One of the best, or at least entertaining, legislative ideas that I have heard proposed was from a local guy in a diner in Laurel, Md. His idea? “They should let opponents of bills name them.” While his idea has some definite downsides, at least we wouldn’t be stuck with bills like the Patriot Act or the Affordable Care Act. Instead, we would have bills like “Rush to React — So We Allow Domestic Spying Bill” and “Un-Affordable Care Act.”
However, after enough time in Washington, D.C. – or just watching politics — you start to fill in the “real” names yourself without needing the diner-developed policy. So, you might be able to imagine my smile when President Trump signed a “Government Reorganization” executive order today following his first cabinet meeting.
I already think that I know what the Left is thinking and maybe even how they will spin it: “The Government/Service/Assistance Reduction Order.” While it is possible that they might be more inventive than myself, it is hard to think of a name that involves “less government” that they could come up with that the political Right wouldn’t support even more.
One of the best sections of the order calls for agency heads to decide on whether their job should exist, or if the job would be done better by the free market.
“Whether some or all of the functions of an agency, a component, or a program are appropriate for the Federal Government or would be better left to State or local governments or to the private sector through free enterprise,” the order says.
The executive order calls for the director of each agency to submit their report within 180 days. In just a few months, things should start heating up.
I don’t support everything Trump is doing, and based on his campaign promises there is more ahead that I am not going to support. But I fully support his “reorganization” efforts.
Charles Sauer (@CharlesSauer) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog. He is president of the Market Institute and previously worked on Capitol Hill, for a governor and for an academic think tank.
If you would like to write an op-ed for the Washington Examiner, please read our guidelines on submissions here.
