Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy might not cut trillions in spending, but there are thousands of ways to make government better.

DOGE Versus the Bureaucracy

submited by

Style Pass

2024-11-17 00:00:12

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy might not cut trillions in spending, but there are thousands of ways to make government better.

Welcome back to Techne! Scientists and historians are converging on an answer to one of the most perplexing origin stories: Copper miners moving ore deep within the ancient mines in the Carpathian Mountains likely created the very first wheels.

When people talk about Illinois politics, they often reference Chicago. But when Chicagoans talk about politics, they talk about Springfield, the state capital where I was born and raised. Quite literally, I grew up in the shadow of politics. As a kid, I’d often bike to the statehouse just to relax beneath the statue of Lincoln.

Given this background, it is not surprising that my professional career has been shaped by concerns over poorly designed public policy. So, I felt hopeful when President-elect Donald Trump announced that entrepreneurs Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy would lead what Trump calls the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) with the aim of tackling government waste.

While the “department” is not a government agency and details are lacking, Trump has said that DOGE will “provide advice and guidance from outside of Government, and will partner with the White House and Office of Management & Budget to drive large scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach to Government.” And all of this is to be done “no later than July 4, 2026,” the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.