Summary
The “Department of Government Efficiency” won’t be a real government agency. In fact, it won’t even be part of the federal government.
Led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, the advisory commission aims to cut $2 trillion in spending, reduce regulations, and downsize the federal workforce.
Critics question its effectiveness, given its outsider status, potential conflicts of interest with Musk’s businesses, and Ramaswamy’s focus on mass layoffs and agency eliminations.
While some praise its potential for reforms, others warn it may undermine civil service and prioritize “slash-and-burn” cuts over thoughtful changes.
They don’t have the authority under the current government.
A government is just a series of rules enforced by people who follow those rules. If enough people decide to ignore the rules, they can do whatever they want.
The last defense for those rules is the military, but trump wants to fire a ton of generals and appoint his own people, who won’t bat at an eye at blatant constitutional violations.
Give it a few months and the DOGE duo will probably have significant sway over budgets, regardless of how much authority they have on paper.