The recent appointment of Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead the newly minted Department of Government Efficiency is a clear signal that Trump is leaning toward disruption. But the risks are significant—and the president-elect has other reform options that could be more effective at a far lower cost.

The Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, aims to cut "wasteful" spending by defunding expired programs. Many of those programs provide critical services.

It’s called the “Department of Government Efficiency,” or DOGE, and it’s named after a vintage meme, based on a picture of Shiba Inu dog, which is also the namesake of Musk’s favorite crypto token. The new DOGE, in other words, is disruptive, it’s exciting, and it’s already got a cool social media account.

Elon Musk’s DOGE will advise on gutting federal departments and which staff should be fired if it deems they are a ‘massive waste’