of 2025.
Ten Sneaky Sleeper Provisions in Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill
No Tax on Tips: A Flashy Idea That Benefits Few Restaurant workers and advocates say the proposal won’t be enough to offset Medicaid cuts. BY WHITNEY CURRY WIMBISH & EMMA JANSSEN Elon Musk’s Fake Retreat From DOGE Despite the billionaire nominally stepping back, his loyalists remain in control of the group. BY WILL ROYCE Ten Sneaky Sleeper Provisions in Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill Yet more horrors are hidden in the fine print.
Public Records Wreckers
The Revolving Door Project, a Prospect partner, scrutinizes the executive branch and presidential power. Follow them at therevolvingdoorproject.org. Ten months ago, Roman Jankowski sent dozens of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), among other agencies.
Corruption Calendar Week 10: Bad Signals All Around | Revolving Door Project
This newsletter was originally published on our Substack. Read and subscribe here. Welcome to Week Ten of the Revolving Door Project’s Corruption Calendar, where we highlight examples of corporate corruption shaping the Trump administration’s agenda and their material impact on everyday people. Read our first nine issues here and follow us on Bluesky and X for #CorruptionCalendar updates.
DOGE Is Going to Kill a Lot of Americans | Revolving Door Project
This article was originally published by The American Prospect. The humanitarian aid cuts illegally imposed by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency have been devastating across the globe. The Prospect’s Ryan Cooper has described how DOGE’s withdrawal of funding for nutritional support, tuberculosis treatment, malaria prevention, and PEPFAR—the HIV prevention program that was perhaps the only good thing George W.
Trump Officials Are Openly Defying Judges’ Orders | Revolving Door Project
“Defend the Rule of Law” by Geoff Livingston is licensed under the Attribution 2.0 Generic license. “We’re not stopping. I don’t care what the judges think.” These were the words of Trump’s Border Czar Tom Homan after the Trump administration violated multiple court orders and deported people without due process. Are we in a constitutional crisis yet?
Release: Trump’s Attempt To Fire Democratic FTC Commissioners Makes Americans Easy Targets For Corporate Abuse | Revolving Door Project
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: Andrea Beaty, [email protected] In response to President Trump’s decision to attempt to fire the Federal Trade Commission’s Alvaro Bedoya and Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, Revolving Door Project Founder and Executive Director Jeff Hauser issued the following statement: “On the surface, this constitutional crime is about law and process and other abstract topics people often tune out – but underneath, it is motivated by good old-fashioned greed that will hurt every...
What the People Suing the Trump Administration Are Saying About the Continuing Resolution | Revolving Door Project
Senator Minority Leader Schumer’s stance on whether or not to accede to the continuing resolution depends in part on specific legal claims. We look at whether those claims ought to be accepted at face value or not.
Under-Staffing Spotlight: Social Security Administration
By the end of Fiscal Year 2022, the staffing at the SSA had hit a “25-year low.” Among its vital work, the agency distributes benefits to over 73 million people, and further cuts to its staffing numbers would result in longer wait times for beneficiaries, worse customer service, and ultimately, fewer people receiving benefits. In their FY 2024 Performance , the agency listed managing “human capital” as one of their most important challenges.
Revolving Door Project: New Laws Implicitly Sanction Trump and Musk’s Violation of Existing Laws | Revolving Door Project
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Jeff Hauser, [email protected] With Congress moving to vote on a government spending bill despite the Trump administration’s ongoing and explicit refusal to honor existing appropriations levels, Revolving Door Project Executive Director Jeff Hauser issued the following statement: “Negotiating an unsatisfactory continuing resolution in order to maintain the status quo might make sense in ordinary times, but these are far from ordinary times.
DOGE & Co Set Their Sights on Americans With Disabilities | Revolving Door Project
In January, the Social Security Administration (SSA) distributed cash benefits to over 73 million people. The bulk of these benefits were “Old-Age and Survivors Insurance” benefits, which go to retirees and their families—what we normally associate with the phrase “Social Security.” Another 8.3 million people receive Social Security Disability Insurance, which provides income support to people below retirement age who can no longer work due to a work-limiting disability.
Trump Administration Non-Adherence to Court Orders | Revolving Door Project
Last updated: February 12, 2025 On January 27, the Trump administration issued a memo ordering a freeze of federal grants and loans, which crippled critical services across the country. Judge Loren L. AliKhan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and Judge John McConnell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island have since blocked the spending pause from going into effect, but there are still numerous examples of shuttered programs and services.
