Opinion
Mint Quick Edit | Trump’s push for small government looks like a dice roll
Summary
- Its already poor odds of success look worse. The US President’s Department of Government Efficiency faces lawsuits and only Elon Musk will run it after Vivek Ramaswamy dropped out.
Though Donald Trump kicked off his second term as US President with a slew of big-bang announcements, the outcome of his plan to reduce the government’s size looks more dicey than before.
His new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), charged with that task, faces multiple lawsuits over its creation, including from a large union of government workers and advocacy groups.
Also Read: US government workers must brace for the wrath of DOGE
DOGE’s sweeping mandate, they allege, could hurt federal agencies and programmes that safeguard public health, consumer credit and product standards.
It overlooks the interests of citizens, they argue.
Taking an axe to government spending was bound to be challenged, and the arguments made by the White House could set the tone for other countries inspired by the idea of downsizing.
Also Read: Trump’s second presidency signals the end of the Washington Consensus
Elon Musk will run DOGE, now that Vivek Ramaswamy, who was named to co-lead it, has opted out; while the latter’s decision to run for governor of Ohio is reported as the reason, he also became a target of Trump’s “MAGA" support base for some of his opinions.
Also Read: Welcome Elon Musk, the shadow president-elect of the United States
Either way, it makes for a shaky start to the effort.
In any case, DOGE critics don’t see how it can knock $2 trillion off a $6.7 trillion budget, as Musk aims to.
