Dole Endorses Drive to Abolish Four Agencies

Giving a big boost to a campaign championed by House conservatives, Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole (R-Kan.) called Friday for elimination of “four of the most ineffective, burdensome and meddlesome” agencies in Washington: the departments of Education, Energy, Commerce and Housing and Urban Development.

In a speech to the National Newspaper Assn., Dole said that Republicans are “not only going to change how Washington works, we’re going to change how it looks as well.”

In the case of the four Cabinet departments, which together spend more than $70 billion a year and employ 74,000 people, “the best thing we could do is turn out the lights, lock the doors and send the workers home,” Dole said.

Since assuming control of both houses of Congress this year, Republicans repeatedly have declared their desire to reduce the size and role of government. Abolition of the four departments has been among their top priorities. Before Dole’s endorsement, however, there had been little movement in that direction in the Senate.

Even with Dole’s backing, the ability of the Republican-led Congress to shut down four massive departments is far from certain. Each of the four agencies is an entrenched bureaucracy with far-flung constituencies--including some presence in the home districts of virtually every member of Congress.

Last month, House freshmen created separate task forces to write legislation to abolish the four departments and to turn over to private interests or consolidate any essential functions that need to be maintained. The drive has even received the blessing of former HUD Secretary Jack Kemp and former Commerce Secretary Robert A. Mosbacher.

In his remarks to the newspaper group, Dole signaled his agreement. Referring to the targeted departments, he said: “When they were created, they were supposed to be the answer to our challenges in education, poverty, energy and economic opportunity. Instead . . . they have caused more problems than they have solved.”

The four House task forces are expected to produce draft legislation soon.

Earlier this year, the Clinton Administration considered possibly eliminating the agencies but decided instead to consolidate and streamline operations without shutting any down.