A Wisconsin-based organization is urging the state government to initiate spending and staffing reviews similar to those proposed by the incoming Trump administration.
The initiative, led by entrepreneurs Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, is part of a broader effort to reform government efficiency at both the state and federal levels.
The group, the Institute for Reforming Government (IRG), is calling for a series of reviews aimed at improving the way state agencies operate, reducing bureaucracy, and cutting unnecessary costs.
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The plan, first conceived last year, gained renewed traction as Republican Donald Trump campaigned for president and promised to overhaul government operations.
The approach closely mirrors the model that the incoming Trump administration has set up with the newly created Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, which Musk and Ramaswamy will lead.
Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur known for his roles at Tesla, Twitter, and SpaceX, and Ramaswamy, a successful businessperson with a reported net worth of hundreds of millions, are tasked with leading DOGE to streamline federal operations.
The goal is to cut down on inefficiencies, reduce spending, and remove redundant positions across government agencies.
The Wisconsin Institute for Reforming Government’s proposal calls for reducing the number of full-time state employees by identifying redundancies and seeking alternatives like contracting professional services.
The plan also includes the decentralization of state offices by relocating state employees into the communities their agencies serve.
This would reduce office space and make remote work more accountable, in line with modern work trends.
Chris Reader, the executive vice president of the IRG, emphasized the importance of rethinking how state agencies are structured. “With renewed attention on right-sizing government and reducing unnecessary bureaucracy at the federal level, it’s time for state lawmakers to seriously rethink how state agencies operate as well,” Reader said.
He also pointed out that the plan to modernize and reorganize state agencies was conceived in 2023, before the DOGE initiative gained momentum. “It was DOGE before DOGE was cool,” he quipped.
Reader stressed that there is a significant opportunity for state lawmakers to take action.
He pointed out that, with public distrust in bureaucracy, Wisconsin’s Democratic Governor Tony Evers and the state legislature have a chance in 2025 to listen to voters and consider reimagining state government operations.
The IRG’s proposal contrasts with the Trump administration’s approach, which will not involve working with Congress to reduce federal spending and staffing levels.
Instead, IRG is calling on state representatives to spearhead efforts to reform Wisconsin’s government.
This includes introducing new regulations that would streamline operations and ensure that laws and regulations are more efficient and less burdensome for residents and businesses.
According to the IRG’s polling, 73% of Wisconsin residents support the idea that state agencies should review new regulations before they are implemented.
Furthermore, 67% of residents favor a policy where regulations automatically expire after seven years unless they are re-approved by the legislature.
The IRG is also advocating for a digital “one-stop shop” for government services, which would create a single online portal for residents to access all state services and streamline processes.
This push for government efficiency is gaining momentum not just in Wisconsin, but across the country, especially with the focus on reducing wasteful spending and increasing government accountability.
The IRG’s proposal has the potential to set the stage for similar reforms across the country, making it easier for citizens to interact with state governments and improving overall efficiency.
The Wisconsin group’s call for action comes at a time when voters are more concerned than ever about the efficiency of their government.
By building on the framework laid out by Musk and Ramaswamy’s DOGE initiative, Wisconsin leaders are being urged to take bold steps to overhaul the state’s government to better serve its citizens.
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