Staff Reports
President-elect Donald Trump has unveiled a visionary plan to tackle the Goliath that is the federal bureaucracy, and who better to spearhead this monumental effort than the dynamic duo of Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy? At the helm of the proposed Department of Government Efficiency, they have a clear mission: cut waste, slash regulations, and dismantle the inefficiencies that have run rampant under decades of unchecked government expansion. Trump, the Republican crusader for the “Save America” Movement, sees this as an essential initiative to return power to the people.
Musk and Ramaswamy are not pursuing this plan for glory, but their ambition suggests they’re prepared to make the hard choices—for instance, saying goodbye to the thousands of federal employees who appear to be more proficient at filing papers than delivering services. Ramaswamy recently hinted at “mass reductions” in bloated federal agencies, and if the enthusiasm in his voice was any indication, the number of pink slips being handed out could rival those seen during a major corporate downsizing.
We expect mass reductions, we expect certain agencies to be deleted outright.
—Vivek Ramaswamy, co-leader of DOGE (Department Of Government Efficiency) pic.twitter.com/veyPN4phuO
— Alien Milian (Al) (@alienmilian) November 17, 2024
When pressed about the possibility of shuttering entire agencies, Ramaswamy made it clear that nothing is off the table. The prospect of declaring a few federal departments obsolete strikes a chord with taxpayers weary of funding ineffectual bureaucracies. He stated that there could be outright eliminations within the ranks of government, not to mention deep cuts to contractors who have been playing fast and loose with taxpayer funds. Imagine a government that isn’t filling its coffers with your hard-earned cash only to waste it on programs that do little more than perpetuate their own existence.
Ramaswamy pointed out the staggering number of civil servants—around 4 million—many of whom seem to have taken a vow of inactivity. He implied that the sheer size of this bloated workforce is not just excessive, but downright ridiculous, making the case for a streamlined government that reflects the realities of the 21st century. It’s hard to argue with that logic—fewer employees doing meaningful work could lead to greater efficiency.
One agency that tops the chopping block, according to Ramaswamy? The Department of Education, which he argues shouldn’t even exist at the federal level. This perspective taps into a broader conservative sentiment advocating for the devolution of power back to the states. Ramaswamy’s assertion that the culture of federal hiring has fostered a lack of accountability resonates strongly with many Americans, who are fed up with an opaque government system that feels disconnected from the needs of regular citizens.
In essence, this is not just a plan; it is a clarion call for a seismic shift in how the federal government operates. The prospect of a leaner, meaner government has the potential to restore faith in the system, align it more closely with the interests of everyday Americans, and contribute to a “Save America” movement that isn’t just a slogan but a tangible shift toward effective governance.
