Commentary

Senior Counsel

Jeff serves as Senior Counsel to PEER, where he specializes in civil service, scientific integrity, and whistleblower protection issues. Jeff was PEER’s Executive Director from 1997 to 2019 and its Pacific Director from 2019 to 2025. Previously, he was the Policy Director and a staff attorney at the Government Accountability Project, representing whistleblowers from both the public and private sectors. Before coming to DC, Jeff worked in California state government for 17 years, mostly in the State Legislature as counsel to various committees where he drafted hundreds of laws on topics ranging from energy conservation to the rights of employed inventors. Jeff served stints as a deputy district attorney and an appellate court clerk. He is a graduate of the California Correctional Officers Academy.

COMMENTARY | The Supreme Court Must Stop the Slide to Authoritarian Rule

by Peter Jenkins | October 7, 2025
The Supreme Court, whose 2025-2026 Term began on October 6, has set the stage for a descent to authoritarian rule in a series of quick rulings that favored President Trump over the last nine months ...

COMMENTARY | Trump Administration Descends on Dissenters; They’re Still Speaking Out

by Kaylee Rodriguez | September 18, 2025
A recent series of dissent letters signed by federal government employees documents the devastation this administration is inflicting on public health, safety, and the environment ...

COMMENTARY | Trump’s Challenge to the Climate Endangerment Finding: Another Tragic Farce

by Laurie Williams | September 16, 2025
Trump is grabbing the bull by the horns and proposing to rescind the Endangerment Finding altogether. His plan for doing so is both rash and outlandish ...

COMMENTARY | Growing Resistance to Trump’s Cuts Indicates Budget Battle Ahead

by Kaylee Rodriguez | August 28, 2025
If the Interior and Environment Appropriations bills move to the floor, we can expect a showdown between “skinny budget” loyalists and other members of Congress who are increasingly pushing back against the broad slashing of funds ...

COMMENTARY | Redefining the US Forest Service Mission

by Guest Contributor | August 27, 2025
An anonymous US Forest Service employee shares their concerns about the recent direction for implementing EO 14225 “Immediate Expansion of American Timber Production ...

COMMENTARY | Dumbing Down America’s Best Idea: National Parks in Free Fall

by Jeff Ruch | August 16, 2025
Even as the National Park Service sets new all-time visitation records, no one could claim our national parks are basking in a golden age ...
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