Punchbowl News: “President-elect Donald Trump’s ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ — also known as DOGE, named for the memecoin backed by Musk — is best thought of as a mercenary-like effort.”
“Unlike previous spending-reduction initiatives, DOGE has no statutory authority or fast-track floor process, and Hill leaders have no idea how they’ll handle any of the proposed spending cuts offered by Musk and Ramaswamy…”
“Yet it’d be foolish to underestimate this effort. After spending roughly $200 million to help Trump win, Musk is very close to the president-elect. And much like when they took over the House in 2011, Republicans have a newfound ‘zeal,’ as Speaker Mike Johnson put it, for shrinking the federal government.”
“Yet there are massive hurdles here for Musk, Ramaswamy and congressional Republicans. Not the least of which is that spending cuts are great until they impact one’s own constituents. Then it gets hard.”
