Disciplined enough to run the federal government?

Earlier this week, Donald Trump announced that he would create a new Department of Government Efficiency when he gets into the White House next year. Trump stated that this agency would be led by Elon Musk and businessman turned Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. First of all, it seems comically ironic that (a) an entire new government department would be created to show how to make government more efficient, and (b) it would need to be headed by two people instead of one. So much for Republicans claiming for decades that they are “the party of smaller government.”

Along with that funny part, if it were to be a true Cabinet-level department (Defense, Education, Justice, etc.), or a federal agency (Federal Communications Commission, Environmental Protection Agency, etc.), generally this Department of Government Efficiency would need to be created and funded by Congress. That could take a long time, and run into many objections and amendments. So more likely, it would be an “Office” or some other Executive Branch or White House creation well below the Cabinet Department level.

If that happens, some folks might not take this office seriously. However, a quick look at a similar office from a few decades ago might indicate that a Government Efficiency Office, Agency or Board could have real power and do real damage. Specifically, in 1989, President George H.W. Bush created the Council on Competitiveness, and put Vice President Dan Quayle in charge of it. This innocuous-sounding Council was described as having “responsibility for reducing the regulatory burden on the economy.”  Essentially it was a White House back door for Republican corporate executives and lobbyists to come in with deregulatory wish lists, from environmental rules to health and safety rules and more.

The council worked closely with the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) in the Office of Management and Budget to carry out OMB’s regulatory review and the development of the regulatory program.

Not every destructive government action requires Congress to legislate. A lot of good or bad can be done in the process to implement, or repeal, rules and regulations that govern much of our lives. It is no secret that the incoming Trump administration seeks to repeal all kinds of regulations that Americans rely on for their safety and security, in areas such as the environment, transportation, workplace health and safety, food and drug safety, etc. Corporations obviously want such regulatory unburdening to reduce their costs and increase their profits. It’s a good bet that, as with the previous Council on Competitiveness, such corporate deregulation would be the principal function of the new “Department of Government Efficiency.” And if legislation is further required to allow companies to run amok, our Congress is about to be fully majority Republican, and no doubt will be standing by to serve their corporate overlords.

Perhaps the best we can hope for is that this new proposed government office fails to deliver due to the egos, incompetence and inattention of those in charge.

Photo by Steve Jurvetson, used under Creative Commons license. https://is.gd/xlJwF8