House Speaker Mike Johnson is making waves with an audacious plan to shrink the federal government dramatically, teaming up with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to slash the number of federal agencies by a staggering 75%. This initiative aims to consolidate 428 bureaucracies into just 99, signaling a massive overhaul of the bloated administrative state.
In an interview with Fox News, Johnson outlined his vision, which includes eliminating funding for organizations like PBS and Planned Parenthood. “I would like to, that’s for sure,” Johnson said, emphasizing that taxpayers shouldn’t be subsidizing entities that already rake in substantial profits. He pointed to PBS, which generated $187 million from Sesame Street alone in 2023, as a prime example of unnecessary government funding. “Why are we paying them to get rich?” he asked, echoing sentiments of fiscal conservatives who have long called for cutting public broadcasting subsidies.
Under President Trump, we will take a blowtorch to the administrative state and reduce the size and scope of government.
House and Senate Republicans look forward to hosting Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy tomorrow to discuss how the Department of Government Efficiency can help… pic.twitter.com/6GKbga0sCU
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) December 5, 2024
Johnson’s partnership with Musk’s DOGE draws inspiration from Musk’s approach to streamlining operations at companies like Twitter (now X), where he famously slashed the workforce by over 75% after acquiring the platform. The goal, according to Johnson, is to take a “blowtorch to the administrative state” and return power to elected officials and the people they represent.
“For too long, these agencies have acted as judge, jury, and executioner, imposing regulations on industries and small business owners without accountability,” Johnson said. He believes the time is ripe for bold action, citing favorable conditions under President-elect Trump’s incoming administration. Johnson teased that this plan is part of a broader “playbook” set to roll out in January.
Critics argue that such sweeping cuts could disrupt essential services, but Johnson sees the move as a necessary correction to decades of unchecked growth in government. “We have the opportunity to go in and really take back control from the administrative state,” he added, signaling a determination to rein in federal overreach.
The proposal has electrified conservatives who have long advocated for reducing the size and scope of government. On X, Johnson declared, “Under President Trump, we will take a blowtorch to the administrative state.”
If successful, this initiative would mark one of the most significant reductions in federal bureaucracy in modern history, reflecting a broader conservative push to restore fiscal discipline and prioritize individual liberties over government control. Whether Johnson and Musk can deliver on such an ambitious promise remains to be seen, but the groundwork for dramatic change is clearly being laid.
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