Please don't misread me, I fully agree with what you just wrote. I'd eliminate entire departments if given the chance, and private sector productivity would soar (I'm talking about you, EPA). But I don't think the public at large would ever get behind something like that. However I think if a serious campaign was mounted to eliminate 10% up front and another 10% via attrition that people would generally agree with the proposal.
How about the GOP offer a welfare reform plan to merge 50 or so different programs (free phones, food stamps, AFDC. WIC et al) into a monthly cash dole, thereby eliminating all the duplicate bureaucracy from them and stuff. It could increase benefits a bit and still save dozens of billions of dollars a year.
Call it the Cash Welfare Increase Act, lol
Practically speaking, you are right. There’s not way a self-perpetuating organization will cut itself in half. Even Reagan failed at stopping fedzilla from growing. A roll-back to the size of Clinton’s government would be a huge improvement, and you know how the libs adore him and his governance.