President Trump’s vision to Unleash American Energy requires a functional government to execute it. Yet the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has made government less functional. With Elon Musk stepping down from DOGE, now is the time for DOGE 2.0 to live up to its name. Otherwise, the president's energy objectives are in jeopardy.
The administrative state was overdue for reform. The Government Accountability Office identified federal "waste, fraud, abuse, or mismanagement" ripe for a DOGE renovation. DOGE’s energy reforms should fix what is broken, including the red tape that stifles the energy infrastructure fueling American artificial intelligence supremacy. Overhauling permitting requires functional agencies, where staff deftly revise rules that reduce litigation risk and streamline processes.
DOGE should also enhance what works: agency-led reforms that lower energy costs. These require expertly staffed agencies to build robust legal records. For example, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued bipartisan rulemakings that improved the efficiency of connecting new power plants to the grid and to build more efficient transmission lines.
Public administration fails when presidents pursue extralegal side agendas that their successors or the courts quickly overturn. For example, President Biden undermined energy supply by restricting permitting and leasing for oil and gas projects and forcing infeasible environmental rules on power plants and automakers. President Trump should respond by embracing an all-of-the-above energy strategy.
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