The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) draws two extreme reactions from budget-focused observers.
On one side, you have cynics rolling their eyes and arguing that the truly consequential problem is not overpriced government boondoggles but rather entitlements like Medicare and Social Security and interest on the national debt.
On the other, you have optimists who believe that if we just find and eliminate enough waste, fraud, and abuse, we can balance the budget—unless too much of the savings is handed out as "DOGE dividend" checks. They point to outrageous spending on "gambling monkeys" and luxury pickleball courts as proof that government is a bloated, reckless disaster. Others think the piecemeal savings could wipe out our government's $2 trillion annual deficit.
