Recently, the DOGE TIME Magazine cover went viral, with Elon Musk again at the center of a public discussion with a "to-do list" attributed to him. Under the headline "Citizen Musk: What's next on his to-do list?" the checklist included past accomplishments and future goals, sparking widespread interest and speculation.
Responding to the cover, Musk clarified in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) that the list was not his and that he had not given any media interviews to TIME magazine.
"To be clear, I have not done any media interviews, and this is not actually my checklist. I am trying to make life multiplanetary to maximize the probable lifespan of consciousness. Some of the items below are needed for that," Musk wrote.
The checklist featured a range of achievements, from "Electric Vehicles" and "Buy Twitter" to "Slash $2 Trillion" with his Trump-appointed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Elon and his partner at DOGE, long-time Silicon Valley mogul Vivek Ramaswamy, recently outlined their plan to reform the government in a WSJ article.
DOGE Time Magazine Cover: Is This the Start of a Golden Age?
According to the WSJ article, DOGE's vision is straightforward—kill the red tape, cut the enforcers. Less regulation equals fewer regulators, and once agencies are shoved back into their narrowly defined roles, their ability to spit out new rules gets clipped. There's precedent for this.
Past presidents wielded executive orders to tweak civil service rules, neatly sidestepping the Administrative Procedures Act. The Supreme Court backed them up, citing Franklin v. Massachusetts (1992) and Collins v. Yellen (2021) as proof that the APA doesn't tie their hands.
Armed with this authority, Trump could slash through bureaucratic sprawl like a chainsaw.
"We expect to prevail," Vivek and Elon wrote. "Now is the moment for decisive action. Our top goal for DOGE is to eliminate the need for its existence by July 4, 2026—the expiration date we have set for our project. There is no better birthday gift to our nation on its 250th anniversary than to deliver a federal government that would make our Founders proud."
The blueprint is uncompromising—mass layoffs, relocating entire federal agencies out of Washington's orbit.
This culling of the federal herd isn't just a possible outcome; it's the objective.
Then there's the 1974 Impoundment Control Act, barring presidents from shutting down Congress-approved spending. Trump has called it unconstitutional, and given the current Supreme Court makeup, he might not be wrong. But even without that legal gamble, DOGE's sights are locked on over $500 billion in annual federal spending that Congress either didn't authorize or never meant to bankroll in the first place.
Musk remains primarily focused on his space exploration ambitions despite the political implications. His response to the magazine cover reiterates his mission to tackle grand challenges like transporting humans to Mars and ensuring the survival of consciousness across planets.
What To Make Of DOGE
DOGE shouldn't be a partisan issue. Every American should want their tax dollars to be spent on useful government programs.
Instead of individuals and companies needing to sue under various SCOTUS precedents, the Trump administration will proactively eliminate those "rules" that stifle business. This will instantly add money to the economy by cutting businesses' legal costs.
(NPP)Remove every law and regulation every 10 years and make them put all the important ones back in. That's the only way to avoid rule glut.
Can DOGE get it done? The jury is out, but Elon is the same guy who fired 80% of Twitter's employees and made it more efficient. If you wanted the Michael Jordan for a project like this, you got him.
