Yesterday, Donald Trump announced the creation of a new extra-government body – the Department of State Efficiency (DOGE), which will be headed by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramasvami. This statement caused a wave of memes, but it seems Musk is determined to make the ministry not only effective, but also “hung”. It’s not clear for whom.
In his post, Musk said that all DOGE activities will be completely transparent:
All actions of the Department of Government Efficiency will be published online. If you think we are cutting something important or not removing something unnecessary, let us know! We will have a table of leaders with the most insane spending of your taxes. It will be both tragic and incredibly funny.
– Mask
Technically, DOGE is not a new federal agency, as the creation of such bodies requires the approval of Congress. Instead, as Trump said, DOGE will provide guidance and work with the White House and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to implement structural reforms and propose “an entrepreneurial approach to governance that has never been applied before.”
What exactly DOGE can achieve remains a mystery. The fight against state spending is not an easy task and has been going on for decades. With the U.S. budget of nearly $7 trillion, core spending goes to social security, health care, and defense, which makes cuts controversial and sometimes unpopular.
However, conservatives have long used the topic of contracting government spending as part of their brand. Senators such as Chuck Grasseley and Rand Paul regularly issue reports on ineffective spending. For example, Paul in his latest report allocated $900 billion in potential cuts, including $33.2 million to the monkey Island in South Carolina and $6 million to promote tourism in Egypt.
There are already operating departments, such as the U.S. Department of Defense Inspection and the Accounts Chamber (GAO), which are engaged in the detection of unnecessary spending. The latter in 2023 reported savings of more than $ 667 billion thanks to its recommendations. In this context, the “interactive leader table” proposed by Musk looks like a simplified version of such reports.
The DOGE Ministry also demonstrates the influence of Elon Musk in the new Trump administration. According to reports from Mar-a-Lago, Musk actively participates in meetings with world leaders, accompanies Trump at events and in every way emphasizes his role in his victory.
He behaves as if he is a co-chairman, and does not miss the opportunity to show it.
At a closed meeting with Republicans in Congress, Trump directly thanked Musk for his support in the election. “Now I can’t get rid of him,” Trump joked, which, according to journalist Jake Sherman, caused laughing in the hall. But will it be so funny in a couple of years?