Michael Lewis’s new book Blockers profiles federal civil servants who resisted the Department of Government Efficiency, the author told CBS News and GQ as the book was released Oct. 6.
Lewis says Blockers follows six public servants who confronted DOGE’s push to cut programs and transfer data, and he frames the story as one about people who serve the public rather than seek fame.
CBS News highlights Kathleen Walters, a former IRS privacy officer who, Lewis reports, resisted requests from Immigration and Customs Enforcement for taxpayer information and later resigned when the data were handed over.
GQ’s interview with Lewis expands the scope: he writes about engineers, scientists and agency officials—from NIST to the Institute of Peace—who he says were pushed aside or targeted during DOGE’s reforms.
The book also examines the claimed savings from DOGE; CBS News notes the Government Accountability Office found DOGE either overstated its savings or could not verify them, and federal courts have ruled some privacy rights were violated.
Lewis told GQ he aimed to show why people who distrust government often do not see the everyday work civil servants do, and he said the human stories—resignations, legal fights and agency audits—offer a different view of federal service.
Sources
- CBS News — interview and reporting on Blockers, Kathleen Walters’ account, GAO audit and court rulings.
- GQ — interview with Michael Lewis describing the book’s six profiles, publication timing and his reporting approach.
