FTA:

What is surprising is how little has been made of the similarities between Trump's efforts and those undertaken by Bill Clinton more than 30 years ago. Clinton appointed his vice president, Al Gore, to undertake a so-called National Performance Review (NPR), aimed at reinventing government. The Gore Commission (as it became known) was also aimed at streamlining and reducing the size of the federal government, but there was more to it. In many ways, what Gore set out to do was even more ambitious than Musk's chainsaw approach.

Like Trump, Clinton and Gore used presidential directives and executive orders to implement many of their downsizing efforts. But unlike the current effort, the cutting didn't start until they had gone through a six-month study process and developed a blueprint of how to best reinvent the federal government. Government agencies were brought into the process to determine the best ways that efficiencies could be realized. In fact, the effort was led by some 250 federal employees that remained on their agency payrolls.

"If the administration is working not to save money but rather to destroy the government, the cuts that threaten the well-being of American citizens make more sense."