The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) seeks to cut $2 trillion annually from the federal budget. This is nearly 30 percent of the $6.75 trillion spending budget for 2024, which consumes approximately $4.9 trillion in federal tax revenue and $1.8 trillion in deficit spending. So even if DOGE is wildly successful, it will barely erase the annual deficit and will hardly make a dent in chipping away at the enormous $36 trillion accumulated national debt. The only viable path to long-term solvency lies in the hope that DOGE will unleash a massive increase in private sector productivity and growth.

President Trump could not have chosen two better leaders for this task than Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, which gives us reason to be cautiously optimistic for some amount of success. I am sure that they know, however, far more acutely than we do, that they are about to trigger an excrement storm, the likes of which we’ve never seen.

The $2 trillion in annual waste, fraud, and abuse that they seek to eliminate does not simply evaporate into thin air each year. Rather, it is a river of money that flows into millions of pockets: big and small; Democrat and Republican; public and private; legal and illegal; foreign and domestic. The money river is riddled with twists and turns, dead ends and back-channels, which can make it difficult or impossible to trace, let alone control, even with an army of accountants.

Abstract spending cuts are widely supported in theory, but when they become specific, everything changes, and the pigs begin to squeal. The recipients of this largesse will not give up their grift without a fight. They will resort to literally any means to keep the gravy train rolling. We will see massive public wailing and gnashing of teeth over “essential” programs being cut or eliminated. This will come from well-organized pressure groups on both the right and the left, with full media support. We can also expect to see court challenges contesting every cut, which are in fact already being written.

But the real action will be behind the scenes and directed at individual senators, congressmen, judges, and other officials. Intense pressure will be brought to bear. Officials will be offered bribes (if they are not bought already through campaign contributions). Those that cannot be bought will be blackmailed, and those that cannot be blackmailed will be publicly smeared with lies. This will not be widely reported by the corporate media, but do not underestimate the lengths to which the grifters will go. Trillions of dollars are at stake.

As citizens and taxpayers, we can do our part by resisting the endless emotional appeals of activist groups, especially from our “own side,” and by keeping the pressure on our congressmen and senators to follow the mandate that elected them. We can also pray that President Trump, as well as Vivek and Elon have the best possible personal security teams.

Image: Public domain via Vivek Ramaswamy.