💡 Can Elon's DOGE Balance the Budget?

Issue 144

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Today’s Bullets:

• What is DOGE?

• Budget Woes

• Reality Check

• All Roads Lead To…?

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Inspirational Tweet:

I think we can all agree that the US government is The Undisputed King of finding ways to waste a monumental amount of your and my money on idiotic studies, projects, grants, and certain foreign aid.

I mean, injecting quail with cocaine and feeding tequila to fish? These are just the tip of the Idiot Iceberg, I’m sure.

In any case, you may have heard that we have a couple new Spending Sheriffs in town with Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. And their oversight organization is the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE for short—yes, very cute 🐕).

But will DOGE be effective? Can it get the government back in line, curb its spending enough to not just make a difference but actually balance the budget?

Or is this just slick political speak, and would a budget surplus require a miracle?

Good questions and ones we will be answering today—nice and easy, as always.

So, grab yourself a nice big cup of coffee, and ease into your favorite chair for a little Sunday spending talk with The Informationist.

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🐕 What is DOGE?

If you somehow have not heard of it yet, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is a newly proposed U.S. presidential advisory commission.

DOGE was officially announced by former President/President-elect Donald Trump on November 12, and is to be focused on curbing wasteful spending in DC.

No, it has nothing to do with this guy: the cryptocurrency Dogecoin.

Unless, of course, Elon Musk is in fact a time traveler (as some seem to believe) and began trolling us with Dogecoin two years ago, knowing all too well what was in store for his DOGE-cabinet future.

OK. Back to reality and some important details on DOGE.

The commission will not function as a federal executive department, as that would require congressional approval.

Instead, it will serve as an advisory body making recommendations on streamlining the U.S. federal government and reducing inefficiency.

How?

Well, its stated goals are:

• Streamline Bureaucracy: DOGE looks to dismantle excessive government bureaucracy and allow for efficiency

• Reduce Regulations: DOGE plans to cut the red tape of unnecessary regulations that hinder economic growth and innovation

• Cut Wasteful Spending: A key objective is to identify and eliminate wasteful government spending to achieve significant cost savings

• Restructure Federal Agencies: DOGE seeks to reorganize federal agencies to improve efficiency and effectiveness in service delivery

DOGE seeks to accomplish all this no later than July 4, 2026, the 250th anniversary of the signing of the US Declaration of Independence.

Heartwarming, but that’s a tall order for any commission, Presidential or not.

And much of this will likely face significant political opposition and backlash on the red tape and pork side of things.

As such, in an Op-ed piece that Elon and Vivek wrote for the Wall Street Journal, they admitted:

Skeptics question how much federal spending DOGE can tame through executive action alone. They point to the 1974 Impoundment Control Act, which stops the president from ceasing expenditures authorized by Congress. Mr. Trump has previously suggested this statute is unconstitutional, and we believe the current Supreme Court would likely side with him on this question.

…and allow DOGE to target wasteful spending.

You know, drunk fish and coked-up quail among other moronic missions.

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🧐 Budget Woes

If you have been following me and paying attention to the money machine, then you know all too well that the US government operates in a severe deficit.

It spends way more than it makes.

Well, let’s clarify that: it spends way more than it takes (from you and me).

How bad is it?

Take a peek at this chart put out by the US Treasury itself this past month, detailing the river flow of funds from the pockets of Americans to the expenses of the US government over the course of 2024 (remember, the US government operates on an October 31 fiscal year-end, so last year just ended).