June 9, 2011 1:17PM 

# Downsizing the Department of Labor 

By [Tad DeHaven](https://www.cato.org/people/tad-dehaven) 

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The [Department of Labor](http://www.downsizinggovernment.org/labor) has been added to Cato’s [Downsizing Government](http://www.downsizinggovernment.org/) website. [Proposed spending cuts](http://www.downsizinggovernment.org/labor/spending-cuts) are $143 billion.

The following essays examine the department’s activities:

- [Failures of Unemployment Insurance](http://www.downsizinggovernment.org/labor/failures-of-unemployment-insurance). The UI system is costly to taxpayers and creates numerous economic distortions. Federal involvement should be ended and the states left free to design their own systems.
- [Employment and Training Programs](http://www.downsizinggovernment.org/labor/employment-training-programs). Federal programs for unemployed workers have never worked very well, are relatively little used, and are unneeded in today’s economy because private markets provide many alternatives.
- [Reforming Labor Union Laws](http://www.downsizinggovernment.org/labor/reforming-labor-union-laws). Federal union laws that mandate exclusive representation, union security, and prevailing wages are costly to the economy and restrict individual freedom. They should be repealed.
- [Trade Adjustment Assistance](http://www.downsizinggovernment.org/labor/trade-adjustment-assistance). This program provides benefits for certain workers put out of their jobs by foreign trade, but it has no sound basis in economics.

There’s a [timeline](http://www.downsizinggovernment.org/labor/timeline) that details key events in the Department of Labor’s growth, a [reading room](http://www.downsizinggovernment.org/labor/reading-room) for suggested background studies, and supporting charts and figures.

##### Related Tags 

[Tax and Budget Policy](https://www.cato.org/tax-budget-policy), [Department of Labor](https://www.cato.org/department-labor), [Downsizing Government](https://www.cato.org/downsizing-government) 

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