In the coming months, the spotlight will be on Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy as they take on the bloated and inefficient federal government. Their actions are already causing a stir among the left, despite the fact that they haven’t made a single cut yet. While the spectacle promises to be entertaining, the task of shrinking government and reducing unnecessary regulations is a serious one.
Elon Musk recently voiced his thoughts on government spending, stating, “Excess government spending is what causes inflation!” His observation aligns with recent CPI and PPI reports, which suggest that the battle against inflation is faltering. To make progress, a reduction in spending is essential.
The federal government’s excessive spending is driving up prices and weakening fiscal health, while the regulatory overreach under the Biden administration stifles the growth needed to address the national debt.
Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency seeks to tackle the bloated bureaucracy
According to the CBO, the deficit for fiscal 2024 has reached 6.4 percent of GDP, a figure higher than the 50-year average of 3.8 percent. This level of deficit has only been surpassed six times since 1946—during national emergencies. In the absence of an emergency, deficits increased from $1.4 trillion in 2022 to $1.8 trillion in 2024, driven more by political maneuvering than necessity.
This is one of the reasons President-elect Donald Trump has dubbed his new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) as this era’s version of the Manhattan Project. DOGE’s mission is clear: to stop the wasteful spending that has become the norm.
Democrats, who favor a large government as a solution to all issues, are strongly opposed to the idea. Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren mocked Trump’s choice of two billionaire outsiders to head DOGE, tweeting sarcastically, “The Office of Government Efficiency is off to a great start with split leadership: two people to do the work of one person. Yeah, this seems REALLY efficient.”
However, Elon Musk wasn’t about to let Warren’s jab go unanswered. He responded by pointing out that, unlike Warren, neither he nor Ramaswamy are being paid for their roles, thus making DOGE a highly efficient initiative. Musk added, “DOGE will do great things for the American people. Let history be the judge.”
The push to uncover federal waste and fraud is already underway, with citizen-investigators sharing examples of government mismanagement. One case highlighted on X involves an Illinois man who defrauded the Department of Health and Human Services out of $14 million for non-existent COVID-19 tests.
Further revelations of waste are emerging. Michael Kaplan and James Franey of The New York Post reported on $386 billion in government waste, including $1.3 billion in 2023 payments to deceased individuals, $171 million in unemployment and Social Security benefits sent to inmates, and $15 million annually for Dr. Anthony Fauci’s personal security.
Open the Books, a watchdog group, revealed that the Department of Health and Human Services spends nearly $40 million annually to fund 294 employees overseeing diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives for the Biden administration. The group predicts that taxpayers could potentially recover this amount in the future.
Musk and Ramaswamy take aim at the federal government’s inefficiencies
Among the most absurd examples from The New York Post is the $549,000 given to a Russian lab to study whether cats could still walk on a treadmill after a section of their brain was removed. Another questionable expense was $20,600 spent by the State Department in 2022 on 12 drag theater performances in Ecuador.
While it may seem humorous that the federal government spends $7 billion a year on office space, 88 percent of which goes unused, the real tragedy lies in the theft of COVID relief funds, which may total between $200 billion and half a trillion dollars. The rush to distribute funds with little oversight allowed widespread fraud to thrive.
This is a key reason why DOGE is critical to the nation’s future. As Musk puts it, “ALL government spending is taxation,” but stolen government spending is especially harmful because it benefits no one and drains resources meant to help citizens.
Equally damaging is the regulatory burden placed on businesses and individuals. The Competitive Enterprise Institute reports that federal regulations cost the average household over $15,000 a year—more than food, clothing, or education. In total, these regulations cost $2.1 trillion, nearly matching the $2.3 trillion spent on income tax. DOGE will work to undo some of this damage by cutting through red tape.
Unlike previous efforts to streamline government, such as Ronald Reagan’s Grace Commission, which produced an extensive report that Congress largely ignored, DOGE’s work will be transparent. The department plans to post updates on X and invite public feedback, ensuring that Congress cannot overlook its efforts.
Ramaswamy has promised that by America’s 250th anniversary, on July 4, 2026, DOGE will have transformed the government into an entity truly accountable to the people. If successful, this would be a monumental achievement for President-elect Trump and a true gift to the nation.