Trump’s Energy Czar Is All In on AI | Revolving Door Project
This piece was originally published in The American Prospect. Read it on the original site. When Donald Trump nominated North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum to be his interior secretary, centrist to right-of-center “abundance agenda” advocates were jubilant.
Revolving Door Project | DOGE Agency Hit List | Revolving Door Project
Last updated: February 26, 2025 While members of Congress try to obtain an official list of personnel working for the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the media has been keeping tabs on Musk and his team as they sweep through the federal government. Along with our list of individuals reportedly affiliated with DOGE, we’ve compiled a list of the agencies reportedly visited by DOGE in the first weeks of the Trump administration. We will be updating this list as more reporting comes out.
Corruption Calendar Week Three: Musk’s Engineers Take Over | Revolving Door Project
This newsletter was originally published on our Substack. Read and subscribe here. Welcome to Week Three of the Revolving Door Project’s Corruption Calendar, where we highlight examples of corporate corruption shaping the Trump administration’s agenda and their material impact on everyday people. And what a Week Three it has been. The Trump administration’s pace will likely not relent and neither will ours as we continue to chronicle the Trump favor machine.
Week Three: Musk’s Engineers Take Over
Welcome to Week Three of the Revolving Door Project’s Corruption Calendar, where we highlight examples of corporate corruption shaping the Trump administration’s agenda and their material impact on everyday people. And what a Week Three it has been. The Trump administration’s pace will likely not relent and neither will ours as we continue to chronicle the Trump favor machine.
Corruption Calendar Week Two: Trump Moves To Gut Exec Branch And Make Way For Loyalists | Revolving Door Project
This newsletter was originally published on our Substack. Read and subscribe here. Welcome to Week Two of the Revolving Door Project’s Corruption Calendar, where we highlight examples of corporate corruption shaping the Trump administration’s agenda and their material impact on everyday people. Read our inaugural issue here and follow us on Bluesky and X for #CorruptionCalendar updates.
Release: No Corporate Cabinet Documents Revolving Door Corruption | Revolving Door Project
January 27, 2025 Washington, DC — On Monday, a coalition of watchdog groups launched No Corporate Cabinet, a central hub documenting corporate corruption and conflicts of interest among those jockeying for power in the Trump administration. Despite campaign promises to drain the swamp, these hedge fund founders, bank executives and fossil fuel CEOs would use their power to serve billionaires and corporations, not everyday Americans.
Where Is the Democratic Opposition? | Revolving Door Project
This newsletter was originally published on our Substack. Read and subscribe here. Just over a week into his second stint in the White House, President Donald Trump has succeeded in quickly unleashing chaos throughout the United States and beyond. Meanwhile, congressional Democrats have largely been MIA as Trump signs a flurry of harmful executive orders and his unfit Cabinet nominees sail through their confirmation hearings, often with bipartisan support.
Agency Spotlight Update January 2025 | Revolving Door Project
Democratic sluggishness in the Senate this fall left dozens of crucial nominees to the independent agencies floundering, and led to at least twenty outstanding nominations (or renominations) ultimately being returned, unconfirmed, to former President Biden this January.
Impoundment: An Illegal Power Grab That Will Harm People | Revolving Door Project
On Monday, the Trump administration illegally ordered a “pause” in all federal grant and loan programs, cutting people off from critical programs in order to grab power for Trump himself. The full scope of the directive was unclear, as the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued contradictory guidance and appeared to roll back parts of the order that generated backlash.
RELEASE: Justice Gorsuch’s Recusal Shows Other Justices Have Missed Recusals | Revolving Door Project
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: On Wednesday, Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch recused himself from Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County, Colorado. While he did not disclose a reason for recusal, the decision followed revelations from Accountable.US that Gorsuch’s billionaire benefactor, Philip Anschutz, stood to benefit from the case. Importantly, one of Anschutz’s companies filed an amicus brief outlining its interests in the case.
Elon Musk’s Stealth War Against the Poor
Last week, Elon Musk’s America PAC tweeted a semi-comprehensive list of what the social media mogul held to be wasteful federal spending in 2023. Sadly, it illuminated only one thing, which is that Musk fundamentally misunderstands the federal government. Nearly all of the approximately $900 billion total was caught up in two line items. A significant chunk was $659 billion in interest payments on the national debt, the nonpayment of which would generate an epic international financial crisis.
