The majority of Americans believe Government is inefficient, profligate, and “overreaching.” Every year, taxpayers pay for programs that haven't even been evaluated for decades. The newly established House and Senate DOGE caucuses represent a new opportunity to challenge the status quo.
But for these efficiency warriors to succeed, they must face the same challenge that has long bedeviled government reformers: a parallel public disdain for “wasteful government spending.” Must be. support I personally feel there are benefits to certain programs, or rights.
To overcome this obstacle, DOGE lawmakers must employ three creative and practical tactics.
- Principle of burden of proof: A simple but powerful tactic the DOGE caucus can employ is to flip the script on accountability. Rather than proving that programs are wasteful, the burden should be on taxpayers to prove that they are effective, sustainable, and necessary. This model already exists. When Congress passed the class law as part of the Affordable Care Act in 2010, the program included a unique provision that required the program to demonstrate its financial viability before it began. I did. When this test failed, the program looked like this: abolished It received bipartisan support and the signature of President Obama, who signed the program into law in 2013. This principle should be applied throughout. Programs that cannot demonstrate tangible benefits or financial sustainability should not continue indefinitely. Taxpayers deserve accountability, and the DOGE caucus should fight to ensure that all federal government efforts are rigorously and regularly evaluated. Failure to do so in many areas of government unfunded liability—or the check ultimately becomes uncashable. This imposes a burden not only on current and future taxpayers, but also on beneficiaries whose promised benefits are at stake.
- yellow pages test: concept borrowed from state government; yellow pages test is easy. If a service is found in the Yellow Pages, the government doesn't have to do it. This approach has been successfully implemented in states such as Texas, where officials have identified government-run golf courses, liquor stores, and similar businesses that could be privatized or abolished. Adopting this principle at the federal level could result in significant savings while promoting a more competitive economy. For example, why should the federal government more efficiently operate facilities and services that private companies can provide? The DOGE caucus is a common sense approach that reduces redundancies and focuses federal resources where they are truly needed. This test can be supported as a practical method. And the federal government can take the “yellow pages test” one step further. Why duplicate efforts when services are already provided by state-level governments? While federal-state partnerships can be effective, federal bureaucracy in areas such as education and energy could be significantly streamlined to maximize state control over flexible federal funds. .
- Sunset as standard operating procedure: Ronald Reagan famously quipped, “The closest thing to eternal life on earth is a government program.” The DOGE caucus could prove him wrong by making sunsets a routine part of federal law. Setting automatic expiration dates for government programs forces lawmakers to periodically reassess whether these efforts are still serving their intended purpose or merely perpetuating bureaucracy. You will be forced to do so. Arizona and several other states have had diverse political persuasions. great success With this. Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency itself is leading by example by setting July 4, 2026 as a voluntary repeal date. This principle could be expanded to ensure that all government programs are reviewed, reauthorized, or eliminated based on performance and need. If temporary tax provisions, such as the personal income tax cuts in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, have an expiration date, there is no reason spending programs cannot be subject to similar scrutiny.
The DOGE caucus has the potential not only to reduce waste, but also to restore public trust in government accountability. The question is not whether these reforms will work. What matters is whether efficiency warriors can seize the moment and deliver on their promises. Taxpayers are waiting, and it's up to them to show bold leadership to end excessive government spending.
Hadley Heath Manning He is Executive Vice President of Steamboat Research Institute.
