Democrats loved the idea of DOGE

During his presidency (1993–2001), Blowjob Bill Clinton oversaw some efforts to trim government excess. One of his signature moves was the "Reinventing Government" initiative, led by Vice President Al Gore.

Launched in 1993, it aimed to make the federal government more efficient, less wasteful, and more responsive—basically, to "work better and cost less." They claimed to cut over 300,000 federal jobs, reduce regulations by 16,000 pages, and save about $137 billion over several years.

The 1994 Federal Workforce Restructuring Act tied into this, offering buyouts to shrink the bureaucracy. By the end of his tenure, the federal workforce was the smallest it had been since the 1960s—about 1.8 million civilian employees.

Clinton also signed the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 after negotiating with a Republican-led Congress.

This, along with a strong economy (tech boom, low unemployment), led to budget surpluses from 1998 to 2001—the first since 1969.. Federal outlays as a percentage of GDP dropped from 21.4% in 1993 to 18.2% by 2000.



@Grok
 
Democrats have made promises to cut wasteful government spending and bureaucratic bloat at various points in history, though the intensity and follow-through have varied.

Blowjob Bill Clinton, as I mentioned earlier, ran on a platform in 1992 that included reining in government excess.

His "New Democrat" vibe leaned into fiscal responsibility—think "The era of big government is over" from his 1996 State of the Union. The Reinventing Government initiative was a flagship effort, promising to slash red tape and save billions. He delivered some results—smaller workforce, surpluses—but critics argue it was more surface-level than systemic.

Before Clinton, Jimmy Carter (1977–1981) campaigned as an outsider who’d clean up Washington. He pushed deregulation in industries like airlines and trucking, aiming to cut bureaucratic overreach, and vowed to eliminate waste. His 1978 Civil Service Reform Act streamlined federal hiring and firing, but soaring inflation and energy crises overshadowed any fiscal wins.

More recently, Barack Obama in 2008 pledged to go "line by line" through the budget to cut wasteful programs. He set up a deficit reduction commission (Simpson-Bowles) in 2010, which proposed trimming bloat, but Congress—and Obama himself—didn’t fully act on it.

Spending cuts happened more via sequestration (2013) than proactive Democrat actions, and bureaucratic growth continued in areas like healthcare with the ACA.

Historically, Democrats tend to frame these vows as efficiency drives. They’ll target "waste" (pork projects, outdated programs) but shy away from slashing sacred cows.

Results? Spotty. Rhetoric outpaces action.


@Grok
 
Democrats have made vows to cut waste and reduce bureaucracy, but their actions often reflect a tension between these promises and their broader agenda of expanding government programs.

The effectiveness of their efforts typically depends on whether they prioritize fiscal restraint or lean into their base's demands for more government intervention.


@Doge
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top