One of the new administration’s initiatives that has given the greatest hope to the fiscally sane has been the Department of Government Efficiency.
Veterans of D.C. budget battles are among those whose DOGE optimism is most cautious. They’ve seen big promises fall short, time and again, even if no one can recall a precedent for the amount of energy and focus being set loose in an environment where the purveyors of Big Government are still reeling, and the political landscape is being realigned. Additional cause for optimism this time around comes from anti-swamp Impact Fund partners who have made tremendous strides in a short amount of time. One crew leading this movement is the Economic Policy Innovation Center (EPIC), which is standing by ready to support DOGE with data and ideas.
Can EPIC’s small army of fiscal warriors help DOGE force our national representatives to reclaim their Article One powers? EPIC’s leading fiscal policy expertise and its demonstrated success in working with Congress will be vital to answering this question, with action, in the affirmative.
Under the leadership of economist Paul Winfree, EPIC develops and promotes economic policy to advance a free and prosperous America through original research to inform practical policy solutions. Dr. Winfree is perhaps best known as an architect of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, which is widely acknowledged to have spurred the economic comeback under the first Trump administration.
With strong executive support, the right congressional backing, and a framework for job creation and cost cutting outlined by Dr. Winfree and his colleagues, DOGE can very well deliver where past attempts at reining in Washington, D.C. overreach have failed. There appears to be strong support from the top of the administration, so garnering strong partnership in Congress will be key.
EPIC provides federal policymakers with educational resources and fosters cooperation with experienced leaders. They’ve hosted retreats with dozens of members of Congress—no small feat in itself, and vital to giving members confidence to make bolder cuts in the next couple of years. Every EPIC expert has practical experience in high-level policymaking roles and their respective fields. And this expertise has never been more needed than it will be in the next two years, with an aligned federal government that must be prepared to make dramatic moves and a Constitution-friendly Supreme Court.
A further cause for optimism—and mandate for urgent action by the executive and judicial branches—can be found in the Supreme Court’s recent Loper Bright and Relentless decisions, which together open the door to significant rollback of Chevron deference, the judicial fiat of deferring to agency interpretations of ambiguities in federal statutes. Decades of unchecked growth in the creation of regulatory agencies have profoundly weakened the American economy and rule of law.
This moment’s “perfect storm” of aligned federal branches, favorable Supreme Court ruling, and societal readiness for dramatic change in how government operates may still not be enough. The “deep state” of permanent, unelected Beltway bureaucrats has a hard-earned reputation for keeping things the way they are. But this is why EPIC experts such as Anthony P. Campau will be so important in the next few years. As EPIC’s Fellow in Regulatory Modernization and Alignment, Campau previously served as Chief of Staff and Counselor for the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) within the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
With experts like Mr. Campau and Dr. Winfree in position to support the new administration’s stated desire to finally scale back the regulatory state, EPIC will be part of the battle to Make Congress Legislate Again. Given EPIC’s commitment—one that the Impact Fund shares—to building a vibrant economy that benefits workers and their families, this moment could be very different than previous ones, with the American people being the primary beneficiaries.
