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DOGE or Dodgy? Mucking Around with the Federal Budget [1]
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Date: 2025-01-17
Elon Muck (a fitting new nickname, given his penchant for “mucking” around in everything) and Vivek Ganapathy Ramaswamy have set their sights on cutting $2 trillion from the annual $6.4 trillion federal budget. In their unofficial capacity as co-leaders of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), their plans sound bold. But this exercise is not about pragmatic solutions; it’s a scalpel wielded with ideological precision.
To be fair, this isn’t part of Trump’s priorities. After all, Trump’s first term racked up $8.4 trillion in deficits, a historic record, and he’s poised to break his own record in a second term. Notably absent from DOGE’s rhetoric is any mention of raising taxes on the wealthy to address deficits. Curious, isn’t it?
While some budget efficiencies are achievable, focusing solely on “efficiency” often masks an agenda to gut programs the DOGE duo—and Republicans in general—dislike. For example, it doesn’t matter how well-run the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is. It’s likely to be defunded or left so toothless it becomes symbolic—a liberal trophy with no bite.
When efficiency is the sole focus, effectiveness and consequences fall by the wayside. Evaluating the estimated 50,000 to 100,000 line items in the federal budget takes time. To do it effectively would take a long time; to do it ideologically might take a week. After all, Trump has already suggested eliminating entire departments like Education. Perhaps the cut list is already drafted.
If all federal employees were eliminated, a ridiculous proposition that only “saves” $350 billion, the goal of $2 trillion remains far out of reach. Eliminating all discretionary spending (~$1.7 trillion) still wouldn’t suffice. Cuts to mandatory spending—Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security—would be required, which are politically fraught and require Congressional approval.
Muck acknowledges the need for “temporary hardship,” but fails to define how long or severe this hardship would be—and conveniently, it wouldn’t apply to him or his peers.
Historically, Republican budget priorities, even under ideal political circumstances, could yield about $790 billion in cuts. That would still leave a $1.01 trillion deficit in Fiscal Year 2024. Even if Trump were to try fulfilling his 2016 campaign promise to balance the budget in eight years, the math—and political will—doesn’t align.
I want to see their $2 trillion proposal. The American people need to see what these two oligarchs think about what is important in America.
Then there’s Muck’s personal agenda. While pushing for $2 trillion in cuts, it’s likely he’d seek a significant boost to NASA’s $25 billion budget to fuel SpaceX contracts and his Martian colonization fantasy. Meanwhile, back on Earth, his resources could make a meaningful impact on combating climate change far beyond what Tesla has accomplished. Of course, this is the same Muck, owner of Twitter/X, who now appears to want to purchase another toy, TikTok, and then destroy it with his novel and disturbing definition of free speech, i.e., speech is only free if he agrees with it and if it doesn’t bruise his fragile ego. That is an interesting algorithm.
The $2 trillion target isn’t just unrealistic—it’s a pipe dream. Even in a scenario where Republicans held commanding majorities in Congress, their cuts would fall $1.2 trillion short of a balanced budget. Without those majorities, the current political landscape makes meaningful cuts even less feasible. Did they pull the $2 trillion out of a hat or should we be glad when they only cut $1.5 trillion?
While the DOGE twins parade their “efficiency” agenda, the glaring omission of meaningful solutions—like equitable tax reform or serious climate action—reveals a troubling lack of priorities. Balancing the budget is essential, but it can’t come at the expense of effectiveness or exacerbate inequality. The American people deserve better than ideological theatrics masquerading as fiscal responsibility.
The question remains: Is DOGE about fixing the budget, or is it just another dodgy distraction from addressing the issues that matter?
PS: Summary of likely Republican Cuts
Federal Salaries and Workforce: $200 billion
Education Funding: $100 billion
Environmental and Regulatory Agencies: $50 billion
Housing and Urban Development: $40 billion
Medicaid & CHIP (block grants, reductions): $100 billion
SNAP: $50 billion
Defense (efficiency): $50 billion
Medicare (reform): $100 billion
Social Programs and Domestic Spending: $50 billion
Environmental Regulations (EPA): $20 billion
Energy Regulations (DOE): $10 billion
Labor Regulations (DOL): $5 billion
FDA Regulations: $5 billion
Other Regulatory Agencies: $10 billion
Total Savings: $790 billion
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