Bill Clinton’s Version of DOGE in the 90’s

In the 1990s, President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore took on a challenge that few politicians dared to confront: cutting the size of the federal government.

Facing a ballooning deficit and mounting inefficiencies, Clinton announced an ambitious plan to slash wasteful spending, shrink bureaucracy, and rein in government overreach. He signed an executive order eliminating 100,000 federal jobs, a 12% cut in administrative costs, and the consolidation or termination of hundreds of outdated programs.

One of his biggest warnings? If wasteful spending wasn’t controlled, the federal deficit would soar to $650 billion per year by the early 2000s, with a growing share of tax dollars going toward interest payments on debt instead of public investment.

Fast forward to today. In 2024, the federal deficit stands at $1.83 trillion—nearly triple Clinton’s worst-case scenario. Interest on the debt alone has reached $880 billion, consuming an ever-larger portion of the national budget.

Clinton’s reforms worked during his presidency. The federal workforce shrank by 380,000 federal jobs—a 16% decrease. Programs were streamlined, waste was reduced, and deficits were brought under control.

Yet, decades later—after the War on Terror, the 2008 financial crisis, and COVID-19—government spending has soared once again, bureaucracy has expanded, and the national debt has reached historic highs.

Now, history is repeating itself. President Trump has appointed Elon Musk, widely regarded as the world's most successful CEO and technologist, to lead efforts to streamline the government and restore fiscal responsibility.

For the sake of America, I hope the Democratic Party and the corporate media can set aside their irrational opposition and support DOGE, just as they once backed Bill Clinton and Al Gore.