As we mentioned yesterday, US President-elect Donald Trump fulfilled his campaign promise to appoint Elon Musk as head of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
DOGE, as in Dogecoin, the cryptocurrency backed by Elon Musk. 
Who would have thought that the world's richest man, whose business empire is based on US government contracts and constant clashes with US regulators, would be interested in helping Donald Trump oversee the operation of US government agencies and their spending?
But as with many things in the world of politics and government bureaucracy, Trump's announcement is easier said than done. Yes, Republicans hold a majority in the Senate and are expected to gain control of the House. Trump has a stronger foundation to push for sweeping restructurings of the federal government.
However, major changes will face obstacles, and DOGE could easily end up barking without biting.
Trump's announcement yesterday of appointing Musk and Ramaswamy to co-head DOGE seemed to acknowledge the difficulties (at least implicitly) when he explained that DOGE would "provide advice and guidance outside of government" to the White House and the Office of Management and Budget.
This leaves the DOGE with little real authority to do anything except make suggestions. Yes, suggestions in the ear of the president, but it's not the same as an actual executive branch.
In other words, don't expect Musk and Ramaswamy to "easily crack down on the massive waste and fraud that exists throughout the $6,5 trillion in annual government spending," as Trump put it in his statement.
The reality is that the DOGE will probably be an independent advisory board, according to the co-chairman Robert Weissman, of the advocacy group and think tank Public Citizen.
