Why Eliminating Government Agencies Is A Lot Easier Said Than Done

President Donald Trump's budget blueprint calls for eliminating dozens of government programs and zeroing out funding for 19 independent agencies. And that may only be a preview of things to come as the Trump administration seeks to reorganize the executive branch. On March 13, President Trump signed the "Presidential Executive Order on a Comprehensive Plan for Reorganizing the Executive Branch," which calls for the director of the Office of Management and Budget to consult with agency heads and within a year develop a plan for improving government efficiency.

A year from now, when President Trump is presented with a plan for reorganizing the government, perhaps even eliminating whole agencies, a major question will be how much political capital the president has to spare. And that will likely depend on whether Congress has passed the health care bill and his yet-to-be-unveiled tax-cut plan.