The entire USDA? That would be amusing. But the most bloated agency is really DOD. Let's see if DOGE even bothers to look at it. |
Here is the OpEd (from a fairly conservative editorialist): https://www.wsj.com/opinion/the-doge-cheat-sheet-elon-musk-vivek-ramaswamy-department-of-government-efficiency-1c231783?mod=hp_opin_pos_0 In tweet-length bites, here’s a handy cheat sheet with how Mr. Musk can toss, shrink or squeeze departments, commissions and agencies: Federal Trade Commission: Toss. The current FTC under Lina Khan has a worse record than the Chicago White Sox. The FTC already splits antitrust cases with the Justice Department, so move a few pro-consumer-competition lawyers there and then shutter. Federal Communications Commission: Toss. The FCC caused the dot-com boom and bust. Net neutrality killed broadband in Europe yet was still reinstated here under the Biden administration. Spectrum auctions are why we overpay for cell service. Three economists in a back room can create and maintain a set of rules to keep access competitive. Securities and Exchange Commission: Toss. The SEC missed the Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme, allowed crypto and SPAC pump-and-dumps, and missed the FTX fiasco. Free trading requires setting and enforcing simple rules. U.S. Department of Agriculture: Toss. This will finally end corn subsidies for Iowa. We can move food-stamp administrators and funding to states. Federal Reserve: Shrink. The central bank missed Bidenflation. Dart throwers could do better than its 400 Ph.D.s. Cut its funding. Defense Department: Squeeze. Reallocate spending to drones, ships and defense systems such as Patriot missiles. Antimissile defenses can be a giant export business. U.S. Postal Service: Toss. End its monopoly on first- and third-class mail. Go private. Amazon trucks already come to most neighborhoods every day. |
I can never tell if these people ignorant, or deliberately misleading. Congress can end corn subsidies any time it chooses - but ending the USDA wouldn't accomplish that. It would however, end a lot of food safety inspections so I hope the WSJ writer is vegan. Similar problems with the rest of these brilliant ideas. We should toss the SEC, but also set and enforce simple rules: ok, so who is setting and enforcing the rules? Reallocate defense spending to ships -- from what? And can you imagine if spectrum access were actually set by "three (agency-less) economists in a back room"? So unserious. |
The reallocation to ships one is particularly funny. Does this guy have any idea how much we’re already spending on ships? He’s clearly never bothered to look at the navy budget. And of course when you build a ship, you need weapon systems, communications systems, navigation systems, etc. and then sailors to actually run it all. And then it needs to get maintained and repaired constantly. |
Don't you remember when tainted lettuce killed a bunch of people? No one is safe, we need the USDA. |
| Organic carrots presently being recalled for e.coli. |
Not enough food inspectors. I'm sure the dream team wants to cut that also. Nothing will be done by 2026—more government waste. |
I’m worried about RIFs because of our newbies. We’ve hired some really terrific young people the last couple years. |
| I’ll bet someone a bitcoin that after all of this b.s. {{gestures maniacally}} government spending goes way up. |
It absolutely has to in 2025 if the government is going to undertake mass deportations. They need to build detention centers, hire agents, etc. |
I don't disagree with you...what's interesting is the author isn't mentioning any problems with food safety, but rather agricultural subsidies. Can you imagine if they take a hachet to programs like that and the uproar? |
| Not sure I really believe they can discontinue half of government. Just campaign mambo jumbo |
| Sequestration, of course. It happened before, and it'll happen again. I hope they go after medicare and ssi fraud too. |
Going after entitlement fraud would be pretty amazing. So many red state moochers. |
Come on. The Navy doesn't need all that woke $h!t. Get back to basics Master and Commander style. |