Chart of the week: DOGE is not cutting the deficit (April 11, 2025)
www.gelliottmorris.com

... Elon Musk has sold his "Department of Government Efficiency" on a two-plank platform: The first is that there is waste in government. The second is that Donald Trump was elected to root it out, and that Musk is the man to do it.

The first claim is certainly true. Look anywhere in the federal government with a powerful enough microscope and you will find waste. The White House said the government was spending $8 million on subscriptions to Politico, for example, which does seem a hefty amount for taxpayers to fork over (could some departments have shared?). Infrastructure projects are plagued with cost and time overruns, too. And don't even get me started on added health care costs.

The second of Musk's propositions may not be quite so apt, however. That's because in the two months DOGE has had to find the fat in government and cut it out -- with nearly unchecked power to do so -- it has done remarkably little of impact. In fact, Musk may be increasing bloat, rather than reducing it. ...