President Obama and Congress need to communicate a clear vision of what a downsized federal government should look like, according to a report from the Partnership for Public Service.
In its 40-page report released Tuesday, the Partnership said the president should appoint a high-level official to lead the cost-savings effort, establish priorities and communicate those priorities to federal agencies and citizens.
Congress should set cost reduction targets, but allow federal agencies greater flexibility to meet those targets, the report said.
The Partnership recommended agencies adopt multiple approaches toward downsizing rather than just one, saying agencies usually need to use more than one option to absorb significant cuts.
The report was based on lessons learned from the downsizing of the government during Bill Clinton’s presidency.
Click here to download the full report.
