Our Federal Government Remains Bloated Beyond Belief

Since the first administration of Franklin Roosevelt, the U.S. government 
has expanded markedly. As one agency after another has been added, few 
have been disbanded. 

Meanwhile, the bureaucrats who run such agencies become skilled at 
justifying their existence, influencing key members of Congress, and 
seeking more money. 

Draining the Treasury

The Left bemoans President Trump's plans to scale back the Department of 
Education and eventually eliminate it, and yet citizens on both the Left 
and Right are largely unaware of 1,503 government agencies, offices, 
departments, or programs that accomplish little or nothing, other than to 
drain funds from the Treasury. 

Independent of the revelations exposed by DOGE thus far, many of these 
entities are unfettered by scrutiny that would otherwise end them. Most of 
these entities have exceeded their expiration dates and should be gone by 
now. 

Of the 1,503 living-dead agencies, almost 50% were slated to expire more 
than ten years ago. Nearly one-third of them continue to receive funding, 
collectively to the tune of more than $500 billion. As for the other two-
thirds, it is difficult to determine how much money they suck from the 
U.S. Treasury. 

By some estimates they consume at least 1/12 of the U.S. total budget. 
Heading into fiscal year 2026, 155 agencies are due for de-authorization. 
Most will continue to operate, unimpeded, because no one is on top of the 
issue: the inaction of Congress enables agencies to live on whether or not 
they produce any viable results. 

The Federal Election Commission (FEC), for example, was authorized to 
spend a bit more than $9 million annually, leading up to its expiration in 
1981. Now, 44 years later, the FEC, times ten, continues to be funded and 
last year spent $95 million. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), 
spending almost $340 million annually, was slated to fold in 2000, but 24 
years later spent more than $28 billion. 

How can this happen not simply for years, but for decades? 

And, not merely for more money than originally authorized, but for 82 
times more? In fairness, not all such programs are useless. 

A small fraction has provided discernible benefit while the majority 
should have vanished from the scene years ago. One cannot necessarily 
blame the respective program directors. Their quest for survival is 
somewhat understandable. The blame is squarely on Congress. 

Who among our 100 senators and 435 congressional representatives is 
watching the expiration dates? Why are these programs rubber-stamped year 
after year? 

Oversee, not Overlook

The responsibility of Congress doesn't cease when funds are first 
allocated. Congress has the responsibility to oversee these programs. When 
Congress is deficient in doing so, members have no right to complain when, 
say, DOGE or other cabinet level agencies take the reins. How deficient 
can Congress be? Its dereliction of duty as our national debt rises to $37 
trillion is a crime against all that we hold dear – against the U.S. 
Constitution, American taxpayers, our way of life, and the future of our 
children and grandchildren. 

In his second four-year term Donald Trump already is accomplishing a great 
deal. As intended, DOGE has exposed much waste. Will our elected 
representatives step up and do their jobs? America needs and deserves to 
know. Moreover, Americans deserve congressional representatives who 
actually look out for the nation's finances. 

Every Dollar Counts

Every dollar, let alone billions of dollars, allocated to programs that 
should have long been axed is an assault on our way of life. The 
cumulative price tag is a tax on the middle class. The waste threatens our 
solvency and impacts national our credit rating. 

The time has come for Congress to clean house. Under the leadership of 
President Trump and the dedicated DOGE professionals who are seeking to 
put the U.S. back on a firm financial footing, we all need to support this 
effort. To do less, or to do nothing, is to send us spiraling into even 
greater levels of debt which, eventually, will imperil everyone.

https://townhall.com/columnists/jeffdavidson/2025/08/03/our-federal-
government-remains-bloated-beyond-belief-n2661319