In the Wall Street Journal: The Debt Dispatch on DOGE
An insider look at how DOGE will operate
Welcome, new subscribers! If you’re here after reading about this Substack in the Wall Street Journal’s piece on DOGE, we’re thrilled to have you join our community of 2988 fiscal watchdogs and Washington insiders.
At the Debt Dispatch, we’re laser-focused on unpacking the complexities of fiscal policy and spending reform. This is the quote that brought some of you here:
“They are trying to keep their eyes on executive changes and regulatory changes rather than legislative ones,” said Romina Boccia, the director of Budget and Entitlement Policy with the Cato Institute and the author of a Substack called “The Debt Dispatch.”
Here’s a gift link for our regular subscribers to the WSJ article so you can read the full piece:
Our work on the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has delved into its potential for driving meaningful change and key targets to reduce spending and downsize the federal government that would unleash American ingenuity and growth. See below for a recap on our efforts to advance DOGE’s success.
Our DOGE Coverage at a Glance:
Cato’s Chris Edwards suggests ten programs that the new executive commission “should put on the chopping block.” These include K‑12 public school subsidies, urban transit subsidies, foreign aid, green subsidies, broadband subsidies, public housing and rental subsidies, community development grants, junk food subsidies, farm subsidies for the rich, and reducing federal Medicaid costs.
To bypass the political gridlock that’s standing in the way of meaningful entitlement reform, DOGE should work with Congress to authorize it and give it a mandate based on the proven BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure) model. Created by Congress in 1988, BRAC empowered independent experts to recommend military base closures that Congress could reject through a joint resolution. Here is how BRAC succeeded in saving taxpayers [hundreds of] billions…
The Cato Institute released the “Cato Institute Report to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE): How to Downsize and Reform the Federal Government,” which addresses 23 policy issues, including Spending Cuts and Tax Reforms, such as ending aid to states and subsidies for politically favored sectors of the economy, sharply reducing federal involvement in education, streamlining national security spending, reining in emergency spending, and reforming entitlements.” Many of Cato’s proposals would require Congress to change legislation. [For executive actions that Cato recommends see the Cato Handbook on Executive Orders and Presidential Directives.]
Standing-Room Only (!) at Cato Hill Briefing on DOGE
Cato held a Capitol Hill briefing on Empowering the DOGE and Extending Pro-Growth Tax Cuts back in December. We packed the room with over 100 congressional staffers eager to hear how the 119th Congress can grow the economy and fix the debt. The energy was palpable as we discussed 2025’s looming fiscal challenges and actionable solutions, including empowering DOGE, extending tax cuts, and achieving spending reforms. Watch the video above or here.
The current federal disaster relief system is a bloated mess with a patchwork of agencies that poorly handle overlapping responsibilities. The result is waste and the crowding out of state, local, and private organizations that would otherwise provide for those directly affected by disasters. Moreover, the existing disaster framework creates a moral hazard by covering any catastrophic costs that arise from living or developing property in high-risk areas, thus shifting the financial risk from property owners to taxpayers. This misalignment of incentives leads to escalating costs and repeated bailouts, undermining disaster preparedness, subsidizing dangerous living patterns, and promoting fiscal irresponsibility. Congress [and the President] should do the following…
Every dollar that Social Security spends in excess of incoming payroll taxes and taxes on benefits adds to the federal debt. Since 2010, the OASI program has added $1.08 trillion to the federal debt and is projected to add $4.1 trillion more by 2033, when the program runs out of borrowing authority and confronts a 21 percent shortfall. One cannot make significant headway balancing the federal budget without reforms to Social Security. Those reforms should focus on eliminating its fiscal shortfall and reducing the payroll tax burden on workers by slowing the growth in future benefits and reducing benefits for wealthier retirees. Congress should do the following…
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