Before DOGE, Clinton Promised to 'Reinvent' Washington — and Said 'The Era of Big Government Is Over'

Long before Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency, a Democratic president promised to shrink Washington. “Our goal is to make the entire Federal Government both less expensive and more efficient, and to change the culture of our national bureaucracy away from complacency and entitlement toward initiative and empowerment,” President Bill Clinton said on March 3, 1993, according to the transcript published by the American Presidency Project [1].

“We intend to redesign, to reinvent, to reinvigorate the entire National Government,” Clinton said as he put Vice President Al Gore in charge of a “national performance review” [1].

The video above shows the Clinton White House’s 1993 announcement. President Donald Trump and Musk made their case in the Oval Office on Feb. 11, 2025. Quotes are from the American Presidency Project and the Federal Register [1][2][3][4].

“1.2 Million Bottles of Nasal Spray”

Clinton pointed to what Congress had found. “They discovered, among other things, that the Pentagon had stockpiled 1.2 million bottles of nasal spray. Even with my allergies, I only need half that many,” he said, as the room laughed [1].

“As we locate such waste and wipe it out, it will be a breath of fresh air to the American taxpayers,” Clinton said [1].

“The Federal Government simply can’t do everything, and there are many things the States or the private sector could do better,” he said [1].

“In short, it’s time our Government adjusted to the real world, tightened its belt, managed its affairs in the context of an economy that is information based, rapidly changing, and puts a premium on speed and function and service, not rules and regulations,” Clinton said [1].

“This performance review will not produce another report just to gather dust in some warehouse. We have enough of them already,” Clinton promised [1].

“Americans voted for a change last November. They want better schools and health care and better roads and more jobs, but they want us to do it all with a Government that works better on less money and is more responsive,” he said [1].

”The Era of Big Government Is Over”

Three years later, in his 1996 State of the Union address, Clinton went further. “We know big Government does not have all the answers. We know there’s not a program for every problem,” he told Congress on Jan. 23, 1996 [2].

“And we have to give the American people one that lives within its means. The era of big Government is over,” Clinton said [2].

”We Live in a Bureaucracy”

In 2025, Musk made the case in the Oval Office. “If the people cannot vote and have their will be decided by their elected representatives in the form of the President and—the Senate and the House, then we don’t live in a democracy. We live in a bureaucracy,” Musk said on Feb. 11, 2025 [3].

“So, what—what I really want to say is, like, it’s not optional for us—to reduce the Federal expenses; it’s essential. It’s essential for America to remain solvent as a country,” he said [3].

Musk said his team had found something odd. “Well, we—are—we do find it sort of rather odd that, you know, there—are quite a few people in—the bureaucracy who—have, ostensibly, a salary of a few hundred thousand dollars but somehow managed to accrue tens of millions of dollars of net worth while they are in that position,” he said. “And I think the reality is that they’re getting wealthy at the taxpayer expense.” [3]

Asked about critics who called it a hostile takeover, Musk said: “Well, first of all, you couldn’t ask for a stronger mandate from the public.” [3]

“The people voted for major Government reform, and that’s what people are going to get. They’re going to get what they voted for,” Musk said [3].

Asked who was checking DOGE, Musk said: “In fact, our actions—we post our actions to the DOGE handle on X and to the DOGE website. So, all of our actions we are—maximally transparent.” [3]

“That Sick, and That Corrupt”

Trump opened with what Musk’s team had found. “And I’m going to ask Elon to tell you a little bit about it and some of the things that we’ve found, which is shocking: billions and billions of dollars in waste, fraud, and abuse,” he said [3].

“Nobody had any idea it was that bad, that sick, and that corrupt,” Trump said [3].

Musk’s son was there too. “Sorry. I tell you, gravitas can be difficult sometimes,” Musk said, as the room laughed [3].

By the Numbers

1.2 million: bottles of nasal spray the Pentagon had stockpiled, per Clinton in 1993 [1].
6 months: how long Gore’s review was to run, per Clinton [1].
1 for 4: the hiring ratio in Trump’s 2025 order, one new hire for every four who leave [4].

What Happened Next

Trump signed the order. Executive Order 14210 says: “To restore accountability to the American public, this order commences a critical transformation of the Federal bureaucracy. By eliminating waste, bloat, and insularity, my Administration will empower American families, workers, taxpayers, and our system of Government itself.” [4]

The order says “each agency hire no more than one employee for every four employees that depart.” [4]

For Musk at Trump’s first Cabinet meeting, see HYGO News’ page on Feb. 26, 2025. For Trump reading DOGE’s list a week later, see the page on Feb. 18, 2025.