DOGE’s Damage Makes Way for Serious Government Reform

One way to hasten a long-delayed home renovation is to set the house on fire. Having helped torch much of the federal bureaucracy, Elon Musk says he plans to move on from his work at the Department of Government Efficiency. Here’s hoping a sounder reform of the civil service can now begin.

DOGE began with much hype. It promised some $2 trillion in savings. Staffers vowed to quickly root out fraud and inefficiencies. Often wielding a chainsaw, Musk set about firing federal workers, canceling contracts, gutting programs and dispatching a corps of technology experts without government experience to root around in critical systems.