The phrase “starving the beast” is used to describe a) the federal government’s strategy of taking power away from state
governments by imposing an increasingly large number of regulations on their
behavior.
b) the Democratic Party’s strategy of raising taxes on wealthy individuals in
order to pay for social programs that benefit those at the lower end of the
income distribution.
c) Congress’s strategy of slowly reducing budget appropriations for unpopular
programs over the course of many years rather than ending them
immediately.
d) the Republican Party’s strategy of reducing taxes and increasing deficits in
The correct answer is d) the Republican Party’s strategy of reducing taxes and increasing deficits in order to limit government spending.
The phrase “starving the beast” refers to the idea that by cutting taxes, the government will have less revenue, which in turn will force it to decrease spending on social programs and other services. This strategy is often associated with conservative economic policy aimed at reducing the size and role of government.