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Donald Trump has handed Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy the critical task of reducing the size and reach of the federal government. It's in the best interest of all Americans that they succeed.
President-elect Donald Trump thinks highly of Elon Musk. That’s enough to make Trump's detractors cringe and run for the hills.
Yet, Trump’s instincts are good with Musk, the world’s richest person and Tesla CEO.
Trump has handed Musk and fellow entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy the critical task of overseeing the newly formed DOGE, the so-called Department of Government Efficiency. It won’t be an actual department but more of an outside advisory arm. Some have labeled them the “DOGE bros.”
I think there’s a strong possibility they will come up with good ideas. Musk and Ramaswamy have said that they want to focus on not just cutting the number of government employees, but also on reducing onerous regulations, which have grown exponentially in recent decades.
To understand why Americans need DOGE to succeed, look at the national debt, which has surpassed $36 trillion.
Here's how the U.S. Treasury explains the debt: "Simply put, the national debt is similar to a person using a credit card for purchases and not paying off the full balance each month."
The Treasury also notes that the portion of the national debt that's held by the public has increased 123% since 2014.
Now, ask yourself, how long can a person rapidly pile up debt, as our government has done, before there's a hard reckoning?
It's in the best interests of all Americans that Musk, Ramaswamy and DOGE succeed.
An early test of Musk’s influence took place this month, during contentious negotiations in Congress to avert a government shutdown before Christmas.
The initial continuing resolution to keep the government funded through mid-March was chock full of spending on other initiatives and on pork that lawmakers stuffed in last minute. The legislation was more than 1,500 pages long.
After Musk and Trump balked at the massive document, Republicans had to revise the bipartisan plan.
The final product, which passed just in time to avoid a shutdown? 120 pages.
Argentine President Javier Milei shows how chopping government gets results
President Javier Milei of Argentina has shown that reducing the size and reach of government can pay off. Only a year after being elected, Milei has led the struggling country out of recession. Milei, a libertarian economist, is a free-market proponent who has warned the world of the dangers of socialism and ever-expanding government.
After years of implementing socialist policies, Argentina had struggled with astronomically high inflation and a tanking economy.
Milei promised change, and he has delivered. Argentina’s biggest creditor, the International Monetary Fund, has called Argentina's results “better-than-expected.”
Of course, the necessary cuts to get inflation and the economy under control aren't popular with everyone. There is short-term pain.
But the idea is that a stabilized economy will attract investment and more jobs. So I hope Argentinians stay the course.
Trump and Musk want to replicate Milei's success. Godspeed.
Musk has been an avid proponent of Argentina's president in the past year. Given the importance of DOGE to Trump’s second term, it’s no surprise that Milei was the first foreign leader to visit Trump after the November election. Musk also attended the dinner, at the president-elect's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
At the event, Trump said of Milei: “The job you’ve done is incredible. Make Argentina Great Again, you know, MAGA. He’s a MAGA person.”
Now, Musk and DOGE want to replicate Milei’s results by cutting spending and slashing regulations.
“The entrenched and ever-growing bureaucracy represents an existential threat to our republic, and politicians have abetted it for too long," Musk and Ramaswamy wrote in The Wall Street Journal. "That’s why we’re doing things differently. We are entrepreneurs, not politicians. We will serve as outside volunteers, not federal officials or employees. Unlike government commissions or advisory committees, we won’t just write reports or cut ribbons. We’ll cut costs.”
It has worked in Argentina, and it will work here.
And so, DOGE bros, I bid you godspeed.
Ingrid Jacques is a columnist at Paste BN. Contact her at ijacques@usatoday.com or on X: @Ingrid_Jacques