Trump has talked about utilizing Elon Musk as a government efficiency expert. Musk himself has posted about a Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which neatly aligns with a cryptocurrency that is associated with him. Clever. The new idea from Trump was a Secretary of Cost Cutting. Much as I want government spending trimmed, a new department is not the way to do it. The department might work worders for an administration or two, but it would soon suffer the fate of all government agencies: a desire to grow. Soon, the trick of cost cutting would match the current definition.
Today, government cuts are made to the rate of growth. So, if the Department of Superfluous Spending had a budget of $20 million this year and was projected to get a 10% increase, the Department of Cost Cutting could announce a $1 million cut so that the budget for next year is only $21 million. Yes, all those budget cuts through the years have been of this sort. The DOGE would adopt this strategy within a decade and become a useless waste of taxpayer money, like most government agencies.
Even if Elon does a miraculous job, it will only be a brief pause in the ever-expanding government. Congressional action is required to shrink government. Departments must be eliminated, not merely partially defunded. Funds will just pour back in down the line. Follow Argentina's Milei and slash government agencies.
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