Diane Rehm: On My Mind cover image

Diane Rehm: On My Mind

How much can Elon Musk cut? The promise and reality of DOGE

Dec 12, 2024
30:27

Donald Trump has tapped Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to head the newly created Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.

They say they will cut one third of the federal budget, slash regulations, reduce the federal workforce ... and that it “will be easy!”

David Fahrenthold is an investigative reporter at The New York Times and has covered government spending for years. He says there are certainly places where government can run more efficiently, and where waste and fraud can be eliminated. 

However, he adds, “It’s really hard to find places where you can cut a trillion or 2 trillion dollars and not drastically cut back the services people expect from the government. 

Fahrenthold joins Diane to talk about what the leaders of DOGE have in mind and
what it will take to accomplish their goals. 


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