by Sen. Marsha Blackburn
More than 248 years ago, our Founding Fathers established our nation on the principle that government should be accountable to We the People.
Under the Biden-Harris administration, though, we have seen that principle erode as the government becomes increasingly unaccountable with wasteful spending and a growing bureaucracy.
Since President Biden’s inauguration, our national debt has increased by more than $8 trillion, with $1.8 trillion in deficits in FY 2024 alone.
At the same time, the federal government, which now employs approximately 2.2 million bureaucrats, has grown into an uncontrollable bureaucracy that is rife with waste and unresponsive to the needs of Tennesseans and the American people.
In our nation’s capital, for example, the federal government owns millions of square feet of office space to house agency headquarters. Yet, as of this year, the government used just 12 percent of that space.
One big reason: While millions of Americans have to show up to work every day to keep our economy moving, just 6 percent of federal bureaucrats report to their office on a full-time basis, while one-third “work” from home full-time.
To make matters worse, for most federal employees, pay increases and promotions are completely disconnected from job performance. Instead, they receive automatic pay increases that are tied to the amount of time they spend working for the government.
If last month’s election results are any sign, American taxpayers are sick of funding this mediocrity, waste, and abuse of power.
Thankfully, President Trump is tackling this problem head on with his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, the agency will spearhead the administration’s efforts to eliminate waste, rein in reckless spending, and rightsize the government.
While there are many savings to be found just through executive action, to be truly successful DOGE will need to work hand-in-hand with Congress to ensure these essential reforms last well beyond the Trump administration.
That’s why, last week, I introduced the DOGE Acts, a package of bills that will hold the government accountable for managing taxpayer dollars.
Among their measures, the DOGE Acts will address out-of-control spending with 1 percent, 2 percent, and 5 percent across-the-board cuts to discretionary spending, excluding defense, homeland security, and veterans’ affairs. In addition, they will freeze salaries for federal bureaucrats and order agency heads to shrink their workforce by 5 percent within three years.
To drain the swamp, the legislation would establish a commission to study ways the incoming administration could relocate agencies from Washington, D.C., to states across the country. This would decentralize power that is held by unelected bureaucrats and put agencies in touch with those most affected by their burdensome rules and regulations.
To ensure that federal bureaucrats are actually working while living on the taxpayers’ dime, the DOGE Acts would also require government employees to return to their offices by ending pandemic-era telework policies and implement a pilot program for agencies to pay employees based on productivity and not solely seniority.
In just a few short weeks, Republicans in Congress and the Trump administration will work together to put our country back on track, including by rightsizing the government and ensuring it is accountable to We the People. With the DOGE Acts, we can make sure that happens.
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 Marsha Blackburn is the senior senator representing the people of Tennessee in the U.S. Senate.
Photo “Sen. Marsha Blackburn” by Sen. Marsha Blackburn.
