One paragraph virtually hidden in the proposed US budget creates what is called the Sunset commission. It is a President appointed 8 member panel that could be comprised of lobbyists, lawyers or even TV evangelists. Their job is to eliminate any government program of any government agency based upon information obtained by the Office of Management and Budget over 10 years - unless Congress votes to overturn their decision.

Imagine Congress acting quick enough to undo the de-funding and disbanding of all employees of a particular program.
They certainly were quick enough to pass the Patriot Act in a few days even though members could not even read it since there were only a few copies. But I doubt they would act so quickly to save a program that imposes regulations on a corporation or any other program the President might deem unworthy to exist.

What this does is to eliminate any program that Congress has ever approved or that any agency has established. The Power will rest solely with the Executive office - unless Congress mobilizes quickly enough to undo the Sunset commission.

The courts are already under attack as you know. Lately any judge that is labeled an activist judge by the administration is attack with rhetoric that even includes the Stalin quote of "no man no problem" which is another means of saying murder works. Nuclear options to ensure appointing any judge the President selects are now being touted as a religious war Christians must win to eliminated secular judges.

First Judicial review and now Congress are becoming totally dominated by the executive branch.

Now listen carefully, anyone who works a federal job in the DC area knows what I am talking about when I say that OMB, the department of management and budget, has taken extraordinary precedents and pain in the ass demands on every agency in the government. Often a demand for statistics are demanded within 72 hours come hell or high water.
More man hours are now spent chasing numbers the OMB demands on an immediate basis than ever before.

Huge errors are being made, covered up or relabeled and being passed on to the OMB. I suspect this will serve as ammunition the OMB will use to do the Presidents bidding to eliminate select programs.

New ombudsmen programs (appointed administration judges which most are lobbyists, are being implemented so that scientists and researchers will have to go before a special panel should they disagree with Pharmaceutical company claims.

In conclusion the proposed Sunset Commission will be hailed as a weapon against wasteful spending. Much like the frivolous lawsuit law was hailed as a weapon against silly lawsuits - when what it really allowed was the intentional lie by any CEO regarding its actual bottom line. The extreme brevity of the law (one paragraph)establishing the Sunset Commission also allows for a huge degree of latitude in its implementation.

Think tanks and front organizations like the American family council have been at work a long time to maximize Executive power and weaken the Judiciary and Congress.
Their work will soon be done.

Best regards to all catters,
Don Hakman