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As the new Trump administration prepares to take office, one of the most far-reaching initiatives is D.O.G.E. the Department of Government Efficiency.
Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy are due to lead the initiative with help from specialists across various disciplines.
In interviews with Tucker Carlson and others, each is providing a vision of broad change implemented very quickly in order to make substantive positive progress in the way the federal government functions and in fact how it is structured.
Earlier in 2024 the Supreme Court via the Chevron case determined that agencies may not “make law” this function is reserved to elected officials in Congress. Many Federal agencies have been put in a position (or simply assumed the role) to promulgate rules and regulations. This however violates the concept that only elected bodies such as Congress can make law. The result of this ruling? Certain regulations (perhaps MANY regulations) may be immediately deemed invalid. Certain agencies might be eliminated outright.
This week D.O.G.E. released a video describing the concerns an how doge may address them:
When asked in an interview with Tucker Carlson whether these changes could actually be made, Vikvek Ramaswamy seemed confident that through a combination of restructuring agencies and in some cases changing policies, change could be quickly accomplished. At one point when asked about how quickly these changes could be accomplished, he compares it to a band-aid on a wound: “it's better to RIP the Band-Aid off all at once.”
Ramaswami was careful to acknowledge that most agencies include personnel who may have the public's best interest at heart, but that some employees, perhaps many, are honestly doing their best job within their given agency.
He indicated that in some cases severance plans might be used to ease the transition from one job to another or from public sector to private sector.
He also indicated that changes in policy such as employees having to report daily to their offices, or changes in location may cause employees to make other decisions regarding their employment status.
Assuming Elon and the D.O.G.E. initiative are successful what does this mean for state county and local governments?
In recent conversations with groups around Georgia, it's clear that many believe the changes proposed within D.O.G.E. are likely also required in levels of government across the State and in fact across the Country.
The Georgia Record encourages Georgians to begin thinking about the issues seen over the past years and what they might indicate in terms of needed change.
Perhaps D.O.G.E. will provide a blueprint for beneficial change at all levels of government. Some say that absent implementation of similar changes throughout Federal, State and Local government, we might miss a key opportunity to improve America and set a course for the next 250 years.
The Georgia Record will continue to provide reporting, insight and feedback on these remarkable initiatives as D.O.G.E. goes to work and as local initiatives coalesce.