Memo: Remembering Bush v. Gore | Revolving Door Project
TO: Interested Parties FROM: Court Accountability, Revolving Door Project, Take Back the Court, & True North Research DATE: October 31, 2024 RE: Remembering Bush v. Gore ___ Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court made clear its willingness to intervene in the 2024 election, with a majority of the justices allowing a purge of Virginia voters asserted by the state to be non-citizens — despite the fact that many are citizens who have been misidentified by the state.
Corporate Crackdown Successes: The CFPB’s Revival of Robust Consumer Protection | Revolving Door Project
Under Director Rohit Chopra, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has facilitated a resurgence in consumer relief won through enforcement actions relative to the Trump years, which were marked by lax enforcement (see the chart below from the CFPB). This increase in relief came amidst industry-driven challenges to the agency’s constitutionality.
RELEASE: We Can (And Should) Reasonably Question The Impartiality Of Clarence Thomas And Samuel Alito In Election-Related Cases | Revolving Door Project
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Today, the Supreme Court allowed a purge of Virginia voters identified as non-citizens to go through, even though many who will be removed from the voter rolls are known to be citizens. This sort of purge is explicitly barred by the National Voter Registration Act, but the Court’s right-wing justices nonetheless allowed it to continue—raising questions about their motives.
Memo: Is SCOTUS Avoiding Politically Sensitive Issues Before November? | Revolving Door Project
In a new memo from the Court Accountability, Revolving Door Project, Take Back the Court, & True North Research, we ask whether the Supreme Court is avoiding putting politically sensitive cases on its docket before the November election.
A Texas Pipeline Giant Is Backing a Regulatory Disaster
A massive pipeline fire broke out last week outside of Houston, generating billowing black clouds of smoke that hovered over the industrialized suburb of Deer Park for multiple days. That fire began after an SUV hit a 20-inch-wide natural gas pipeline owned by Energy Transfer. The resulting explosion and fire killed the SUV driver, forced evacuations, and left hundreds of homes without power for nearly two days during a week of near-constant 90-degree heat.
Memo: 4 Themes We’re Watching For At the Supreme Court | Revolving Door Project
The Supreme Court’s October 2024 term is getting into full swing, with the justices holding their long conference on September 30th, followed by oral arguments on October 7th.
Tom Wheeler’s False Promise: How a Leading Telecom Lobbyist Became FCC Chair | Revolving Door Project
We recently updated our deep dive into the revolving door at the Federal Communications Commission with even more concerning instances of past commissioners with deep ties to the industries the agency is supposed to be regulating. Among a long list of conflicts of interest however, there’s still a standout: Tom Wheeler, who served as FCC Chairman from 2013 to 2017.
The Next Administration Can Stop the Government’s Endless Ethics Scandals
The Revolving Door Project, a Prospect partner, scrutinizes the executive branch and presidential power. Follow them at therevolvingdoorproject.org. In August, a federal judge overruled a jury to throw out a $72 million verdict against Boeing for allegedly stealing trade secrets from a smaller competitor. He revealed shortly after that he had traded potentially up to $15,000 worth of Boeing stock while overseeing the trial last year, which he did not disclose.
The SCOTUS Shadow Docket is (Almost) All EPA Cases. That’s Concerning. | Revolving Door Project
This newsletter was originally published on our Substack. Read and subscribe here. Since the appointment of three Trump-nominated judges to the Supreme Court, the American public has endured a string of devastating SCOTUS decisions affecting everything from reproductive justice to voting and immigration rights to queer and trans rights. Environmental protections have also been under attack, from West Virginia vs. EPA (limiting federal agencies’ ability to restrict carbon emissions) to Sackett vs.
The Other Group Praised By Ginni Thomas | Revolving Door Project
Virginia Lamp (“Ginni”) Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, was back in the news recently, when ProPublica reported she secretly praised the right-wing First Liberty Institute, which has been working against Supreme Court reform. But First Liberty isn’t the only right-wing group that Ginni Thomas has praised. The website of the conservative Americans for Limited Government (ALG) prominently features Ginni’s ringing endorsement of the group and its president Rick Manning.
Harris Takes A Page from Our Corporate Crackdown Playbook; PFAs are in the Water, Soil & News Cycle | Revolving Door Project
This week’s newsletter looks at two examples of corporate greed and attempts at accountability: presidential candidate Kamala Harris’ headline-grabbing plan to address corporate price gouging and state and federal regulators’ efforts to address corporate polluters pumping the environment full of toxic forever chemicals. Across the news cycle such efforts are gaining traction (and drawing pushback from bad actors, from the corporate media to the DOD).
