Johns Hopkins economist Steve Hanke is urging President Donald Trump to create a Government Transformation Task Force by executive order, arguing Washington needs a new “fiscal Constitution” to impose discipline on a federal government he says has grown beyond effective control.
Hanke Proposes New Fiscal Constitution Task Force
“To once again establish fiscal rules and rein in the federal government, Trump should create a Government Transformation Task Force by Executive Order,” Hanke wrote on X, quoting a Fortune op-ed he co-authored with former U.S. Comptroller General David Walker. The task force, he said, could recommend “consolidation, termination, devolution, privatization, partnership, and expansion actions.”
Hanke and Walker argue Washington is “flying blind” because it lacks enforceable fiscal restraints and outcome-based measures. Their proposal would bring public- and private-sector restructuring experts together to compare agencies’ work with constitutional and statutory mandates, then develop economic, diplomatic, security and domestic performance indicators.
The recommendation follows Hanke’s recent call for a limited Article V constitutional convention to create a binding “debt brake.”