Source: Politics<\/p>\n
Democratic Colorado Gov. Jared Polis is all for \u201cmaking government more efficient\u201d \u2014 just not the way the federal government is going about it.<\/p>\n
That was just one of Polis\u2019 pushbacks against the new Trump administration during POLITICO’s Governors Summit on Thursday. Democratic governors across the country have signaled an eagerness to partner with President Donald Trump on certain issues, though they have not held back from criticizing the president in his first weeks back at the White House.<\/p>\n
Polis \u2014 who at times has provided contrarian views to his fellow Democrats, like when he voiced support<\/a> for now-Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. \u2014 indicated some common ground with the administration\u2019s efforts to target \u201cwaste at federal agencies,\u201d and suggested that states can learn from efforts being made at the federal level to do so.<\/p>\n But the current moves from Elon Musk\u2019s Department of Government Efficiency are \u201cnot necessarily the best way to get \u2026 a better outcome for less money,\u201d he argued in an interview with POLITICO\u2019s Eugene Daniels, proposing that \u201ca better way to do it would be more zero-based budgeting.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat is it that we need to accomplish with this agency? A, do we even need to accomplish it anymore, or is it counterproductive? B, if we do need to accomplish it: pretend it doesn’t exist \u2014 how do you create the most efficient possible system to do that for the least money, and to do it the best way from the ground up? And then kind of juxtapose and replace the old with the new,\u201d he said. \u201cThe way that they seem to be doing it is just sort of tearing down the old without necessarily having a more efficient way of doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n Polis, who took the helm as chair of the bipartisan National Governors Association last year, touted repealing more than 200 old state executive orders and looking to remove \u201cunnecessary rules and regulations\u201d in Colorado. He said that federal efforts to make \u201ccompliance easier in certain areas\u201d would benefit states\u2019 pushes to make their governments more efficient as well.<\/p>\n \u201cWe literally have employees that just sit there to comply with federal requirements, so I’d love to find a way where if they make the federal requirements easier, we can then downsize the state people that are simply filing federal paperwork as their entire jobs,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Polis also shared thoughts on other areas in which the Trump administration could be doing things differently, including on tariffs, which he called a \u201cself-inflicted wound that would raise prices, increase inflation and destroy jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n The governor is often outspoken \u2014 especially online, with his notable social media presence<\/a>. (\u201cI had to learn what commercial media was,\u201d he said on Thursday. \u201cI had no idea what the networks were or anything, because that’s where I live, online.\u201d) In November, he shared his support on X<\/a> for Kennedy as Trump\u2019s HHS pick, which drew some blowback from some other Democrats.<\/p>\n Polis said on Thursday that he does not agree with Kennedy on \u201csome of the nutty stuff he believes,\u201d and clarified that he is \u201cobviously pro-vaccine.\u201d But he said he is \u201cexcited because he’s going to shake up HHS.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI hope he’s not too controlled by Republican special interests, but they need to let him go to really focus on the health of the American people,\u201d Polis said. \u201cI take him at his word. Obviously, I would oppose if he in any way interferes with people’s ability to protect themselves from deadly diseases. I would be among the first to criticize that.\u201d<\/p>\n But despite bolstering his national presence over the years, the former member of Congress is mum on his plans for 2028. At last year\u2019s POLITICO\u2019s Governors Summit<\/a>, Polis, who is term-limited in 2026, didn\u2019t rule out a presidential bid. When asked about potential presidential aspirations on Thursday, he said he is \u201creally focused on the job that I have.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t have any plans to even think about that,\u201d he said. When asked whether he was taking the possibility of running for president off the table, Polis responded that it \u201cwasn\u2019t even on the table.\u201d<\/p>\n