starve the beast

Etymology
According to, the second sense was first used by an anonymous staffer in “We didn’t starve the beast. It’s still eating quite well—by feeding off future generations.”

Verb

 * 1)  To progressively weaken or destroy a dangerous or powerful entity through attrition.
 * 2)  To deprive the federal government of revenue by cutting taxes in an effort to force it to limit spending.