Being a federal civil servant (retired in 2019) as I was, gives one a unique view into federal service.
I came from 8 years in the private sector so I saw the contrast first hand.
Even back in 1989 I couldn’t believe the difference in how the public system was run in comparison to the private one.
So, it doesn’t usually go over well here on FR, but what I suggest to people is it’s really not the people, it’s the way the system is set up that instills a culture into to the federal public servant.
My brother left Citi Corp as a vp after 29 years and got a gig at the IRS. He says no one has any initiative beyond showing up.