January 22, 2009 2:48PM 

# Small-Government Republicans 

By [David Boaz](https://www.cato.org/people/david-boaz) 

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House Minority Leader John Boehner [tells NPR](http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99653076), “I and most Republicans believe that a smaller, less costly government gives us a healthier economy and a healthier society.”

Reality check: How the federal budget grew during the years of President Bush and a Republican Congress:

![Media Name: 200901_blog_boaz.jpg](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/pubs_2x/public/download-remote-images/www.cato.org/172395922072/200901_blog_boaz.jpg?itok=hi_-KVAv) 

##### Related Tags 

[General](https://www.cato.org/general), [Government and Politics](https://www.cato.org/government-politics), [Tax and Budget Policy](https://www.cato.org/tax-budget-policy) 

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