The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has taken Washington D.C. by storm, dominating the news cycle and discussions on Capitol Hill. But the impact of President Donald Trump’s waste-cutting initiative may soon be felt internationally as well.
Reducing the size and power of government bureaucracies has become an increasingly popular trend among global conservatives in recent years, a phenomenon perhaps most colorfully displayed by Argentine President Javier Milei. During his captivating run for office in 2023, Milei famously used a chainsaw as a metaphor for what he planned to do to his country’s bloated bureaucracy.
But while Milei became an internet sensation and invigorated conservatives, it is Trump’s war on “waste, fraud, and abuse” that is leading the way. As chaotic as American politics has been in recent years, the free world still looks to the United States as a model for what is possible – and Trump is proving that a more lean and efficient government can better serve the needs of the people while preserving liberty and constitutional order.
I spoke with political experts in several other Western nations, all of whom noted that their governments are carefully observing DOGE and, in some cases, taking steps toward establishing efficiency offices of their own.
In Australia, for instance, Conservative Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has established a new “shadow minister for government efficiency,” which Sky News describes as a “DOGE-esque” operation. Dutton said Australians were “sick of the wasteful spending that is out of control under the Albanese government… Be it the 36,000 additional Canberra public servants employed under this government, or the flagrant waste of $450 million on the divisive Voice referendum.”
Germany’s Deutsche Telekom, one of the leading telecom companies in Europe, has also pleaded for a “European DOGE” based on the U.S. model. “What Europe needs is something like DOGE,” Deutsche Telekom CEO Tim Höttges said at the MWC mobile communications trade fair earlier this month, emphasizing that overzealous European Union regulations are impeding the ability of European companies to compete in the global marketplace.
In Britain, Prime Minister Keir Starmer recently promised to “hack back the thicket of red tape” suffocating the economy. While Starmer stopped short of proposing the sweeping-style cuts in the United States and Argentina, his comments were nonetheless a subtle nod to the popularity of DOGE’s platform.
I anonymously interviewed four European economists who analyzed DOGE’s actions so far, all of whom praised its achievements. According to the online DOGE tracker, the office has saved $130 billion by eliminating wasteful contracts and unnecessary spending, amounting to more than $800 per taxpayer.
Elected Democrats and some liberal economists in the United States have disputed these numbers, but one of the European experts I spoke with said that he “wouldn’t focus on initial statistics, as they always need to be recalculated.” Instead, he continued, the more important metric is the “scale of the permanent liquidation” of government offices, such as the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Another individual I spoke with said that what is perhaps more significant than the dollar figure of cuts DOGE has implemented is how it is changing people’s perception of government spending overall. “DOGE fundamentally changes how one thinks about the government, its political philosophy,” he said.
More specifically, DOGE has dispelled at least three prevalent myths about government spending: “that the government is an omnipotent provider, that welfare or grant payments are free, and that Americans are powerless in the face of growing deficits.” For the first time in decades, DOGE has demonstrated that the institutional inertia of the federal bureaucracy can be checked – ever-increasing budgets for obscure agencies are not inevitable.
Another economist I spoke with who advises a European government described this shift as a “groundbreaking achievement and a profound lesson for the West.” Other Western democracies, he said, must “learn from the Trump administration, which took to heart Milton Friedman’s observations that manufacturing jobs make money while government jobs spend it.”
Spanish economist Carlos Iñiguez, who advised his government in the early 1980s, told me the real promise of DOGE is in “reclaiming America’s traditional sense of self-reliance, which means turning away from reliance on government and institutional help by encouraging more volunteerism and community activism with minimal government involvement.”
“The purpose of government and the relationship between citizens and the government will be redefined across all levels of society,” he added.
President Ronald Reagan famously referred to America as a “shining city on a hill” that acts as a beacon of hope and a model of liberty. By taking the lead on eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse, President Trump is paving the way for a restoration of a limited, accountable, and transparent government not just in the United States but around the world.
Ben Solis is the pen name of an international affairs journalist, historian, and researcher.
No doubt virtually every major western nation around the world is terrified by the prospect of their citizens potentially finding out about the constant amount of rampant waste, fraud and abuse of their tax dollars by many of the governments around the world. This is why most politicians in the past have only endlessly talked about ending the misuse of taxpayer dollars, in very broad and undefined terms, but done relatively little to nothing to expose the true degree of ongoing waste and corruption that has become standard practice in so many so-called “progressive” style governments around the world. Professional politicians like to talk about cleaning up waste, fraud and abuse, but very, very few actually want to do it.
