Trump administration

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 | 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 ...

HUD Revives Plan to Weaken Flood Protections

by PEER | September 11, 2025
Rollback of 500-Year to 100-Year Standard Only Paused After Texas Floods ...

PEERMail | Entering a New Era

by PEER | September 3, 2025
The fate of our work protecting the public employees and the environment is inextricably tied to our ability to combat the rise in authoritarianism and promote democratic values in our country ...

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 | Idiocracy: Loyalty Displaces Competence in Trump World

by Jeff Ruch | August 1, 2025
In his second term, Trump has assembled perhaps the least distinguished Cabinet in modern history, abandoning any pretense of picking people based upon competence ...
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