Elon Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency” and Congress: Hypocrites Cutting Others But Not Themselves

In 2011, when I was a freshman in Congress, we did something that should have become a habit—we cut our own budgets by 5%. It wasn’t painless, but it was the right thing to do. If we were asking Americans to sacrifice, we had to lead by example. Now, more than a decade later, Congress is once again talking about slashing government programs and federal jobs, yet no one is talking about cutting their own offices.

At the same time, Elon Musk has launched the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a private initiative aimed at eliminating waste and streamlining government spending. He’s positioning himself as the ultimate efficiency guru, calling for deep cuts to bureaucratic waste—yet there’s no sign that he’s applying the same ruthless efficiency to his own ventures that benefit from government contracts, subsidies, and tax breaks.

Both Congress and Musk are playing the same game: calling for sacrifice, but making sure it’s someone else who takes the hit.

The Cost of Congress: Why Should the People Pay While Lawmakers Are Protected?

The U.S. Congress operates on a budget of about $6.5 billion per year—a massive expense that covers salaries, office expenses, travel, and an army of staffers who help lawmakers push their agendas. But when budget cuts come up, they’re always directed elsewhere: at federal agencies, at programs that serve working Americans, at infrastructure, at defense. Never at Congress itself.

If lawmakers are serious about cutting spending, why not start with themselves? If we can demand cuts to programs that affect veterans, education, and public health, then surely we can trim the excess in congressional offices. Let’s start with a 10% cut to all congressional budgets—fewer staff, less travel, and a smaller footprint. If the government has to “do more with less,” so should lawmakers.

Elon Musk’s DOGE: Real Efficiency or Just Another Power Grab?

Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency is being sold as a way to make the government run leaner, smarter, and cheaper. But while Musk talks a big game about cutting waste, where’s the accountability for the billions in government contracts and subsidies his own companies receive? SpaceX, Tesla, and his various ventures have all benefited from public funds—and yet Musk is now positioning himself as the guy to tell Washington how to tighten its belt.

If Musk really believes in cutting waste, why not start with his own operations? Why not call for a 10% reduction in government contracts awarded to his companies? Why not lay off unnecessary staff in his own organizations before telling others how to run their offices? If he’s serious about efficiency, the cuts should start at the top.

Lead By Example, or Shut Up About Spending Cuts

The hypocrisy is glaring. Congress wants to cut programs but not its own perks. Musk wants to streamline government but won’t apply the same discipline to himself. If either of them wants to be taken seriously, they need to lead by example:

• Congress should immediately cut its own budget by 10%—fewer staff, lower salaries, and less spending on perks like travel.

• Musk should trim his own reliance on government contracts and prove that his efficiency model works on his own dime before forcing it on the rest of the country.

America is tired of leaders who demand sacrifice from everyone but themselves. If Congress and Musk want a leaner, more efficient government, they should start by cutting their own excess. Otherwise, they’re just proving what we already suspect—they never really meant it in the first place.