Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy promised to declare war on the government bureaucracy that they say makes it difficult to do business, as part of their deregulation initiative via the “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE).
However, they will face formidable adversaries, and not just the “unelected bureaucrats” to those they often criticize. In addition to Washington’s historic appetite for creating new rules, DOGE leaders may find that Donald Trump’s campaign promises will also lead to the proliferation of new bureaucracy.
Already in the north it is said that you are a businessman expecting reductions in government regulations in the coming years, The industry you operate in could make all the difference.to. According to Dan Goldbeck, director of regulatory policy at the American Action Forum, a group that closely monitors regulations, key deregulatory actions are coming. in sectors such as energy and financial services.
On Wednesday, Musk suggested on X, his social media platformwhich could completely abolish the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). “Eliminate CFPB,” he wrote. “There are too many duplicate regulatory agencies.”
However, the Trump administration’s actions in areas such as immigration and health care could push in the opposite direction, according to Goldbeck. “It’s an interesting and mixed picture,” he added.
Where regulations could increase
During his first term, President Trump — like other Republican presidents before him — made reducing regulations a key focus and even hosted events at the White House to emphasize his resolve on camera. However, Trump, like his predecessors, had a more mixed record overall.
During his entire first term, according to data from Goldbeck’s group, Washington finalized 1,336 regulations in various government agencies, with a total cost of $64.7 billion for companies and almost 330 million hours of paperwork.
In fact, Trump increased business regulations in three of the four years of his term. Only in 2018 was a decrease in the cost of regulations observed. Still, Trump was one of the most aggressive presidents on regulatory cuts in recent memory.
The American Action Forum tracked regulations since 2005 and found that Trump’s cuts in 2018 marked the only year in two decades in which the total cost of government bureaucracy decreased. Instead, those costs have risen sharply under the Biden administration, estimated at $1.8 trillion to date.
During his first term, Trump also increased regulatory costs in areas such as immigration and health care, and Goldbeck predicts that a second term could follow a similar pattern. Therefore, Musk and Ramaswamy could also face a legal environment that is not as favorable to their cause as they hope.
In a recent op-ed, the two argued that two recent Supreme Court decisions—West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency and Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo— would support their efforts.
That statement, however, stumped many legal experts. These decisions will likely increase the power of the judiciary and Congress to overturn regulations, but have much less clear implications for a president’s executive actions.
Goldbeck added that the slow pace of any regulatory changes could also hamper DOGE’s efforts to move forward quickly and show significant results before the group’s July 4, 2026 deadline.
He noted that much of the incoming Trump administration’s efforts will focus on rescinding Biden-era rules, a process that will require completing the entire rule-making cycle.
“That will take at least a year or two to materialize.”
Source: Ambito
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