[lemma=□] □
[lemma=downsize] □
[lemma=federal] □
" After seven years in existence , NPR claims credit for downsizing the federal workforce by 350,000 positions and improving government efficiency to the tune of $ 137 billion in savings . " There are a number of ways Congress can downsize the federal government , " Matthews said , " but unless Congress is willing to look at the major programs , most downsizing attempts will just be nibbling around the edges . Through the State of the Union message and its budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2004 , the Bush Administration has laid out a plan that - - if enacted - - would radically alter the composition and function of the federal government by vastly expanding military spending , ending or substantially altering many social programs , shifting major responsibilities for the well-being of individuals and families to the states and the private sector , and significantly downsizing the federal income base . Unfortunately , both Democrats and Republicans seem to find it more appealing to offer yet more government programs that would ostensibly strengthen the family than to downsize the federal government . Downsizing the Federal Government discusses the systematic causes of wasteful spending , and it overflows with examples of federal programs that are obsolete and mismanaged . The simultaneous downsizing of federal bureaucracies and the transfer of some federal authority to the states has provided an unprecedented opportunity for state governments , and , to a lesser degree , local governments to gain some control over federal program design and resources . With downsizing of federal budgets in future years , this issue will become more critical since levels of support could be diminished . Presidents B. Clinton and G. W. Bush learned that it was politically easier to downsize the federal government and reform administration than to reform health care . Chris Edwards is tax director at the Cato Institute and author of Downsizing the Federal Government . In spite of growing needs by this sector , downsizing of federal programs has made it impossible for many government agencies to serve their needs ( and others as well ) because that requires a contribution of funding to leverage limited federal resources . In light of the President 's intention to downsize the federal government by over a quarter of a million employees , the need for consensus with the unions was indeed important . " In " Downsizing the Federal Government , " a Policy Analysis to be published next month , Cato Director of Tax Policy Studies Chris Edwards proposes agency-by-agency budget cuts that would save taxpayers $ 300 billion annually . The Liberal Republicans wanted to institute reform , downsize the federal government , and bring a swift end to Reconstruction .