Will President Trump & Co. Finally Reduce the Size of the Executive Office?
Promises, Promises. Maybe We the People need to ask what we need a central government for in the first place?
There are 15 departments in the Executive branch – sounds manageable, right? Until we weave in and out through the numerous, tenacious tentacles strangling each department, agency and sub-something. When understanding that human nature is self-serving, always, it’s easy to see how this behemoth beast could grow enormously out of control, creating an utter decay of corruption, inside and out. It’s simply too big!
For example, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) manages the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits in USDA’s Food and Nutrition Services, but also manages real estate loans through the USDA's Rural Development program. Why should the central government manage nutrition “assistance” and real estate loans – let alone in the same department?
Has SNAP reduced poverty, as the government website says? Not at all! In fact, the War on Poverty created dependency on the government, making too many people dependent on the government. That’s a big problem!
Silly me for thinking nutrition would fall under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). It is there, in duplicative form - a whole program for Health and Wellness - and that’s where Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) resides.
Whether we want to learn from the government or not, the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Services offers “My Plate” which replaced the food pyramid. How much did we spend to replace the food pyramid with My Plate?
The “enlightened” 1970s brought us the Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs that created a governmental bridge between interests in the Senate Agriculture Committee and the Labor and Public Welfare Committee.” What it really created was further dependency on the central government.
So, what do we need a central government for anyway? Surely, not to find out how to eat healthily or to buy a house in a rural setting. Why haven’t any states nullified the abusive central government?
In 1789, the Executive branch consisted of the Department of State, the Department of War, the Department of the Treasury and the Department of the Attorney General, becoming the Department of Justice in 1870.
In 1798, the Adams’ administration added the Department of the Navy, which merged into the Department of War in 1947. The Department of War merged into the Department of Defense by 1947. At least the Department of Defense sounds better than the Department of War, although it’s the same entity.
The 19th century saw the creation of the Postmaster General in 1829, which would begin an illustrious history of corruption and repeat cycles of reform. Two more departments were added - the Department of the Interior in 1849 and the Department of Agriculture in 1862.
The Executive branch doubled after 1913, adding the Departments of Commerce, Labor, Heath, Education and Welfare (separating Education in 1980), Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, Energy, Veteran’s Affairs and Homeland Security.
Imagine that – doubling the government right after “progressive” President Wilson signed the 16th Amendment, allowing Congress to “have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration.”
In 1913, the Creatures from Jekyll Island created a banking cartel in the name of the Federal Reserve Act to “provide the nation with a safer, more flexible, and more stable monetary and financial system.” Did that contribute to the Great Depression 16 years later? In 1964, Milton Friedman and Anna Jacobson Schwartz said it did, and explained the history in A Monetary History of the United States, 1867-1960.
Senator Mike Lee (R- UT) introduced the Federal Reserve Board Abolition Act in June 2024.
We can only hope that Ron Paul’s dream assignment – overseeing an audit of all government agencies with brilliant people leading the charge - in the name of D.O.G.E - will prove fruitful for all Americans. America’s unique renaissance man, Elon Musk, and vivacious Vivek Ramaswamy are leading the charge and both are excellent examples that legal immigration enhances America. Many 1st and 2nd generation Americans have a better appreciation of what America should be, so that was a perfect pick!
Supposedly there are 438 agencies and sub-departments in the Executive Branch that make up the 15 Departments:
1. Agriculture
Year Founded: 1862
Employees: 84,496 Outlay: $134B
Yearly Employee Expense: $6.55B in 2022
2. Commerce
Year Founded: 1903
Employees: 47,060 Outlay: $16B
Year Employee Expense: $5.04B in 2022
3. Defense
Year Founded: 1947
Employees: 3,000,000 Outlay: $651B / year
4. Education
Year Founded: 1980
Employees: 4,178 Outlay: $45B / year
Employee Expense: $521.51M in 2022
5. Energy
Year Founded: 1977
Employees: 14,608 Outlay: $24B / year
Employee Expense: $1.51B in 2022
6. Health and Human Services
Year Founded: 1953 Employees: 88,509 Outlay: $879B / year
Employee Expense: $10.05B in 2022
7. Homeland Security
Year Founded: 2002
Employees: 211,502 Outlay: $40B / year
Employee Expense: $5.94B in 2022
8. Housing and Urban Development
Year Founded: 1965
Employees: 8,081 Outlay: $41B / year
Employee Expense: $966.65M in 2022
9. Interior
Year Founded: 1849
Employees: 56,718 Outlay: $90B / year
Employee Expense: $4.66B in 2022
10. Justice
Year Founded: 1870
Employees: 115,897 Outlay: $46B / year
Employee Expense: $4.37B in 2022
11. Labor
Year Founded: 1913
Employees: 14,062 Outlay: $138B / year
Employee Expense: $1.42B in 2022
12. State
Year Founded: 1789
Employees: 12,639 Outlay: $16B / year
Employee Expense: $1.46B in 2022
13. Transportation
Year Founded: 1966
Employees: 53,037 Outlay: $73B / year
Employee Expense: $6.64B in 2022
14. Treasury
Year Founded: 1789
Employees: 96,204 Outlay: $20B / year
Employee Expense: $6.54B in 2022
15. Veteran Affairs
Year Founded: 1989
Employees: 427,172 Outlay: $98B / year
Employee Expense: $38.69B in 2022
Why not take Thomas Jefferson’s advice – let the states govern all domestic affairs and the national government govern all foreign affairs?
There will be much gnashing of the teeth since many unelected upper-level federal bureaucrats would be without their cushy fed job. They’ll figure it out.
Two questions We the People need to answer:
What do we need a central government for?
Has that department/agency helped or harmed Americans? And creating dependency causes great harm to all Americans so playing the poverty card is not accepted.
Many people will agree that we need a central government for national defense, except the anarchists, and let them live and let live.
Then, we have questions like, why do we have a Department of Defense and a Department of Homeland Security? It should be one and the same. Why is Veteran’s Affairs a separate department and not an agency in the Department of Defense?
With Elon and Vivek leading the way, through their promised transparency, we should make progress to get rid of waste. Imagine – no Festivus Report from Rand Paul! Ok, well, that is ambitious. But, we should be ambitious when trying not to Squander Our American Inheritance.
Will We the People finally see what happens with less government? Will the dependent class revolt or get a job? Will we finally enjoy more fruits of our labor without the chains of a corrupt government slithering around everyone’s necks?
For those who believe what the MSM tells them that Trump is Hitler, Vivek Ramaswamy recently said, “I’m going to tell you what Donald Trump has said on this time and again, ‘Success will be our retribution. Success will be our vengeance.’ That’s a direct line from Donald Trump. It’s a beautiful sentiment. And I do think that success is unifying.’
So, while Elon & Vivek’s team is busy working to reduce waste and inefficiency, maybe the deep state will accept it as the best thing for the country. Right. Maybe they will quietly walk away from the multitude of growing scandals that will no doubt come out of this audit, so they don’t get indicted?
Drain the SWAMP and get rid of most of these department and put the control back in the hands of the people who are having to pay of all of these.
Wow! Thanks for taking the time to break each federal department down. Yikes.. I knew it was bad, but when you see it in black and white, it becomes less abstract.
I wish more people could understand what Thomas Sowell is saying.
Supposedly, LBJ said, after signing the Civil Rights Act and Great Society legislation, "Now we will always have those 'nigras in our back pocket."