As President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office, he has unveiled a new initiative aimed at reshaping the U.S. government: the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Set to be led by business mogul Elon Musk and political entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, this department promises to “slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures and restructure federal agencies.”
The work would conclude by July 4, 2026 – the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
But is this bold vision a genuine effort to fix the inefficiencies of Washington, or is it just another headline-grabbing move from the Trump playbook?
Speaking with the Vaultz News, Kwaku Nuamah, a Senior Professorial Lecturer at American University, was particularly skeptical about the likelihood of any real, lasting change coming from this initiative.
He argued that while the idea of “government inefficiency” has long been a staple of political rhetoric, every bureaucracy can “improve with some adjustments.”
He asserted that bureaucracies are important. “Bureaucracies are how we manage the affairs of large populations so you cannot run an effective government without a bureaucracy but that bureaucracy has to be functional,” he stressed.
He noted that most of the time, the notion of improving efficiency has to do with looking at how much money the federal government spends.
“And so Trump coming in, saying that he is going to have this new body to look into government efficiency, it’s really just recycling old looking cliché about how government is a problem and how government is bloated.
“I don’t think that anything is going to come out of it, because they’re going to find out quickly that they need a bureaucracy to do the thing they say they want to do, and they’re going to find out quickly that it’s very hard to cut spending.”
Kwaku Nuamah
Symbolism Over Substance
Since the DOGE, as currently envisioned, will only serve in an advisory capacity, Nuamah said that the leaders will make suggestions and “Trump is going to think about it.”
Pointing out that Trump is more of a “showman” and a “lot of what Trumpism is about is symbolism,” Nuamah said, “I don’t think that anything is really really going to get done” because if he wanted to actually implement these changes, it would require a process that involves expert reviews, hearings, and buy-in from Congress.
“The American system is not just the President issuing orders from the top. There’s a bureaucracy, there’s judicial review, there’s strong civil society, there’s strong media, there’s pressure groups, there’s interest groups, there’s a whole bunch of constituents who have a say on every little thing that they propose, and they’re going to know how hard it is to change things.”
Kwaku Nuamah
Additionally, the Expert said that at the set end date, the DOGE will have a report, but its recommendations will not be implemented.
He drew a parallel with Kushner’s proposal for Middle East Peace. “It wasn’t implemented,” he said.
Similarly, he believes the DOGE will become another of Trump’s many proposals that spark brief public interest but ultimately fail to produce lasting results.
“He [Trump] will choose the ones that are easy or the ones that get him a lot of publicity or the ones that personally make him rich. But he’s not going to do anything that is hard or difficult to do. But even if he wanted to do it, he’s going to get a lot of pushbacks.”
Kwaku Nuamah
A Reward Scheme For Loyalists
Commenting on Elon Musk’s appointment, Nuamah said that the billionaire is personally benefiting from his relationship with the government. “He invested heavily in the Trump campaign, and this would be some type of a pay back,” he said.
He disclosed that Elon Musk is not the only person who has invested and is standing by to benefit from Trump’s presidency.
He proceeded to make a list of people such as Chris Wright; who has been nominated to be the Secretary of Department of Energy, Bill Pulte, Joe Lonsdale and the Winklevoss twins. “The list goes on and on and on,” he said, adding, “So these people are in for themselves.”
“But essentially, all Trump is doing is he’s putting people who have invested in his campaign in positions to, you know, get richer…
“But as I said, I don’t really believe that he wants to do any efficiency. He wants to use this as a vehicle for punishing people that he taught harmed him the last time he was in power and for rewarding people who invested heavily in his campaign.”
Kwaku Nuamah
To conclude, Kwaku Nuamah suggest that the plan overlooks the more nuanced realities of how the federal government operates.
At best, DOGE might shine a light on areas where improvement is possible. At worst, it could be little more than a flashy political gesture with little real-world impact.
Whether or not the initiative will live up to its promises remains to be seen, but if history is any guide, it may be another example of spectacle over substance.
READ ALSO: Farmers’ Strike Threat Sparks Concerns of Food Shortages
