3 Takeaways™ Government by Deal: What Happens When Everything Becomes Negotiable? (#291)
Mar 3, 2026
Yuval Levin, director at AEI and founding editor of National Affairs, offers a concise take on how government shifts from rule-making to deal-making. He contrasts flashy executive moves with lasting congressional laws. He explores why presidents prefer negotiable deals, how institutions respond, and what it means for stability, leverage, and long-term governance.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Loud Action Is Not The Same As Lasting Change
- Presidential action can be loud without producing durable policy change.
- Yuval Levin contrasts frequent administrative moves with the far rarer legislative changes that create lasting national programs like the New Deal.
Retail Governing Replaces Wholesale Rulemaking
- This White House governs by individual interventions rather than sector-wide rules, a style Levin calls 'retail' governing.
- He gives examples: deals with pharma, energy companies, law firms, and universities instead of sweeping legislative rules.
Deals Are Tempting Because They Avoid Oversight
- Deal-making appeals to presidents because it is doable unilaterally and evades congressional oversight and judicial review.
- Levin links this to the president's self-image as a negotiator who prefers direct arrangements over lawmaking.