OPINION:
The Department of Government Efficiency officially closed its doors earlier this month, falling short of its (overly) ambitious goals.
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Despite knee-jerk opposition from most Democrats during DOGE’s duration, an unlikely politician is picking up the mantle at the local level. Left-wing darling Zohran Mamdani has trashed DOGE but is implementing the Commission on Government Efficiency.
I guess imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
The Big Apple mayor launched the initiative earlier this year to “make government work better for New Yorkers.” The commission is hoping to reorient city programs to streamline bureaucratic processes so taxpayers get the most bang for their buck.
After a series of public hearings, COGE has released a handful of initial proposals that could appear on the city’s November ballot. Many are sensible.
The commission, for example, is exploring streamlining the required process for restaurants to apply for outdoor seating. Business owners currently have to go through what can turn into a six-month hoop-jumping exercise just to be allowed to throw some tables and chairs on the sidewalk.
COGE also intends to create a one-stop shop for permits to speed up housing and infrastructure projects, rather than forcing builders to obtain permission from an ever-growing list of alphabet-soup municipal agencies.
For small businesses, officials hope to reduce the paperwork required to take on city government projects. All good ideas.
With a Mamdani-controlled New York City at least attempting to streamline government functions, lawmakers on Capitol Hill should also be able to muster the political willpower to advance their own DOGE-ish — or COGE-ish — agendas.
If Elon Musk and Mr. Mamdani can overlap, so can Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, New York Democrat, and House Speaker Mike Johnson, Louisiana Republican, or Sens. Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat, and John Thune, South Dakota Republican.
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At the federal level, some policy areas are already showing bipartisan promise. A sweeping housing bill recently became law after earning endorsements from unlikely bedfellows Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Massachusetts Democrat, and Tim Scott, South Carolina Republican, among 83 of their colleagues.
Like the aforementioned COGE proposals, the package reduces regulatory barriers to new housing to speed up residential construction.
Republicans and Democrats also agree that something needs to be done about a runaway health safety-net program called 340B. The initiative is supposed to help low-income families access discounted medicines, but over the years, special interests have learned how to game the system.
What was a $6.6 billion federal program in 2010 has ballooned into a more than $40 billion boondoggle.
Lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle are working to reform the program to guarantee that patients benefit from the aid. Sen. Bill Cassidy, Louisiana Republican, has released a legislative discussion draft to implement program transparency requirements and other provisions to help ensure that hospitals pass down discounts to families in need.
Political rhetoric can run hot and occasionally ignite, but actions speak louder than words.
When it comes to making government work better, as Mr. Mamdani has pledged to do, Republicans and Democrats share more common ground than most realize. To borrow from a familiar Trump-era expression, sometimes all you need is a new acronym.
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• Jamey Bowers is a partner and owner at Berman and Co.
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