Now with President Trump and Elon Musk, the curtain is finally being pulled back for the general public to get a glimpse, at least in the United States, to where and what so much of our taxpayer dollars is actually being squandered on. Which is why our Founding Fathers wanted to keep our federal government as small and lean as possible, in order to avoid the sort of unaccountable, bureaucratic bloat and corruption that inevitably begins to seep in when a government grows far too large to be effectively managed and controlled properly by a professional political class that seems to lack any real interest in doing so. Thank God we have both President Trump and Elon Musk for doing what should have been done ages ago in this country. Now Congress needs to do the necessary budgetary recission legislation to make all these changes permanent.
A very simple question-Why would any US citizen be against the trove of US taxpayer money wasted on any project not benefitting US citizens?
The ONLY people what are AGAINST DOGE, are the ones riding happy on, and benefiting from the Government Gravy Train. A train of WASTE FRAUD AND ABUSE, CAUSED BY MEGA CORRUPT POLITICIANS ON BOTH SIDES. This taxpayer SCREWING SCHEME that is decades long over due to be ‘DERAILED’. And DOGE is taking out all the ‘spikes’ holding the track together and eliminating them.
This well-deserved and MUCH NEEDED government train wreck, makes the one in The Fugitive look like a kiddie toy. And ALL the villains on board are terrified and screaming lies, whining, moaning, cursing, and protesting in sick and demented ways. They can see their future being destroyed.
And to that, I sing HALLELUJAH, PRAISE THE LORD.
Great that they are listening to DOGE way of eliminating fraud and abuse to American tax payers. Common sense is Trump’s & Elon’s approach to cleaning them up, but the Democs seems to be devoid of it as they reject it.
Liberalism is a scourge on the world. “Give them an inch and they will take a yard”…and take and take and take, until the entity is no more. They are weak, greedy, self centered and cannot compete in a real world and so turn to socialism and eventually communism to level the playing field for survival.
DOGE is refreshing! That other countries are taking notice and may become emboldened to institute their own version of DOGE is even more refreshing. Our world will be a better place once governments are DOGEd out!
Praise God that we have President Donald Trump and DOGE for DRAINING THE SWAMP!!!!
It’s time that citizens of the world over finally realize that those who would aspire to position in the halls of power rarely have the best interest of the citizens in mind or heart. Egos LOVE power, and power builds great ego.
Anyone arguing against DOGE is anti democracy, pro bureaucracy. If that’s you, there are many countries that you can move to to fulfill your goals. Most of Europe, most of Asia, most of Africa, most of South and Central America, Canada and who knows where else. Tyranny and despotism are much more common on the planet than liberty. As for me, I’m a huge fan of Patrick Henry and Thomas Paine. Can I refer you to their works and the Declaration of Independence? Try being an American for a while!
What a wonderful thought, International in blue, marching under the banner of liberty, a nightmare of every bureaucrat and leftist.
This result must get to the public. Good news about Trump Administration is being censored. Imperative to get control over the Media.
All governments are afflicted with the same illness: that its THEIR money, not YOURS! Like Obama got away with saying “you didn’t earn it”.
This is good messaging and action coming from our Capitol, that the rest of the world is noticing. How wrong of the other side of the aisle to have been criticizing everything we have advocated for. Since they have always been spiteful of our accomplishments, perhaps they should aim a bit higher… and actually accomplish something valuable on their end ??
“America the shining city on the hill” sad to say has been destroyed by the democrats, Clinton, Obama and Biden regimes. We have become the most unsafe, unproductive America. Overrun by foreigners, supported by government mandates and we citizens being the patsies paying for them and we are being destroyed every day. Trump is trying through DOGE and other economic policies to revive America. Only the democrats are continuing their plans to destroy America by waging a war them against them. Every day the court cases increase to the point that judges are running America as proxies for the democrats. The democrat party is a dictatorship who have sunk this country into a sewer with their teaching Sodom and Gomorrah in schools starting in kindergarten. The 1% trans are dictating to the majority 99%. The atheists democrats are destroying religion. The criminal invaders are running rabid in our country but don’t you dare deport them. It’s unsafe in this country for the citizens. DOGE is showing the WASTE, FRAUD and ABUSE that is going on in the treasury. And what say the dems. Elon Musk is a dictator, a king, kill him. Doesn’t this show how the democrats feel about those opposed to them. The dems should be grateful to Elon for finding all this largess of waste but the dems don’t want a prosperous country. Especially not under Trump. Where today can we who support president Trump go when enemies like Jerry Goldberg, Schumer, AOC, Bernie, Crockett et al are screaming to kill us. This DOGE was the best thing Trump has done sofar. To make an enemy out of Elon for everything he has done for America and wanting to kill him along with President Trump is an act of insurrection and anyone threatening these men should be charged with treason and overthrow of the government.
