Since his first campaign in 2016, the phrase 'drain the swamp' has been a war cry of the Trump camp. Since retaking the White House officially a month ago, President Trump has followed through on that eight yearlong promise, as he and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) begin slashing thousands of federal workers. Most of whom worked from home in positions some might say were less than useful.
But the federal government is not alone in the swampy waters of bureaucratic bloat and inefficiency. Basically all 50 states are guilty of having some level of corruption in their own governance, and Texas might be one of the deepest pockets of water. Corruption scandals have long been a thing in Austin, and much of the legislature has shown they are unable to stop it.
James Quintero of the Texas Public Policy Foundation says the biggest problem Texas has been our taxpayer funded lobbying system.
"What they have done is basically weaponize our money against the public interest, and it is a world of harm to the popular reforms most people want to see put into effect," he says.
The lobbying has effectively killed things like school choice, property tax reform, and other legislation for which people have voiced their desire.
But fixing that problem means rooting out the system, which already has its hooks too deep.
"There is a million of these entities that are funded by our money, and yet they work against public interest...I think every taxpayer should be able to go to these entities, and request documents that were drawn up on their dime," says Quintero.
Again, fixing this kind of thing and working against it will be met with staunch opposition, mostly by people who do not want their gravy train to derail. But if taxpayer dollars are not being used to fund things people have given a mandate for, then how is it doing any good? It cannot.
The reason President Trump's draining of the swamp has been effective is partly because of DOGE. Elon Musk and his band of 20-something year old technological prodigies have found countless instances of waste and corruption, most of which equates to blatant money laundering.
So, it stands to reason the same problems exist right here in the Lone Star State. Which means a DOGE of our own could break the ice and get the murky water flowing out of our pond.
"Where we use AI, and other advanced systems, to really dig into other state agencies, cities, counties, and school district, and figure out if we're doing things well," says Quintero. "Where we are not, how can they be improved? I hope they consider bringing this new technology to bear against old, crusty systems that need review and reform."
All of it is easier said than done, especially as newly elected House Speaker Dustin Burrows takes over. However, Quintero adds that the state of the legislature is in a good spot, and he expects them to work together to begin achieving a clean-up.
The efforts to drain the swamp, both nationally and at the state level, are just beginning. But the wheels are in motion, and it has been a long time coming.
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