Giving you the benefit of the doubt about the approval process for new plane designs, what does that have to do with the more directly relevant cost-cutting that Boeing pushed for: minimizing pilot training on the MAX system?
Boeing in particular was under pressure from the more fuel efficient Airbus A320neo, and they needed bigger engines (larger fans) to compete on fuel efficiency. Those large engines don't fit under the 737 airframe, but getting a new airframe approved is time-consuming. So Boeing placed the bigger engines more forward from the wing, resulting in flight instability and pitch-up.
Boeing tried to fix that problem with software, but, as became apparent recently, weren't very successful with it.