Presidential Biographies | Carter Administration - Changes in the U.S. Government

Changes in the U.S. Government

During the 1976 campaign Carter promised to cut the number of federal agencies from 1,900 to two hundred, and he entered the White House committed to cuts in the federal government. Carter was not opposed to big government, he simply hoped to eliminate waste. He believed that a thoughtful reorganization of government could save taxpayer dollars and, at the same time, dilute the influence of special interests. Carter authorized the consolidation of several agencies and jurisdictions, though nowhere near the 1,700 he had promised to eliminate.

Despite his campaign against bureaucracy, Carter also created two new cabinet departments: Energy and Education. In 1977 Carter selected former Defense Secretary James R. Schlesinger as the nation's first secretary of energy. The department absorbed the energy-related functions of more than 50 government agencies, including the defunct Federal Power...