Elon Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy are set to lead the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under President Donald Trump.
Many people, however, are still unsure of the department’s role. Or how they’ll set about their stated goals.
If you’re curious, let’s dive into what can be expected.
The Department of Government Efficiency is a proposed presidential advisory commission aimed at restructuring the federal government to increase efficiency and reduce wasteful spending. Donald Trump, in his first term, was a huge advocate of slashing red tape and unchaining businesses and people from waste and over-regulation. Spending, however, was not addressed.
So in a sense, there will be both continuation and change in the next administration. And DOGE will be spearheading the operation.
Who Let The DOGE Out?
The primary goal of DOGE is to identify and eliminate unnecessary government spending, thereby recommending cuts to wasteful federal programs.
Cutting waste and getting government out of lives and businesses is of tantamount importance.
This initiative was conceptualized in discussions between Elon Musk and Donald Trump, where Musk suggested the idea of a department dedicated to government efficiency. Trump, in preparation for his potential second term, announced this project, with Musk and Ramaswamy leading it.
“We need to do it,” Trump said in a speech to the Economic Club of New York in September. “Can’t go on the way we are now.”
Musk and Ramaswamy will lead the effort. Imagine that. Three great business minds just go in, scythes swinging, cutting out all the dead weight, red tape, and general waste across multiple departments and agencies.
It’s what America desperately needs right now. And Musk indicated a willingness to enact such reforms at no cost to the American taxpayer.
“I look forward to serving America if the opportunity arises,” Musk wrote on X. “No pay, no title, no recognition is needed.”
In a conversation aired on X, Trump marveled over Musk’s ability to streamline operations and slash waste and spending.
“You’re the greatest cutter,” Trump told the billionaire philanthropist. “I need an Elon Musk — I need somebody that has a lot of strength and courage and smarts. I want to close up the Department of Education, move education back to the states.”
I look forward to serving America if the opportunity arises.
No pay, no title, no recognition is needed. https://t.co/5PSNtjBQn7
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 5, 2024
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Examples Of Wasteful Spending
What types of government waste and what specific agencies could face massive cuts as DOGE gets ready to set up shop? As you saw above, Trump has his sights set on the Education Department.
Musk himself has proposed eliminating the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). The CFPB is a U.S. government agency that is ostensibly meant to “protect consumers.” Cutting this agency would decrease government spending on regulatory enforcement.
“Delete CFPB. There are too many duplicative regulatory agencies,” Musk wrote on X.
Similarly, the Trump transition team and officials from DOGE have inquired about abolishing the FDIC or possibly restructuring it with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and the Federal Reserve.
As for specifics, Casey Harper at The Center Square provides a detailed list of items that should be on the DOGE chopping block, including millions to train school teachers in DEI, millions to study COVID “misinformation,” and hundreds of millions of FEMA dollars for illegal aliens.
We haven’t even mentioned the National Institutes of Health (NIH) reportedly doling out $10 million for “transgender animal experiments.”
DOGE will also focus on redundancies in the federal government, of which there are countless examples.
They will aim to cut wasteful expenditures by abolishing these redundant agencies and downsizing the federal workforce. This involves identifying and eliminating government agencies or programs that have overlapping responsibilities or have become obsolete, thereby streamlining operations and reducing costs.
Trump administration officials are hopeful that the Department of Government Efficiency will succeed in identifying and eliminating billions in unnecessary government spending, leading to a leaner, more efficient federal system.
With visionary leaders like Musk and Rmaswamy at the helm, DOGE has the potential to revolutionize how government operates, ensuring taxpayer money is used wisely and effectively.
