Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy have been nominated by President Trump to lead a brand new "Department of Government Efficiency"—or, as Elon likes to say, DOGE. Promising to slash wasteful spending and overhaul the vast federal bureaucracy, these two Washington outsiders have high hopes, but will they be able to translate their vision and expertise into meaningful outcomes? Unfortunately, the largest budget items driving up the national debt are Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and the military, all which are mandated under federal law. There may be room for cost savings at the margins, but it’s unlikely they’ll be able to address the fundamental problems with the federal budget. That said, while my expectations are tempered, I’m hopeful that our current political realignment will at least deliver something better than “business as usual” as we approach our country’s 250th birthday.