Elon Musk, billionaire entrepreneur and one of the most influential voices in tech, has been tapped to lead the "Department of Government Efficiency" (DOGE), an initiative announced by President-elect Donald Trump. Musk, who reportedly invested over $200 million to support Trump's reelection, has made it clear that his mission is to drastically streamline the federal government by eliminating redundancy and cutting waste.
Musk's criticisms of the federal government's inefficiencies have been widely shared, including during an interview with TCN, which he reposted on X on Jan. 6, 2025. In the clip, Musk questioned the overwhelming size of the federal bureaucracy, asking, "Do we really need, whatever it is, 428 federal agencies?" He went on to say, "There are so many [agencies] that people have never even heard of and that have overlapping areas of responsibility."
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Proposing a dramatic reduction, Musk has called for cutting the number of federal agencies down to just 99, which he argued is "more than enough." He elaborated, "We should have fewer agencies and they certainly shouldn't have overlapping responsibilities."
While Musk didn't name specific agencies in his remarks, it's worth noting that many federal entities operate outside the public eye, which underscores his argument about government complexity. Here are some examples of lesser-known federal agencies that highlight the vastness of the bureaucracy:
National Underwater Reconnaissance Office (NURO): A secretive agency that conducts underwater espionage and retrieves sunken foreign vessels.
Special Collection Service: A joint CIA-NSA unit operating covertly to gather intelligence.
Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation: An agency dealing with tribal land disputes.
AbilityOne Commission: Focused on creating job opportunities for people with disabilities in federal manufacturing and service roles.
Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation: A little-known organization that likely deals with historical education or commemoration.
National Mediation Board: Dedicated to labor-management relations in the railroad and airline industries.
These agencies – and many others like them – reflect how federal operations extend into niche areas that often overlap or duplicate efforts elsewhere.
Musk also highlighted that the number of federal agencies has grown excessively, with "more federal agencies than there are years since the establishment of the United States." He described this as "a lot" and "crazy," signaling his belief that the government has reached an unsustainable level of complexity.
He also proposed a comprehensive review of federal regulations, stating, "We need a review of regulations to say which ones are sensible and which ones are not." He explained that each year regulators add more rules, calling it "automatic." With more laws in play, he argued, "basically everything is legal so we can't get anything done. We need some kind of garbage collection for regulations that don't make sense."
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While the proposal to reduce federal agencies is bold, it's not without controversy. Implementing such dramatic cuts would face significant legal, political and logistical challenges.
Public opinion on federal agencies is mixed. For instance, a 2024 Pew Research Center survey found that Americans generally view many federal agencies favorably, with most receiving more positive than negative ratings. Critics argue that reducing the number of agencies could disrupt essential services, particularly in areas like veterans' affairs or housing, where federal support is critical.
Whether the DOGE initiative succeeds or faces pushback, it represents a significant push to challenge the status quo in Washington. Musk's direct, no-nonsense style has brought attention to an issue that many Americans have long questioned: is the federal government too big to function efficiently? The answer, according to Musk, is a resounding yes.
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