The U.S. House of Representatives’ passage of five bills to enhance federal government efficiency could help serve as a blueprint for President-elect Donald Trump’s new efficiency efforts.
One of the bills has already passed the Senate and needs signature of the president to become law. The other four are in the Senate and all have been referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
The Senate remains majority Democrats until the 119th Congress takes their oaths in January.
The package of bills aims to streamline operations, cut waste, increase transparency within federal agencies, reduce redundancies in government spending, and improve oversight. It marks a legislative step toward addressing long-standing criticisms of federal inefficiency.
Trump floated the idea ahead of the election of the new Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, and gained attention to the concept of a dedicated department that would overhaul federal operations focused on eliminating bureaucratic inefficiencies.
Central to this vision is Elon Musk, a well-known tech billionaire and CEO of companies like X, SpaceX and Tesla. Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy will co-lead the newly created department, which Musk said “will send shockwaves through the system.”
Trump said Musk and Ramaswamy will conclude their work by July 4, 2026, while taking “advice and guidance” from outside government and partnering with the White House and Office of Management and Budget.
Trump declared it the “perfect gift to America” for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., applauded the House for passing the bills previously passed out of the Oversight Committee.
“The House of Representatives has advanced several bipartisan bills to make the federal government more efficient and effective for the American people,” Comer said in a release. “These bills provide better stewardship of American taxpayers’ money by modernizing, streamlining, and securing government operations and projects.”
Trump has remained firm in his belief that the economy must be stabilized by slashing wasteful government spending while promoting economic growth.
“They also deliver more transparency and accountability, both of which the American people demand and deserve from the federal government,” Comer said. “The House Oversight Committee will continue to advance solutions to ensure Americans’ investment in their government is spent effectively, efficiently, and transparently.”
The bills received bipartisan support, signaling a shared interest in reducing unnecessary expenses while optimizing government agency performance.
Trump ran his campaign on the promise to unleash American energy, rein in wasteful federal spending, cut costly and burdensome regulations, stop illegal immigration, and restore peace through strength.
The bills passed by the House of Representatives this week include:
• GAO Inspector General Parity Act, or Senate Bill 1510 authored by Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., provides the Government Accountability Office inspector general the independence it needs by applying reforms recently placed on all inspectors general. The Senate passed the bill earlier and it awaits a signature from the president.
• Eliminate Useless Reports Act, or House Resolution 5301, increases government efficiency and saves taxpayer dollars by eliminating unnecessary reports. Now in the Senate, the legislation has been referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
• Value Over Cost Act, or House Resolution 9596, provides the federal government with increased contractual flexibility by reducing regulatory burdens and promoting the use of alternate factors outside of lowest price which can lead to a greater return on investment for the taxpayer. Now in the Senate, the legislation has been referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
• Federal Register Modernization Act, also known as House Resolution 9592, saves taxpayers money and improves government efficiency by authorizing the Government Publishing Office to stop wasting paper and instead publish the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations online; and allowing federal agencies to transmit official documents to the National Archives and provides necessary safeguards so that backup physical copies are properly stored and alternate publication systems can be established in cases of a continuity of government national crises. Now in the Senate, the legislation has been referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
• Federal Acquisition Security Council Improvement Act of 2024, also known as House Resolution 9597, improves the Federal Acquisition Security Council’s ability to protect the federal supply chain from nefarious entities owned or controlled by a foreign adversary by excluding such entities from procurement processes or removing them from federal information systems. Now in the Senate, the legislation has been referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
