A New Ally for Reorganization

Acting budget director Jeffrey Zients continues to press Congress to give President Obama authority to consolidate agencies. On Tuesday, Zients teamed up with former Michigan Republican Gov. John Engler, now head of the Business Roundtable, to publish an op-ed titled “Streamlining the Federal Government” in Politico.

The two repeat the rationale for the Obama plan to merge six business-related agencies into one larger agency, and they point to the states as a model. “Governors in more than 30 states have reorganization authority,” they write. “In these lean economic times, they have creatively exercised this authority to achieve remarkable efficiencies and cost savings. Recent successes can be found in Michigan, Virginia, North Carolina and Kansas. Requesting this same authority for the president at the federal level is not a partisan plea -- it’s common sense and good management.”