Inherently flawed new initiative exposes government flaws
By: Dean Riaz
Donald Trump represents a slew of presidential firsts. He is the first president to have been impeached twice while in office and also the first president to speak in hyperbole. Dreamt up by billionaire Elon Musk and President Trump on the campaign trail, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) attempts to remodel the American government into one to Trump’s liking. The organization’s primary goals are to slash business regulation, lower taxes, and cut various government agencies’ budgets, thus rendering the government “more efficient.” This proposed agency, which is to be headed by Elon Musk, highlights the deep divisions that have built up in the nation’s bureaucracy and political organizations.
The DOGE will most likely become an advisory board to President Trump and focus its resources on mitigating the country’s national budget deficit. Handpicked by Trump to co-lead the newfound department, Vivek Ramaswamy has long advocated for confronting government debt. However, Ramaswamy has since abdicated his position in favor of potential candidacy for the governor of Ohio. Ramaswamy—who often proclaims ridiculous, racist, or inflammatory statements—has some evidence to back up his beliefs. As of January 2025, government debt is over $36 trillion, significantly more than America’s total GDP of $29 trillion, an economist’s nightmare. It would currently take over one year just to pay off the interest on our government debt. In addition, America’s debt issues have skyrocketed over the last decades, showing no sign of alleviating. In 1993, government debt was a little over $4 trillion dollars. In Ramaswamy’s eyes, the U.S. government’s growing budget deficit has caused an unsustainable precedent for future policymakers. Enormous government spending in arguably wrong areas has not improved the situation. The War on Terror cost over $2 trillion, while in 2001, SNAPs, a federal food assistance program, was allotted a budget of an insignificant $31 billion dollars in comparison. Most see the discrepancy between spending on foreign projects and food assistance as largely unsuccessful, which encourages radical politicians on party lines to critique the country’s excessive government expenditures. A growing number of people, especially those poor and vulnerable to the shortcomings of the government, have become disillusioned with the federal government, turning their support to populists like Trump who promise “America First” domestic policies.
The second essential function of the DOGE is to slash tax and business regulation. Even though eliminating regulation can often improve growth, the DOGE does so with somewhat sinister motives. Elon Musk is a billionaire for whom the fledgling department represents a great personal opportunity: many of his businesses rely on the deregulation of industries. Musk can directly influence Trump to alter potential regulations to his liking. In addition, the idea behind the department’s formation offers an insight into how Trump’s second term could work. Those who pledge loyalty to the president get rewarded, as Musk and Ramaswamy did, and those who disagree with the president receive the scorn of Trump and his minions in Congress.
In the end, the fate of the United States government is in the hands of a select group of inexperienced billionaires-turned politicians loyal only to Trump. However flawed this group may be, they are shedding light on issues ignored too long by policymakers, politicians, and even the people.
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