Kevin McCabe: Mission creep, bureaucrats and the taxpayer burden

By KEVIN MCCABE

There was a time when federal programs had clear, limited objectives — programs like the Job Corps, designed to offer young Americans vocational training and a path to employment. But over the years, the original mission was quietly stretched by deep state bureaucrats with a liberal agenda.

Today, Job Corps includes housing support, counseling services, and wraparound programs that were never in the original blueprint. This is not an isolated example. It’s part of a larger trend known as “mission creep,” and it is costing the American taxpayer dearly.

Federal bureaucrats, often insulated from elections and accountability, have enormous discretion in how these programs evolve. They can add services (and forced education like DEI), expand eligibility, and reinterpret mandates, all without a vote in Congress. It is no surprise that programs grow beyond their scope. Bureaucrats do not spend their own money; they spend ours. And with little oversight from Congress, expansion becomes the default.

We see the same pattern in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, better known as WIC. What began as a basic nutritional aid program has expanded into a sprawling system that includes everything from breastfeeding peer counselors to state-specific initiatives with little measurable return on investment. Each well-intentioned layer adds cost and complexity, yet oversight remains minimal.

Then there’s USAID, the United States Agency for International Development. It is one of the worst offenders. Originally meant to support nations in crisis, USAID has become a bureaucratic behemoth spending billions on long-term development projects such as DEI education and LGBTQ support in foreign countries, many of which yield questionable results. From failed agricultural projects in sub-Saharan Africa to redundant health initiatives in Central America, USAID operates with virtually no accountability. Add to the billions in foreign aid funneled into unstable regions, and we find ourselves bankrolling inefficiency on a global scale while our own infrastructure and veterans go underfunded.

Bureaucratic expansion happens for a few simple reasons. First, there is a built-in incentive for bureaucrats to grow their agencies. Bigger budgets mean more influence and more job security. The National Taxpayers Union has documented how agencies justify budget increases by adding responsibilities and staff, often duplicating existing efforts. Second, political pressure from advocacy groups and elected officials often encourages expansion. Programs get loaded, often with no clear program association, with extras to appease interest groups and constituents. Finally, there is the, often times genuine, perception that new or emergent challenges must be addressed, even if they fall outside a program’s original scope (again, DEI).

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is another example. Originally established to combat communicable diseases, the CDC has taken on workplace safety, obesity, and even gun violence research. These might be serious issues, but they are not within the CDC’s founding mission. Meanwhile, the agency was an utter failure, during COVID-19, performing its core function of disease control. By broadening its scope, the CDC diluted its focus and weakened its performance, even as its budget ballooned to nearly $12 billion.

The Federal Reserve has also wandered far from its lane. Since the 2008 financial crisis, the Fed has engaged in direct credit allocation, studied inequality, and ventured into climate change policy. These are not monetary policy. When the Fed speaks on social issues, DEI, and ESG, it raises questions about its neutrality and credibility, all while expanding its power without direct accountability to the American people.

Mission creep is not always easy to see. It often unfolds slowly, behind closed doors, under the radar of the average taxpayer. But its effects are real. Budgets swell, programs become unfocused, and the cost of government rises. Worse, it erodes public trust. When agencies do too much and achieve too little, Americans rightly wonder whether their money is being used wisely. And then there are those who complain when a service they have come to expect is cut.

Oversight is supposed to be Congress’s job. We have committees for that very purpose. But the reality is far less reassuring. Congressional oversight suffers from resource constraints, limited expertise, and shifting political priorities. Committees are often understaffed and overwhelmed. Complex programs require specialized knowledge that few lawmakers possess. Oversight rarely wins headlines or re-election campaigns.

Meanwhile, federal spending surges. In 2025, the federal budget will top $6 trillion. A significant portion of that goes to programs that have strayed far from their original missions. Add the $34 trillion national debt and interest payments that will burden our children, and it becomes clear that mission creep is not just a bureaucratic problem. It is a taxpayer problem. And It’s a national problem and a national disgrace.

We cannot afford to ignore this any longer. Reform starts with reclaiming congressional authority. Agencies must be held to their statutory mandates. If expansion is necessary, it should go through Congress, not through regulation. Second, we need transparency. Every federal program should be subject to routine performance audits and cost-benefit analyses – programs and projects must have a discernible Return on Investment. And third, we must demand that spending reflects American priorities. Before sending billions overseas or funding redundant federal programs, let’s take care of our own.

This is not about gutting government. It is about restoring focus and discipline. Programs should do what they were designed to do — no more, no less. When unelected bureaucrats chart their own course, the American people lose control of their government. And when Congress fails to hold them accountable, it fails in its duty to the taxpayers.

Mission creep might be gradual, but its impact is enormous. The time to push back is now. Demand an ROI!

Kevin McCabe serves in the Alaska Legislature on behalf of Big Lake.