Last week, Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy were officially named co-leaders of President-elect Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) advisory group. On Wednesday, the two laid out the details of the group’s work in a lengthy op-ed in The Wall Street Journal.
Goal: Reduce the size of the US government
In their roles as “outside volunteers,” Musk and Ramaswamy pledged to make recommendations to reduce the size of the federal government, which they say is currently “wasteful” and “undemocratic.”
“Most of the legal orders are not laws passed by Congress, but ‘rules and regulations’ issued by unelected officials,” the two write. Ironically, it is these two unelected figures who are tasked with cutting trillions of dollars from the federal budget and restructuring the government.
Musk and Ramaswamy said they would form a small group of lean-government advocates to work with the Trump administration and the White House Office of Management and Budget. They would leverage recent Supreme Court decisions, such as West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency and Loper Bright v. Raimondo (which overturned the Chevron rule), to make changes through executive action. Those two rulings argued that many current federal regulations exceed the authority delegated by Congress.
Action process and application of modern technology
DOGE will work with legal experts across government agencies, aided by cutting-edge technology, to review and apply these rulings to federal regulations. The list of suspended regulations will be presented to President Trump, who can issue a moratorium by executive action, starting a review and repeal process. Musk and Ramaswamy argue that this will free individuals and businesses from “illegal” regulations that have never been passed by Congress, while also stimulating US economic growth.
Consequences: Cuts in regulations and staff
The two leaders predicted that Trump could eliminate thousands of federal regulations and make “massive cuts” to government staff. DOGE would determine the “minimum number of staff necessary” for each agency to carry out its constitutional and statutory functions. This could severely impact the operations of many government agencies, from environmental protection to health standards.
Additionally, Musk and Ramaswamy suggested measures like forcing government workers to return to the office for five days a week, which they said could lead to “voluntary layoffs”—an outcome they would be willing to accept. “If federal employees don’t want to come to the office, American taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay them to maintain the privilege of working remotely during Covid,” they argued.
List of expenses to be considered for reduction
The article also lists several federal spending areas that could be considered for cuts, including $535 million a year for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, $1.5 billion in support for international organizations, and nearly $300 million for progressive organizations like Planned Parenthood.
Long term goals
Musk and Ramaswamy aim to “eliminate the need” for DOGE by July 4, 2026. They see this as an important step toward comprehensively reforming the government system and moving towards a leaner, more efficient apparatus.
$DOGE $BTC $SOL