For decades, Americans were vaguely aware of the current 36 trillion dollars millstone federal debt Around our collective neck. Historically, the abstraction of the national debt has rarely inspired political groups to take an interest in government spending.
Voters largely ignored it. And so were too many of their representatives.
after that historical inflation I dragged people kicking and screaming to the edge of a personal finance cliff. They took a good look at the bottomless pit, and based on the election results, they didn't like what they saw.
President-elect Donald Trump offered a lifeline to lift us back from financial ruin, and voters of all backgrounds clung to it, seeing it as his last best chance to pull us back from the brink.
Now, the president-elect has tapped Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to jump-start fiscal health with an aggressive effort to dismantle government spending and the bureaucracy that drives out-of-control spending and get America back on track. He is delivering on his election promise to make it more affordable. scam.
The long-delayed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) strikes at the heart of America's terminal spending addiction, starting the doomsday clock of wasteful federal subsidies, programs, and bureaucracies.
But let's be honest: Washington is not the only culprit when it comes to the use and abuse of taxpayers. State and local governments routinely funnel taxpayer money (often borrowed money) through bloated bureaucracies and mindlessly rubber-stamping federal funds.
It is time for states to join the radical efficiency revolution by creating their own DOGEs.
Indeed, the waste beasts of DC bear much of the blame for our position on the precipice of a fiscal crisis. But Washington won't be able to spend that money without help from big cities and states that are sending blank checks.
Programs such as Medicaid nearly $1 trillion annually Welfare programs that permanently and dramatically exceed budget projections are being exploited by states who want to funnel “federal revenue” without any integrity, efficiency, or accountability for results. One out of every five dollars in this program is misused, and without reform; On track to waste $1 trillion In the next decade.
The food stamp program is another example of a program that is riddled with known fraud. merit – Over $100 billion annually — is funded by “federal funds” but administered at the state level. While bureaucratic misconduct in Washington, D.C. is largely to blame, bad decisions and a lack of oversight at the state level are responsible for increased spending and $11 billion wasted on programs. in 2022.
States and cities are eagerly gobbling up federal grants and funds with little regard for the impact on current or future federal taxpayers.
The result will be massive inefficiencies, unsustainable budgets, and a growing national debt that we will be burdened with forever. If we don't act now. It's time to end this madness, and DC can't do it alone.
Enter the state-level DOGE.
Similar to the brain trust formed by the federal DOGE, state DOGEs could focus on eliminating waste, reviewing spending, and holding bureaucracies accountable. Here's how it works:
First, investigate all improper payments. The state DOGE must conduct an investigation of all improper payments in the state and identify the root causes of waste and fraud. These should be reported to the federal DOGE to assist in making broader changes.
Second, there are no more unchecked regulations. State DOGE would require removing and then creating more regulations, a zero-based approach to resetting regulations, and legislative approval of costly regulations.
Third, end the federal aid gravy train. Federal DOGE will do some of the heavy lifting here by eliminating some of the most useless subsidies. That would be a good start. Federal aid often becomes a Trojan horse, locking states into long-term costs and bad policies while providing short-term benefits. DOGE will carefully review each federal grant that enters the state to ensure it is consistent with sound fiscal principles.
Fourth, reduce bureaucratic fat. DOGE will establish a more rigorous vetting process for civil service employment to reduce waste and ensure all employees are able to fulfill their critical roles. Justifiable reasons will be required for hiring vacant positions, and long-term vacant government positions will be eliminated.
Fifth, legislative approval of federal program plans: Unelected officials in Washington, D.C., and states should not implement expensive federal programs without oversight. DOGE would require legislative approval of all state plans related to federal programs, returning control to elected officials.
For too long, state legislatures have ceded power to unelected bureaucrats and federal monarchs. State-level DOGE projects flip the script and provide legislators with tools to curb waste and hold government agencies accountable while helping federal DOGE achieve laudable goals for the nation. It turns out.
Conservatives in each state could seize the momentum and momentum generated by President Trump and demand that state governments work for the people, not the bureaucracy. And while it may have started as a disingenuous internet meme, there is now more interest than ever in solving this serious problem. National policymakers should take advantage of this movement to cut waste, curb overreach, and ultimately put taxpayers first.
Sam Adolfsen He is the policy director of the Government Accountability Foundation. He served as chief operating officer for the Maine Department of Health and Human Services from 2015 to 2017.
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