Peters out, Lothrop in at Bureau of Prisons

Director of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons Colette Peters resigned on Monday as soon as President Donald Trump took office, and Deputy Director William Lothrop has taken over the position as Trump begins to implement reforms there.

"On Jan. 20, 2025, Director Peters separated from the Federal Bureau of Prisons and I will be serving as the Acting Director," Lothrop said in a statement. "As we face ongoing challenges, including staffing shortages and operational issues, I am committed to working alongside you to find real solutions that strengthen our facilities. We will continue collaborating with our law enforcement partners and stakeholders to maintain robust programming and support services for inmates."

"Our mission remains clear: to provide a safe, secure, and humane environment, ensure public safety, and prepare those in our custody for successful reentry into society," his statement added.

Among Trump's first actions was to reverse a Biden executive order that outlawed the use of private prisons. The U.S. Marshals Service can now contract with private prisons to provide services.

Under fire

The BOP director position does not require Senate confirmation, so there is no way to block Trump's selection.

Peters has been under fire for making Congress wait more than a year for answers to their questions and for an inability to answer even simple questions like how many corrections officers work for the agency.

According to Fox News, there are almost 36,000 correction officers working in federal prisons that house 155,000 inmates.

It's no wonder Trump would want Peters out when Republicans have had such problems with her.

Lothrop has 30 years experience at the agency and has shown a willingness to work with Trump to improve it.

Deep state plans

Trump has his work cut out for him getting rid of agency staffers who have entrenched themselves in positions of power and worked to thwart conservatives and their principles in the U.S. government.

Peters was an easy one to axe; many others will not be so easy.

Trump has said he has plans to get rid of the "deep state" with actions like stripping job protections from 50,000 federal workers so they can be replaced more easily.

He is also pushing to fill thousands of vacancies with their own people as soon as possible.

He seems to have learned his lesson from the first term, when some career bureaucrats worked to thwart his agenda from within.