RELEASE: The Gas Export Industry Is Pouring Millions Into Shaping The Narrative | Revolving Door Project
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Hannah Story Brown, [email protected] Gas industry influence groups Natural Allies for a Clean Energy Future and the Partnership to Address Global Emissions (PAGE Coalition) are reportedly hosting an event on Capitol Hill on Tuesday with Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA).
RELEASE: Elon Musk’s War On Workers Is Being Aided By The Courts | Revolving Door Project
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Will Royce, [email protected] Judge Alan D. Albright of the Western District of Texas sided with Elon Musk’s SpaceX on Tuesday, issuing a preliminary injunction preventing the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) from pursuing an unfair labor practice charge against the company. The ruling finds that the structure of the NLRB is unconstitutional. The decision followed the reasoning of the far-right Fifth Circuit’s ruling in SEC v. Jarkesy.
Texas Judge Hands Elon Musk A Big Win, Workers A Big Loss | Revolving Door Project
On Tuesday, Judge Alan D. Albright of the Western District of Texas sided with Elon Musk’s SpaceX and ruled that the structure of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is unconstitutional. Specifically, the Judge ruled against the removal protections enjoyed by administrative law judges (ALJs) and the board’s members.
Mark Kelly’s Less Than Stellar Record On Labor | Revolving Door Project
Joe Biden has prided himself on being “the most pro-union President leading the most pro-union administration in American history.” While his leadership of the executive branch reflected that commitment, legislatively Biden ran into immovable roadblocks in Congress. Take, for example, his flagship labor legislation.
Revolving Door Project | A Window Opens | Revolving Door Project
This article originally appeared on The Revolving Door Project’s Substack. To read it on the original site and subscribe for our weekly newsletters click here. The past 48 hours have ushered in a historic shift in a presidential race with undeniable consequence for the world. The Democrats suddenly appear as if they will have a nominee capable of waging a vigorous campaign. Not a moment too late, as they now face a ticket which includes a self-proclaimed economic populist, JD Vance.
The Justice Department’s Next Climate Test | Revolving Door Project
This article was originally published in The American Prospect. Read it on the original site. President Biden’s Justice Department has been offered two opportunities to act on holding oil and gas companies responsible for their deceit. It can protect state efforts to pursue accountability, and it can join them.
Former Trump Officials Wrote 25 of the 30 Chapters in the Project 2025 Playbook | Revolving Door Project
Former President Trump has recently sought to distance himself from Project 2025 and its radical proposals, claiming that he knows “nothing about” it, has “no idea who is behind it,” and has “nothing to do with them.” Project 2025 has tried to create some distance as well, maintaining in a recent tweet that it is “not affiliated with former President Trump.” It’s a classic example of drawing a distinction without a difference.
Graft And Scams Rule The Republican Party. Let Them Have It. | Revolving Door Project
This article originally appeared on The Revolving Door Project’s Substack. To read it on the original site and subscribe for our weekly newsletters click here. The Biden Campaign has slogged through a historically rough couple of weeks. Many party leaders have publicly called on Biden to leave the ticket, rumors abound about who is asking Biden to step aside behind closed doors, and he has struggled to put together a public performance that could silence his critics.
On Debate Night, Highlight How These Presidents Ran the Executive Branch | Revolving Door Project
Read this article on the original site. Today marks an important milestone in the longest presidential race in United States history: the long-awaited (or perhaps dreaded) debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. For most casual followers of politics, tonight’s debate will likely serve as their first meaningful engagement with the candidates’ policies and platforms.
Revolving Door Project | Coalition of Over 30 Leading Consumer Advocacy and Environmental Organizations Urges U.S. Regulators To Address Threats Of Climate Change to the Financial System | Revolving Door Project
Revolving Door Project joined a coalition of over 30 organizations urging the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to address the growing threats posed by climate change to banks and the broader financial system. Read the letter addressed to addressed to Chair Jerome Powell, Acting Comptroller Michael Hsu, and Chair Martin Gruenberg below.
The Supreme Court’s Billionaire Buddies Just Made Your Life Worse | Revolving Door Project
This article originally appeared in Common Dreams. Last month, the Supreme Court broke with four decades of precedent and overturned Chevron deference, a cornerstone of administrative law that has been cited by federal courts over 18,000 times. The 6-3 ruling, handed down on party lines in the cases Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo and Relentless Inc. v.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Will
Contact Will, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack