Kerby Anderson

Will the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) really be able to reduce the size and scope of government? There is good reason to be skeptical, since this isn’t the first-time involved citizens have tried to cut government programs.

There is a sizable segment of Americans (politicians, government employees) against cutting government. And there are others who believe we can successfully reform government. David Brooks, a conservative writing for the New York Times, argues we should “mend it and not end it.” Columnist Cal Thomas countered that past attempts to reform government from within have been tried and always failed.

But there is a third group who support cutting government but might be less excited when the government agency being cut is an agency they like. As one politically involved person told me, “Trump supporters will like the idea of cutting government until DOGE recommends it cut a government agency in their town.”

Cal Thomas remembers the outcry from members of Congress when the Base Realignment and Closure process closed many unneeded military bases. But I think its success decades ago provides a model we need to use again.

It was an idea Representative Dick Armey talked about on Point of View radio. A panel was appointed by the President and solicited testimony. The panel created a list of bases to be closed, then submitted them to Congress to approve or disapprove the whole list. When Congress failed to act, the commission’s recommendations became final.

Downsizing the government is in the interest of Americans even if one of those cuts may not be so popular for a small segment of the population. Make a list of cuts and get an up or down vote on the whole list together.