DOGE is not cutting the deficit

Real federal spending is higher in 2025 so far than in past years, and DOGE is making it harder to raise revenue

Elon Musk has sold his “Department of Government Efficiency” on a two-plank platform: The first is that there is waste in government. The second is that Donald Trump was elected to root it out, and that Musk is the man to do it.

The first claim is certainly true. Look anywhere in the federal government with a powerful enough microscope and you will find…