Seriously, why DON'T we just abolish the Department of Commerce?

[liberalpragmatist]

Since Henry Wallace, the post has simply been a patronage post. The department's duties are a hodgepodge of functions that could all be handled by other departments.

I know people ridiculed Gregg for having supported its abolition earlier before accepting Obama's nomination, but that doesn't mean it isn't a good idea.

Here are the Commerce Department's bureaus:

Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS)
Economics and Statistics Administration (ESA)
Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)
Bureau of the Census
Economic Development Administration (EDA)
International Trade Administration (ITA)
Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA)
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
National Weather Service (NWS)
Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR)
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps (NOAA Corps)
National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)
Patent and Trademark Office (PTO)
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
National Technical Information Service (NTIS)

Most of those could under the Treasury. NOAA, OAR, and NOAA could go to the EPA (which really ought to be upgraded to a full, official cabinet "Department of Environmental Protection") or Energy or Interior. The Patent office could go to the Justice Department, the Treasury or a new "Dept. of Science and Technology." And the Census Bureau could go to several possible places - Justice, Treasury, Labor, HHS.

What am I missing?

[ProSense]

1. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) to the Justice Department?

Really? Since all of these agencies have specific functions, why confound and or dilute the work of other agencies to split up Commerce?

[liberalpragmatist]

2. Fine, or leave them as free-standing agencies

There's no requirement that these agencies be placed under another cabinet department.

[AZ Criminal JD]

3. You eliminate one cabinet department and create two more?

No thanks. You can find a hodgepodge of bureaus in every cabinet department if you look.

[liberalpragmatist]

5. Well, I wasn't talking about doing it at the same time

Those were sort of tangential ideas.

But independent of whether you create a Dept. of the Environment or a Dept. of Science, it seems to me that most of the Commerce bureaus could go under separate departments or free-standing agencies.

[4lbs]

4. Shouldn't some of those be logically moved to the Interior?

NOAA, NWS, OAR, for example.

[GoCubsGo]

6. I can see why NOAA is in Commerce...

One of the main things they deal with is fisheries, so it's fairly appropriate that it's in a monetary-related department. But yeah, DOI-USGS was my first thought for all three that you mentioned, too.

[Muttocracy]

8. Well, Fisheries and Wildlife is within Interior.. nt

[Muttocracy]

7. that's what I think too. nt

[CK_John]

9. In the past the Department of Commerce was a perfect cover for CIA, NSA, etc, so I've been told. n/t