warren petersen
Petersen Urges Trump To Adopt Arizona Oversight Model For DOGE

January 12, 2025

By Daniel Stefanski |

One of Arizona’s top Republican leaders is urging the incoming presidential administration to adopt his state’s regulatory oversight model.

Earlier this month, Senate President Warren Petersen wrote an op-ed for The Wall Street Journal, which was entitled, “Arizona’s Sunset Law Is an Example for DOGE.”

The piece was written as a roadmap to the proposed Department of Government Efficiency to be operated by the next Trump administration. President-elect Donald J. Trump has deputized Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to run this department once the transition in American government becomes effective on January 20.

When Trump announced the formation of DOGE on November 12, he wrote, “It will become, potentially, ‘The Manhattan Project’ of our time. Republican politicians have dreamed about the objectives of ‘DOGE’ for a very long time. To drive this kind of drastic change, the Department of Government Efficiency will provide advice and guidance from outside of Government, and will partner with the White House and Office of Management & Budget to drive large scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach to Government never seen before.”

Trump added, “I look forward to Elon and Vivek making changes to the Federal Bureaucracy with an eye on efficiency and, at the same time, making life better for all Americans. Importantly, we will drive out the massive waste and fraud which exists throughout our annual $6.5 Trillion Dollars of Government Spending. They will work together to liberate our Economy, and make the U.S. Government accountable to ‘WE THE PEOPLE.’ Their work will conclude no later than July 4, 2026 – A smaller Government, with more efficiency and less bureaucracy, will be the perfect gift to America on the 250th Anniversary of The Declaration of Independence. I am confident they will succeed!”

In Petersen’s piece for the Journal, he writes, “To make these reforms last beyond his administration, Mr. Trump should also consider pushing for a federal law that has been effective at the state level. Every federal agency should be subject to a periodic sunset review requiring affirmative congressional reauthorization for the agency to continue in existence.”

Petersen added, “The federal government can, and should, learn from the states. Since 1978, Arizona has had a sunset law, which was signed by Democratic Gov. Bruce Babbitt. To combat the sins of government complacency, Arizona law requires the automatic expiration of all state agencies in 10 years or less, unless continued by the Legislature. In recent years, lawmakers have generally renewed agencies for eight years. During an agency’s ‘sunset review process,’ the Legislature’s independent auditor identifies inefficiencies, exposes fraud or abuse, quantifies costs imposed on consumers, and analyzes the continued need for the agency. As part of the review process, agency heads must answer direct criticisms from the testifying public, unshielded by the bureaucratic processes created to discourage accountability.”

The Senate President concluded his appeal to the incoming administration, saying, “The American people, not special interests or bureaucrats, are the sole beneficiary of the sunset review process. Arizona taxpayers have saved millions since 1978 from the repeal of unnecessary regulations and the termination of occupational boards that suppressed competition and inflated the cost of services while fulfilling no government function. Imagine the same for federal taxpayers. DOGE promises to save our nation from collapse beneath the weight of bureaucratic bloat and financial incompetence. I hope Congress goes one step further, ensuring that the good DOGE does is enshrined for many generations to come.”

Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.

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