An Efficiency Agenda for the Executive Branch
"Improving government efficiency should be an urgent national priority. The United States faces growing fiscal, economic, and governance challenges."
What It’s About
Lips, Hammond, and Hochman argue that the United States urgently needs to address wasteful spending and regulatory inefficiencies within the executive branch. They propose leveraging AI technology, enforcing recommendations from oversight bodies, and streamlining outdated regulations to accomplish these goals.
Upshot
Lips, Hammond & Hochman recommend:
- Addressing Watchdog Recommendations: Enforce the implementation of savings recommendations from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and Inspectors General, unlocking billions in annual savings
- Leveraging AI for Automation: Use artificial intelligence to identify inefficiencies and automate routine tasks
- Overhauling Regulatory Processes: Eliminate or simplify obsolete and overlapping regulations, especially in areas like environmental review and cybersecurity, to encourage economic growth and ease cost-of-living pressures
Did you know? GAO and IGs currently have over 19,000 open recommendations totaling up to $208 billion in potential savings annually.
Why It Matters
Executive branch effectiveness, of which efficiency is an important facet, is central to the abundance agenda. Lips, Hammond, and Hochman present public sector reform in center-right terms and provide “two birds, one stone” opportunities to fortify our government’s budgetary health.
Who Wrote It
Dan Lips is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for American Innovation.
Samuel Hammond is a Senior Economist at the Foundation for American Innovation.
Thomas Hochman is Infrastructure Director at the Foundation for American Innovation.