By Debbie Wuthnow for DAILY CALLER
Ever thought you’d be asked, “Please email me about five things you did last week?” Most of us wouldn’t have a hard time telling people what we accomplished in our work week… and hopefully, it’s more than five things! As to what the federal government has accomplished? Well, that’s the question, isn’t it?
Whether you like Elon Musk and the newly minted Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) or not, politicians and statesmen have long called for limits and accountability in government spending. As it seems to be sending shockwaves through the electorate, some might be surprised to learn that there is a long history in the United States of trying to get spending under control.
As far back as 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt established the Committee on Department Methods, otherwise known as the Keep Commission. It was run by New York banker Charles Keep and was set up to investigate government waste, personnel management, procurement, accounting practices and the like.
Fast forward to World War II and the 1940s. U.S. Senator Harry Byrd, a Democrat from Virginia, wanted to make sure that the war was paid for by reducing non-defense spending rather than by raising taxes. Thus, the Byrd Committee was established, whose sole mission was to identify nonessential federal expenditures and recommend elimination or reduction. According to tax reform advocate Grover Norquist, the committee saw real accomplishments, among them: abolishment of the Civilian Conservation Corps, drastic cuts to the Work Projects Administration (WPA) and the elimination of the National Youth Administration. After the war, the committee wielded less power but continued to publish monthly reports and statistics on government spending until 1974.
