What Should We Expect From DOGE?
Can Elon Musk take a chainsaw to the federal government? Perhaps, but it won't be easy.
Ever since President Donald Trump announced the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative on the campaign trail, it has been a prominent topic of discussion in American politics.
The initiative, headed by X owner Elon Musk, is intended to root out and eliminate the waste of taxpayer funds while identifying regulations that should be slashed. DOGE has elicited a myriad of reactions – especially along party lines.
Those on the left have lambasted DOGE, claiming it is just a way to empower an eccentric billionaire who threw oodles of cash at President Trump during the campaign season. In fact, Musk has been their primary focus for the outpouring of whining and complaints coming from Democrats.
Of course, it is important to note that much of the criticism coming from the left is motivated purely by politics. They oppose DOGE just as they would oppose any initiative championed by the Orange Man What Is Bad™.
The Controversy
Just as with anything President Trump does, DOGE has already seen its share of controversy. Critics argue that the agency’s establishment via an executive order issued by Trump subverts the legislative process. They contend that the existence of this outfit violates the Constitution’s Appointments Clause, which mandates that officers appointed to these types of position must go through the Senate confirmation process.
In fact, over a dozen states have filed various lawsuits challenging DOGE’s authority, arguing that it grants Musk too much power without sufficient oversight. A federal judge recently ruled in the Trump administration’s favor in one of these cases, refusing to block DOGE’s power to cut costs in the executive branch.
The department’s cost-cutting initiative has brought about significant workforce reductions in the federal government. Musk recently garnered more criticism when he announced that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) sent an email to federal employees requiring them to list five things they accomplished in the past week. He indicated that refusal to respond would be taken as a resignation.
Some agencies, including the FBI and State Department, have instructed their employees not to respond to the email.
Trump administration-appointed officials at the FBI and State Department sent their staff emails telling them not to respond outside their chains of command, in a possible sign of tension between allies of the Republican president and the world's richest person in his campaign to cut down the government's 2.3 million member civilian workforce.
"The FBI, through the office of the director, is in charge of all our review processes," said FBI Director Kash Patel, a Trump appointee, in an email to staff seen by Reuters.
Another area of concern has been DOGE’s access to sensitive government data. The team sought access to sensitive personal information held by the Treasury Department and other agencies. At least a few officials have resigned in protest of DOGE’s access to this data.
What Has DOGE Accomplished So Far?
Despite the criticisms, DOGE seems to have had a level of initial success. It has targeted specific areas like diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in federal agencies and slashed funding for maintaining unoccupied federal buildings.
The agency claims to have saved hundreds of millions to tens of billions of dollars. For example, the team has reportedly slashed about $420 million in contracts linked to DEI. By mid-February, the department estimated that it had saved $47.5 billion by cutting 61 initiatives over 25 days.
DOGE has also created a tracker so that users can see the number of taxpayer dollars the agency is saving in real-time.
The Overall Impact of DOGE
So, what should we expect from DOGE? I’ll be blunt: I’ve been skeptical of what this agency will accomplish despite all the excitement surrounding it.
Yes, it has managed to bring about some significant cuts. But it is important to remember that these cuts represent a minuscule percentage of overall government spending.
To make a more significant impact, Musk and his team will have to get Congress on board with making further cuts to shrink the size and scope of the federal government. This will not be an easy mountain to climb.
One might be tempted to conclude that Congress will be on board with DOGE when it seeks to make serious cuts to federal spending. It is dominated by Republicans, right?
But we can’t forget that both Republicans and Democrats have presided over the expansion of government over recent decades. They have both spent like sailors who consumed copious amounts of ale, have they not?
Expecting the same people who blew out government spending to approve of actual measures to roll back the state might be a fool’s errand. Even if DOGE is serious about making these cuts, they will face fierce backlash from those who want the government to remain bloated.
Sure, members of Congress will agree to trimming the budget around the edges a bit. After all, they have to make it look as if they are doing what the public wants. But it is doubtful that there will be enough will among lawmakers to do what it takes to truly rein in government spending.
That being said, this does not mean DOGE will not have a positive impact. Congress cannot prevent the department from exposing the vast levels of waste, fraud, and abuse going on in the federal government. Just recently, the team highlighted the ridiculous sums of taxpayer dollars going to useless initiatives overseas through the USAID program. If Musk is as serious about rooting out spending as he seems, we can expect far more disturbing revelations in the future.
Perhaps these discoveries will finally push Americans over the edge to the point that they forcefully demand change and accountability. Or, it might at least push us in the right direction. Shining more sunlight on these problems is the first step to addressing them. Hopefully, DOGE can put us on the path to finally reducing the size of the federal government before it’s too late.