Pressure to Grow

Light, P.C.
Policy Brief #65, The Brookings Institution, October

After years of downsizing, the federal government is poised for expansion again. Directly or indirectly responsible for about one-eighth of the jobs in the nation’s economy, the government is about to grow, whether the electorate chooses George W. Bush or Al Gore as the next president. Both candidates are making promises that can only be kept by adding to the true size of government, as measured not only by the size of the federal civil service but also by the number of employees working indirectly for Uncle Sam under contracts and grants. Most notably, Bush and Gore both have vowed to increase military modernization.

Wagner Faculty