from the drama over donald trump<u+2019>s cabinet you<u+2019>d think the only position in government is secretary of state. yet mr. trump will need advice elsewhere, not least in taming the regulatory state. newt gingrich said he won<u+2019>t serve in a trump cabinet but would like to contribute. how about tapping the former house speaker to lead a gingrich commission to modernize and shrink the federal government? the models for this project would be the hoover commissions of the 1940s and early 1950s. president harry truman appointed former president herbert hoover to look for ways to streamline government in 1947, and dwight eisenhower did it again in 1953, and about 70% of the proposals were adopted in the two administrations. congress combined several agencies into what is now the general services administration, which reduced paperwork and federal procurement costs. there<u+2019>s also the 1980s grace commission, which made nearly 2,500 recommendations on everything from farm-credit rules to pentagon hardware. the grace commission accomplished less than its predecessors thanks to a democratic congress, but it provoked a public debate about the role of government. a gingrich commission would have an opening for greater progress with a gop white house and congress. there<u+2019>s always a chance that the effervescent mr. gingrich would careen off course by proposing a military base on the moon. but he talks all the time about updating government for the 21st century, and he published a book on <u+201c>winning the future<u+201d> that covers everything from education to balancing the federal budget. this would be a chance to do it. the feds over the decades have piled program atop program regardless of results, and a commission could highlight failures and duplications. unlike previous eras, much of the work has already been done by think tanks or other commissions. the commission could work fairly rapidly, perhaps in a few months. for example: speaker paul ryan <u+2019>s <u+201c>better way<u+201d> agenda has identified some 80 welfare programs run by 13 federal agencies, and inevitably many overlap in benefits and eligibility. that seems ripe for a closer look. president-elect trump has singled out civil-service reform as a priority, and paul light of new york university has suggested ideas on these pages that the gingrich commission could review. over the next year congress and the new administration will be preoccupied with daily squalls and the rough and tumble of passing legislation. there<u+2019>s no time for research. a gingrich commission could do that work and serve up ideas to plug into the budget over the next two years and beyond. government is at its lowest standing with americans in decades, so even progressives should support an effort that might improve its functioning and lay the basis for more public confidence.
a gingrich commission on government - wsj
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