Memorandum for the Heads of Executives Departments and Agencies
Subject: Advisory Committee Review
Your recommendations for the continuation or termination of advisory committees, in response to my directive of February 25, 1977, have been received and are being reviewed by the Office of Management and Budget.
I believe more can be done, and I have asked OMB staff to carefully review your recommendations. When that review is complete later in May, senior OMB staff will meet with your Departments and agencies for a critical zero-based analysis of committees you wish to continue. However, I urge you not to wait for those sessions to rethink the need for your committees. OMB would be happy to receive further recommendations for committee terminations during their review.
JIMMY CARTER
Memorandum for the Director, Office of Management and Budget, Chairman, Council on Environmental Quality, Chairman, Council on International Economic Policy, President, Export-Import Bank of the United States
Subject: Advisory Committee Review
Your recommendations for the continuation or termination of advisory committees, in response to my directive of February 25, 1977, have been received and are being reviewed by the Office of Management and Budget.
I am pleased that you have recommended the termination of all committees advising your Departments and agencies. You have made an important contribution to our effort to improve the organization and effectiveness of government. Efforts such as yours, and our continued attention to the establishment and continuation of committees, will make it a success.
JIMMY CARTER
Note: The texts of the memorandums were released on May 25.
Included in the White House press release was a breakdown of recommendations from Cabinet departments for numbers of committees to be eliminated, which read as follows:
AGENCY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR TERMINATION AND CONTINUATION OF ADVISORY COMMITTEES--CABINET DEPARTMENTS
Number of committees
Percent
Reviewed Terminated Continued terminated
Agriculture 110 89 21 8 l
Commerce 91 6 85 7
Defense 63 13 50 21
Health, Education and Welfare 352 91 261 26
Housing and Urban Development 2 1 1 50
Interior 49 7 136 14
Justice 10 3 7 30
Labor 25 3 22 12
State 39 22 17 56
Transportation 30 16 14 53
Treasury 27 16 28 59
Subtotal, Cabinet 798 267 522 34
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1 No recommendation on 6 committees which are pending transfer to Labor or the new energy agency. Last year the Interior Department ended 68 committees on their own initiative. 2 3 committees still under review. |
Jimmy Carter, Memorandums on Advisory Committee Review Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/243197