Posted on 06/14/2019 10:15:28 PM PDT by Olog-hai
President Donald Trump is trying to take an ax to federal advisory committees, ordering that their numbers be slashed.
Trump signed an executive order Friday that directs every federal agency to evaluate the need for all of its advisory committees created under the Federal Advisory Committee Act. And it gives agency heads until September to terminate at least one-third of current committees created by agency heads.
Federal advisory committees are typically made up of private citizens who offer advice and assistance to the executive branch.
The White House did not immediately provide any justification for the order. But it appears to assume that many of the committees are redundant or have been convened to address issues that are now obsolete. It says that committees will be eliminated if their “stated objectives” have been accomplished, if the “subject matter or work of the committee has become obsolete,” if their “primary functions have been assumed by another entity” and if the agency determines “the cost of operation is excessive in relation to the benefits to the Federal Government.”
A government-wide review of FACA committees has not been done since the early 1990s, according to the White House. …
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...
AP= More fake news!
Watch this fade away.....
I’m not a fan of AP but there’s enough detail in the article that I think it’s essentially true. And I’m all for eliminating useless, redundant federal bureaucracy. You may be right, however, in that the effort may fade away. People tend to want to justify their existences and may not go quietly into the good night.
If we got rid of all the people who “live off of us by means of a useless government job,” Trump would have a huge unemployment problem.
...People tend to want to justify their existences and may not go quietly into the good night.
“He should bring in outside agency to evaluate and make the cuts. Else, I don’t see this reduction happening.”
It wouldn’t be the first time that approach was taken. It was the classic technique whenever the government wanted to lose military bases.
In this case, I’m not sure that’s needed. If department heads don’t meet their objectives, maybe they should be replaced or eliminated.
Anyone whose goal is to diminish the passage of oral flatulence in DC is doomed to failure.
This is a good thing. Positions on commissions, committees and boards like this are usually patronage positions handed out as payback for political support, I’d eliminate a lot more than 1/3 myself.
An example is when Willie Brown appointed his mistress Kamala Harris to the California Medical Assistance Commission in 1994 with a $70K a year salary. I’m not sure if she actually had to attend any meetings to get paid three times the average yearly salary at the time. More examples are Michelle Obama’s numerous committee and board appointments over the years with many hundreds of thousands of dollars compensation over the years although as far as I can tell she has zero qualifications to advise on anything.
They’ll reduce three 10 man commissions down to one 45 person panel.
Problem solved!
Article is old, but I’m thinking that under the previous administration the numbers may have gone up..
Executive Order on Evaluating and Improving the Utility of Federal Advisory Committees.
List is too long, so check it out here:
Important items I saw so far:
(b) Each agency shall, by September 30, 2019, terminate at least one-third of its current committees established under section 9(a)(2) of FACA, including committees for which the:
(i) stated objectives of the committee have been accomplished
(ii) subject matter or work of the committee has become obsolete
(iii) primary functions have been assumed by another entity
(iv) agency determines that the cost of operation is excessive in relation to the benefits to the Federal Government.
Sec. 2. Limitations on New Advisory Committees. The Government-wide combined total number of eligible committees (excluding committees covered by section 6(d) of this order) shall not exceed 350. If the combined total number of eligible committees exceeds 350, an agency may not establish a new advisory committee under section 9(a)(2) of FACA, unless the agency obtains a waiver pursuant to subsection 4(b) of this order.
Limit on committees.
(c) By September 1, 2019, the Director shall make appropriate recommendations to the President about terminating committees established by the President under section 9(a)(1) of FACA.
Sec. 5. Exemption for Merit Review Panels. (a) The requirements of sections 1, 2, and 3 of this order do not apply to a merit review panel or advisory committee whose primary purpose is to provide scientific expertise to support agencies making decisions related to the safety or efficacy of products to be marketed to American consumers.
No way! That's just more costly bureaucracy. He should instead, order them ALL cut, until the agency can demonstrate conclusively that they are necessary, and cost effective.
“He should bring in outside agency to evaluate and make the cuts.”
No way! That’s just more costly bureaucracy. He should instead, order them ALL cut, until the agency can demonstrate conclusively that they are necessary, and cost effective.
Committees = Bonus Pay
A hacks wet dram come true
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