FLOOR OR CEILING? Good question, especially in the context of how President Donald Trump’s 2026 budget proposal is viewed, says OpenTheBooks CEO John Hart. As an “opening bid” in the congressional budget struggle, Trump has put down a marker in what should become a genuine negotiation about the future size and power of the federal government.

And as if to demonstrate just how serious he is about this, Hart offers this gem of a recommendation:

“My recommendation would be to reduce the number of agencies by 437 so we end up with four – the Departments of Defense, State, Treasury and Justice – just as Milton Friedman famously prescribed a quarter century ago. As a compromise, Congress could consolidate everything else into a Department of Interstate Commerce.”