Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy: Genius or Clueless? Inside Their Controversial Tactics

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, self-appointed co-directors of the fictional Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), recently penned an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, detailing their ambitious plan to overhaul the U.S. federal government. Their article, titled “The DOGE Plan to Reform Government,” is as broad in its scope as it is lacking in practical understanding.

The pair criticizes the “millions of unelected, unappointed civil servants” they claim pose an existential threat to the nation due to a bloated bureaucracy. However, the reality is that there are fewer than 3 million federal civilian employees—a number that is not only less than it was in 1990 but also smaller than the workforce at the end of World War II, over 80 years ago.

Despite their claims of a runaway federal employment rate, the size of the federal workforce has stayed relatively constant, even as the U.S. population has steadily increased. Moreover, a significant portion of these employees, over one-third, are concentrated in just three agencies: Defense, Veterans Affairs, and Homeland Security, which are not the producers of excessive regulations Musk and Ramaswamy suggest.

They prematurely argue that thousands of federal employees ought to be dismissed, disregarding any analysis that might show certain agencies are actually under-resourced. They also ignore the roles of government contractors, such as those employed by Musk’s own Space X, which far outnumber federal workers tasked with managing increasing governmental funds with shrinking personnel.

The authors suggest that employee reductions should match the number of federal regulations eliminated. This raises questions about the impact on agencies like the National Park Service, Social Security Administration, or the State Department, which have large staffs but minimal regulatory influence.

Despite claims to the contrary, the overall federal workforce has remained stable over time, despite the nation’s population growth.

Interestingly, Musk and Ramaswamy admit to their lack of specific knowledge on what precisely needs to change. They describe themselves as “entrepreneurs” without relevant expertise, relying instead on forming a “lean team of small-government advocates” which will include some of America’s top technical and legal experts.

These experts, they assume, will command high salaries, which ironically could increase costs, contradicting their goal of reducing federal expenditures.

While they pledge to decrease agency staff numbers, they plan to work with “experts embedded in government agencies supported by advanced technology” to compile a “list of regulations” for review or discontinuation. This approach seems to contradict their intent to reduce the very workforce that includes these experts.

The notion that “advanced technology” alone can effectively manage regulation assessment across the government could be seen as overly optimistic or unrealistic.

At a campaign rally in New Hampshire, former U.S. President Donald Trump is joined by U.S. entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

One of the more controversial aspects of their op-ed is their commitment to confront “entrenched interests in Washington” thriving on undue government spending. Interestingly, they don’t address major industries like oil and gas, which enjoy hefty subsidies and have Trump’s assurance of protection in exchange for campaign donations—a promise he is likely to keep.

Despite presenting themselves as impartial “volunteers” led by the principles of the U.S. Constitution, Musk has significant financial interests within the government, notably billions in NASA contracts with SpaceX, which likely won’t face severe scrutiny under DOGE.

Additionally, their plan includes an example involving the Pentagon’s nearly trillion-dollar budget, which has failed to pass a comprehensive audit. To oversee this, President-elect Trump has appointed Pete Hegseth, who lacks notable management experience.

Compounding concerns is the decision by the House of Representatives to form a new subcommittee to coordinate with DOGE, led by Marjorie Taylor Greene, a choice that seems to reinforce doubts about the effectiveness of their strategy.