Our hopes were high for Elon Musk. His track record is impressive—launching countless satellites, rolling out electric vehicles, and championing free speech on social media. If there’s anyone capable of slashing $2 trillion in unnecessary expenses, it’s Musk.
The mission for DOGE seemed straightforward. Musk would bring Silicon Valley’s innovative spirit to Washington’s sluggish bureaucracy, eliminating ineffective agencies burdened with outdated laws and red tape. He aimed to streamline government operations and enhance its efficiency. Why not dream big?
However, experience teaches us that ambition often clashes with reality. Every child may dream of becoming an astronaut or a professional baseball player, but few realize these aspirations.
Still, we argue that the most fulfilling pursuits are those that appear nearly unattainable. Some aspirations, however, are ultimately fruitless. For example, sending humans to Mars borders on the impossible, while making the federal government run efficiently leans firmly into the realm of futility.
Musk’s brief 130-day term as a “special government employee” has concluded. During this time, DOGE successfully pinpointed $180 billion in potential savings, representing only 9 percent of the ambitious $2 trillion goal.
Moreover, President Trump has requested $9.4 billion in budget recissions from these DOGE cuts, a mere 0.5 percent of the overall target. This underscores the extreme challenge Musk faced.
However, Musk’s experience with DOGE was not entirely in vain. It provided critical insights not only for him but for anyone attentive to America’s looming financial crisis.
Capital Consumption
The chief takeaway is that the government, in its outdated and cumbersome form, cannot become more efficient. While DOGE was appealing in theory—an eye-catching initiative designed to rally votes and spark hope—its implementation revealed itself as a mere distraction.
The name “Department of Government Efficiency” evoked visions of a streamlined, data-guided approach to cutting waste—touted as a source of potential dividends for taxpayers. Initially, there was optimism that Musk could fix issues within the IRS, the Pentagon, and even the postal service.
Equipped with advanced algorithms and AI, Musk and his team dove into the challenge. Yet, the ambitious goals of DOGE collided head-on with the intransigent nature of government.
Unlike a startup or a corporation with unified profit motives, government is a complex entity with competing interests and entrenched bureaucracies. Its primary existence revolves around consuming capital rather than generating it.
The irrationality of government operates on a peculiar logic of its own. Every regulation and bureaucratic procedure arose from past crises, political compromises, or misguided attempts at planning.
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
Musk’s ambitious vision for radical reforms in business contradicts the fundamentally resistant nature of public administration. Efforts to overhaul a federal agency through layoffs, process improvements, and technology adoption are politically unthinkable.
The initial excitement surrounding DOGE faded into the grim reality of agency domains and legislative apathy, highlighting the implausibility of applying a corporate efficiency model to a system engineered for perpetual capital consumption.
Deeply entrenched civil service unions and bureaucracy resist changes, while Congress’s penchant for oversight stifles innovation.
Regrettably, DOGE turned out to be nothing more than a press stunt—a smoke-and-mirrors maneuver to divert public attention from the proposed $3.8 trillion debt increase embedded in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA).
Musk believed wholeheartedly in his mission and in the potential of the country’s leading figures. He was even spotted wearing red hats proclaiming, “Trump Was Right About Everything.”
In his mind, this may have been a desperate attempt to save America from its own trajectory. Musk sacrificed his businesses and personal wealth, only to become one of the most reviled figures in the country.
Now, he faces the scrutiny of Senator Elizabeth Warren, who released a report titled 130 Days of Elon Musk. In this report, she outlines 130 allegations of profiting from his DOGE work—an ironic twist given that his mission’s very existence underscores her own failures.
The DogeFather in Exile
Now that Musk has departed, DOGE is teetering on the edge of irrelevance. The public is left grappling with yet another broken promise.
Musk’s business successes and technological prowess could not overcome the deep-rooted realities of bureaucratic inertia. The enduring lesson is that dismantling a century-old government apparatus is far beyond the reach of one individual.
The U.S. government will relentlessly expand until it exhausts every last dollar, a process that may ultimately lead to its own demise—taking the American populace down with it.
At his exit press conference, Musk sported a black shirt with the slogan “The DogeFather.” In his short time in Washington, he got an unfiltered view of the workings of government—and it wasn’t pretty.
Though he is now in exile, Musk continues to voice his dissent. On Tuesday, he took to his own platform, X, to express his disapproval of OBBBA:
“I’m sorry, but I just can’t stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.”
By Wednesday, he had shared another message:
“Call your Senator, Call your Congressman, Bankrupting America is NOT ok! KILL the BILL”
Musk’s passionate critiques continued throughout the week. However, despite the media frenzy surrounding his comments, it seems unlikely that his rants will significantly influence Washington’s unchecked spending habits. Still, one should never underestimate The DogeFather…
Having accomplished the extraordinary multiple times before, it’s possible he might one day find a solution to sending humans to Mars.
But as for reforming Washington? That seems a long shot.
[Editor’s note: Trump Sends Strange “Coded” Message to Conservatives (Liberals Can’t Figure It Out!). While Democrats allege illegal activities on Trump’s part, conservatives comprehend his messages perfectly. Click here to discover what’s next for Trump’s “Master Plan”.]
Sincerely,
MN Gordon
for Economic Prism
