Every Congressman has a Führer in this fight.
Similar to DOGE, the nascent but still unofficial “Department of Government Efficiency.” Congress has not resolved to create such a department. No executive order has been issued by the president. But Trump-elect Trump advisers Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy are spearheading the effort.
“It is unclear to me exactly what the objectives are related to this so-called DOGE initiative,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (DN.Y.).
President-elect Trump, Musk and Ramaswamy have said the goal is to cut spending. It will probably increase by $2 trillion over the next two and a half years. Congressional Republicans met with Musk and Ramaswamy at the Capitol late last week. What's the message? “It's the season to be frugal.
Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said, “Elon and Vivek talked about creating naughty and nice lists for members of the House and Senate, as well as how to vote and how Americans should spend their money.” spoke.
Matt Gaetz's failure turns the tide in President Trump's favor, with Pentagon appointing Pete Hegseth
On Thursday, December 5, 2024, the newly announced Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Co-Chairman Elon Musk stepped down and Vivek Ramaswamy, Chairman and Co-Founder of Strive Asset Management, I left. (Left: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images, Right: Al Drago/Bloomberg, Getty Images)
Republican expectations for DOGE are extraordinary.
“We need to start cutting and reducing the budget immediately,” said Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.).
“All Republicans want to work on eliminating fraud, waste and abuse,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana).
“We can't keep doing everything for everyone,” said Rep. Byron Donald, R-Florida.
But Republican political aspirations for DOGE and spending cuts could soon collide with legislative reality.
“You don't just need legal authority to do that, which means you have to go to the competent committee, but then you have to go to where all the funding comes from. ” said Democratic Sen. John Hoeven. “And how can we get enough votes to actually make it go into effect?”
Retrenchments don't magically happen in Congress. There is no magic wand. All implementation requires a vote on the floor. And Republicans barely control the House.
“It's clear that the next House Republican majority won't be able to do much without us,” Jeffries said.
House Republicans begin the new Congress in January with a 219-215 advantage over Democrats. But by late January, that margin had fallen to one vote after Florida Republican Rep. Michael Walz resigned to become national security adviser. Representative Elise Stefanik (RN.Y.) will step down after the Senate confirms her as ambassador to the United Nations. That leaves Republicans with no votes to proceed on their own.
Additionally, many Democrats aren't crazy about Elon Musk.
“Elon Musk has all but been proven to be a competent liar and a selfish plutocrat,” said Rep. Greg Cassar, D-Texas. “So I don't think he has anything other than a pretty bad idea. “I don't really expect to have things,” he said. Incoming chair of the House Progressive Caucus.
Mr. Musk and Mr. Ramaswamy are political symbols. But this is not the first ambitious effort to slash federal spending. Some “Blue Ribbon” commissions lacked the star power wattage of the dynamic duo of Mr. Musk and Mr. Ramaswamy.
President-elect Donald Trump arrives for a press conference at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on Friday, October 25, 2024, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
The most publicized and successful effort to cut the federal government occurred in 1993. President Clinton and Vice President Gore promised to “reinvent government” and laid out plans to change the landscape in Washington. Their efforts focused less on debt reduction and more on reducing the size and scope of the federal government's influence.
Gore said in March 1993, “In six months, you'll have real results and real recommendations. Write it down. Get back to me. We'll get back to you. We'll do that.” ” I need another report to gather dust. You need an actual plan of action. ”
Ultimately, the Clinton-Gore approach reduced federal jobs by more than 400,000 jobs and reduced the size of 13 of the federal government's 14 departments. However, over time, those jobs returned to their current status again. The federal government currently employs approximately 3 million workers.
In 2010, the late Senator and Budget Chairman Pete Domenici (RN.M.) and the late Alice Rivlin, Clinton's budget director, created a budget proposal known in Washington parlance as the “Domenici-Rivlin.” I have summarized. The policy is aimed at helping the United States recover from the 2008 recession and keep debt under control. They tried to deal with exploding health care costs. Lawmakers have adopted some elements of the recommendations over the years, but their impact has been minimal.
In 2011, the United States faced a debt ceiling crisis. Congress created a “supercommittee” of bipartisan, bicameral lawmakers to concoct a spending-cutting plan, or force a series of draconian cuts known as “seizures.” That would reduce federal spending by about $1 trillion each year. Well, the committee failed to reach consensus. This committee thus became “formerly known as the Super Committee''. After that, automatic spending cuts begin.
President Obama signed an executive order establishing a bipartisan National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform. Former Senate Majority Whip Alan Simpson (R-Wyo.) and former President Clinton Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles served as co-chairs of the committee. The proposal was known simply as “Simpson Bowls.” The commission recommended a number of cuts, including cuts to military spending and tax increases, as well as taxes on gasoline. Congress subsequently adopted several separate recommendations from Simpson-Bowles. The House even soundly rejected a budget modeled after Simpson-Bowles in 2012.
But what if we cut actual spending? We can expect some lawmakers to try to avoid DOGE. Reducing debt may require cutting back on popular programming. On “Meet the Press,” NBC's Kristen Welker asked President-elect Trump about his plans for the most expensive government programs: Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.
“We're not messing with social other than making it more efficient, but the people are going to get what they're getting,” the president-elect said.
“So that right is off the table?” Welker asked.
Trump replied, “We're not raising the age at all.''
“Off the table?” followed Welker.
“I won't do that,” the president-elect said.
Speaker's Lobby: Thermonuclear Fracas
Entitlements consume more than 60% of all federal spending. And despite President Trump's statements, several Republican lawmakers are pushing to change the retirement age for eligibility for the program. Such an approach is believed to stabilize rights and increase solvency.
“There is waste, abuse and fraud in Medicare,” said Rep. Mark Alford, R-Missouri. “On the Social Security front, if people are living longer and retiring later, I think there are ways to delay retirement age a little bit on that front,” Alford said.
Half of the funds appropriated by Congress each year go to the Department of Defense. Congressional Republicans want to further increase military funding next year.
Congressman Chip Roy attends a press conference on the debt limit and Freedom Caucus spending cuts plan at the U.S. Capitol on March 28, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Democrats argue there isn't enough money to cut from other areas to make up the difference.
“Government efficiency alone is not going to unlock the savings we need to actually balance the budget,” Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., said on Fox.
Still, Republicans insist they must get serious about spending cuts and not just pay lip service to them.
“You can't campaign on freedom and limited government, low taxes and low spending, and deficit reduction,” said Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas.
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That's why budget cutters in Congress face a tough challenge. Voters will pay attention to what lawmakers maintain. And what they exclude. There could also be political repercussions if cuts are too large. Or they don't keep their promises.
