Unfortunately, DOGE has thus far failed to achieve significant savings because Musk has instead focused on high profile culture war targets to maximize headlines rather than the quiet, boring work of deficit reduction.
MAGA Republicans may thrill at attempts to defund DEI contracts, Politico subscriptions, government employees and foreign aid. Yet this spending is barely a rounding error in the federal budget. //
So while Musk’s target savings have fallen from $2 trillion annually, to $1 trillion and now
$150 billion, its “wall of receipts” has verified just $2 billion of savings — or 1/35 of 1 percent of federal spending. //
Three-quarters of all federal spending goes to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, defense, veterans and interest, and the final quarter includes priorities such as infrastructure, justice, border security, national parks, unemployment benefits, disaster aid and disability benefits.
‘Protecting’ GOP voters
Trump has already taken much of this spending off the table for cuts, and Congress is highly unlikely to gut these functions. //
A serious war on bloated federal contracts would begin in the Defense Department, where procurement contracts routinely face cost overruns in the billions of dollars. //
Yet DOGE has seemingly lacked both the expertise and patience to sufficiently prioritize the hard work of rebuilding the payment systems across hundreds of federal programs.
It is jarring to see DOGE claim success even as congressional Republicans quietly passed a budget that expands budget deficits by an additional $5.8 trillion over the decade. //
There is a responsible path forward. Stop focusing on flashy “spending cut theater” targets and dig into the hard work of reforming entitlement payment systems, defense contract overruns and program duplication. //
Such non-ideological savings reforms will have the added benefit of likely winning congressional approval, making them fully legal and sustainable.
Otherwise, Trump supporters may be surprised at the end of the year when — after all the tweets, promises and headlines — spending and deficits have sharply climbed again.