Thanks to President Trump will give hi. Credit for Doge
LIFE IS ALWAYS DIFFICULT, THEN YOU DIE.
SEEMS LIKE THESE PEOPLE JUST WANT TO TAKE FROM WORKING AMERICANS UNTIL WE ARE ALL IN THE GUTTER WITH THEM.
IF THINGS WORKED PROPERLY, THE HUMAN TRASH SHOULD BE ABANDONED TO A REMOTE LAND THEN THEY WOULD HAVE TO WORK OR STARVE TO DEATH.
CHARITY IS NOT TAKING MONEY FROM WORKERS (TAXES) AND GIVING IT TO PEOPLE WHO WANT TO SIT ON THEIR BACKSIDES DOING NOTHING. OUR FOUNDERS SAID THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SHOULD NEVER BE INVOLVED WITH CHARITY – THEY WERE SPOT ON.
Don’t know about the rest of AMAC members who’ve commented, but to me, the $$$Billions DOGE and Pres. Trump are saving should go to paying down the United States’ $37Trillion debt.
AND Congress MUST solidify those changes into law and write those laws in such a way as to prevent future administrations from wildly growing gov’t again, AND holding the government to a balanced budget!!
We also need term limits for Congress – no more than 4 3-year terms for Senate and 6 2-year terms for House.
I really think that President Trump and Elon Musk are doing a tremendous job at exposing abuse, fraud, and the general bloating of the US Government. I wish it would be possible to maybe go back to the earliest form of the Government we had in the mid to late 1700s. It might have to be modified a bit to work efficiently today, but less government seems like a great idea.
“anonymously interviewed four European economists who analyzed DOGE’s actions so far, all of whom praised its achievements. According to the online DOGE tracker, the office has saved $130 billion by eliminating wasteful contracts and unnecessary spending, amounting to more than $800 per taxpayer.” And that money should be returned to their Tax Payers to whom it rightfully belongs! ALL American Citizens should be Fully Supporting DOGE! This will help ALL of us! And as for the ones doing the Stealing, Let A.G. Bondi deal with them! They need to face JUSTICE!!!
News shows us the “free” world countries have all been asleep permitting progressive LEFT governments to get established. They opened borders and destroyed cultures by permissive attitudes about the intent for those coming into their countries. Immigration involved declaring the intent to assimilate into a countries culture at one time. Now we see people come into countries demanding a carve out for the culture they bring. Watch the resulting riots on nightly news. In our country we see the same with illegal aliens and visa holding students that inspires violent protests and corrupting our college campuses.
There is nothing wrong with expecting visitors who wish to stay to adopt our culture. No one is required to give up their heritage but the values and laws of our land should be adopted. That is our culture. Those who come into our country to stay are not welcome to turn our country into what they left behind.
Time for the republican politicians to really get onboard and stop activist judges from trying to end everything Trump and Musk are trying to accomplish. IMO
I think Ronald Reagan would be proud of Donald Trump for getting rid of the government waste. No doubt he tried to do it, but didn’t have DOGE to help.I thank GOD that HE spared Trump’s life so he could do this. And thank GOD that Elon Musk SAW the difference between the Dem;s and DJT, and wanted to help. A big problem through the years has been bureaucrats running the government. What WE the PEOPLE needed was a BUSINESSMAN to get into office. Running the country like a business with checks and balances is the way to go. There was TOO MUCH greed in the past.I say HAIL to the CHIEF. Think how rich this country would be if the Dem’s would stop fighting our President at every turn. The Dem’s have become the party of greed. That’s why they are mad that the GRAVY train is getting empty. I say “Praise GOD for Donald Trump and DOGE.
Frankly, most important to all of this, is Trump. Those of us who for more years than likely Trump, invested in grasping the largess of government spending at all levels, at least in what I refer to as the modern era (the fifties until now), understand how criminally wasteful politicians/bureaucrats have been to taxpayer funds, get it. Now there’s a person finally taking it on with all the slings and arrows coming his way. Those of us at all levels who’ve built and operated American businesses and practiced both in domestic and foreign commerce, I’d say comprehend it is never easy, but keep on keepin’ on.
Turmoil in my experience is an aid as motivation for those who are ready for opportunity where none seems apparent.
It takes gots to succeed and no one is better qualified than a none political outsider than President Trump with a vision to realize that our government is run by the party of corruption. From the begging his goal has been to get to the root cause and it’s paying off big time.
THANK YOU EON for your service !!!! your a pure patriot !
Everybody hates government until they need it. Ask the people who tried to log in to their Social Security accounts online today.