Congress doesn't need more pundits. It needs more operators.
I spent my life turning around broken systems—on military deployments, in high-volume retail, and inside some of the most complex logistics operations on Earth. I've managed thousands, launched billion-dollar sites, and uncovered fraud, waste, and failure that others ignored.
Now, I'm running for Congress because the system that's supposed to serve the American people doesn't work—and I know how to fix it.
This isn't ideology. It's operations. Washington is broken not because the people are bad, but because the structure rewards the wrong things. We've created a place where soundbites matter more than substance, party points matter more than performance, and outcomes don't even get measured.
This is what I call the Leadership Deficit—and until we fix it, America's best efforts will keep getting choked at the top.
The Broken Ops Floor
Walk into Congress like it's a warehouse, and here's what you'd see:
- •Meetings about meetings.
- •No clear ownership of problems.
- •Siloed teams fighting over scope.
- •No shared goals, timelines, or performance metrics.
- •Everyone's performing. No one's accountable.
If this were Amazon or Walmart, that operation would be shut down. If it were the military, someone would be relieved of command. In Washington? They get re-elected.
What's Driving the Breakdown
1. Culture: Performance Over Product
Members of Congress are rewarded for the appearance of action—not results. Viral moments, zingers in hearings, and ideological purity win airtime. But where are the deliverables? Who tracks real results?
In my world, if you didn't hit the metric, you didn't get to keep the job. That's missing in Washington.
2. Incentives: Misaligned and Dangerous
Congress rewards:
- •Cable news hits
- •Fundraising totals
- •Loyalty to party
- •Social media engagement
It does not reward bipartisan lawmaking, real-world impact, or constituent service. That's how you get dysfunction: the incentives are upside down.
3. Structure: Siloed and Stale
The committee system is an outdated org chart. Immigration policy, for example, is divided between Judiciary, Homeland Security, and Foreign Affairs—with no single accountable team. No one owns the full problem.
It's a factory where the parts never align, but somehow the people in charge keep getting bonuses.
The Real-World Cost of Fake Leadership
- •Veterans still waiting for care.
- •Broken border policies every 4 years.
- •Working-class wages stagnating while stock buybacks explode.
- •Tech policy written by lobbyists instead of engineers.
- •A national debt growing without oversight.
This isn't about party. It's about process. The American people are paying for a system that would be laughed out of any real company.
Here's How We Fix It
1. Introduce Public Legislative Dashboards
Every member of Congress should be measured like a business unit:
- •% of bills passed
- •Bipartisan co-sponsorship rate
- •Constituent service speed
- •Budget discipline
- •Oversight effectiveness
Let voters see who's producing—and who's just performing.
2. Break the Committee Silos
Form cross-functional legislative task forces for America's biggest issues:
- •Border Security Team: Judiciary + Homeland Security + Foreign Affairs + Budget
- •Veterans Support Team: Armed Services + VA + Labor + Health
Sprint the issue. Solve the problem. Don't just hold a hearing.
3. Tie Leadership Roles to Results
Committee chairs should earn their spot through outcomes, not seniority or backroom deals. Publish annual scorecards. Real impact = real power.
4. Send in the Operators
We need fewer career pundits and more people who've run teams, managed budgets, delivered results, and know what "owning the problem" really means.
Why Me. Why Now.
I'm not polished. I'm not politically groomed. But I know how to lead.
I've fought corruption, managed chaos, and turned around broken teams in high-pressure, high-stakes environments. From the Army to the JAG Corps, from running $100M P&Ls to rebuilding failed logistics systems at Amazon, I've earned trust by doing the work.
Now I'm bringing that mindset to Congress.
Because I don't want my daughters growing up in a country run by influencers with committee assignments.
I want them to grow up in a country where leadership means outcomes—and where Congress runs like it's accountable to us.
This is how we rebuild trust in government.
Not with slogans. With execution.
Not with tweets. With delivery.
Not with more noise. With actual results.
I'm Nick Plumb. I'm running for Congress in Texas District 2. If you've ever looked at Washington and thought, "I could run that place better,"— you probably could. But I'm going to.
Let's fix the ops floor. Let's lead again.
