Closure Commission Recommended

The Senate Governmental Affairs Committee is considering a bill (S-1668) that would create a special process modeled on Defense Department base closings commissions that would aim to eliminate redundant and wasteful federal programs and potentially entire agencies. The commission would in particular examine whether agencies and programs are performing the same essential functions that could be consolidated or streamlined, whether there has been wasteful spending or mismanagement of funds or personnel, and whether agencies and programs have completed their intended purpose, become irrelevant or failed to meet objectives. The commission would submit to Congress a plan and Congress would consider it on an expedited basis and ten take an up-or-down vote on the entire plan-a process designed to prevent it from being picked apart. Similar past proposals have made no legislative progress, but the Senate committee recently held a hearing at which the Bush administration indicated general support for reviewing and eliminating wasteful programs and agencies, although the exact mechanism would still need to be worked out.