Summary
House Speaker Mike Johnson plans to cut 75% of federal agencies, reducing them from 428 to 99, in collaboration with Elon Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE), led by Vivek Ramaswamy.
Johnson’s agenda includes defunding PBS, Planned Parenthood, and curbing the “administrative state” through legislation and executive orders under Donald Trump.
Critics warn such cuts would impact jobs, healthcare, and essential services.
Backed by recent Supreme Court rulings limiting agency authority, Johnson and DOGE aim to reduce federal regulations, sparking significant debate over these drastic proposals.
Ah yes the old “government so small they can drown it in a bathtub” plan. They want all this cut. But also want to police abortion and trans people. Small but only in the areas they want.
—Isaac Asimov, Nice Guys Finish First, collected in The Sun Shines Bright, 1981