DOGE, the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency, is making waves in D.C. policy circles these days. Two major forces–Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy–are spearheading and championing the effort to streamline the government, cut red tape, and reduce costs.

For Mercatus, there’s certainly a feeling of, “Hey, wait a minute, that's our line!” After all, we’ve been talking about these issues for over 20 years. At the same time, I’ve been in D.C. long enough to be slightly skeptical that our political leaders will execute all our policy hopes and dreams.

Nevertheless, it is exciting to see the conversation in Washington return to the issues that are central to the Mercatus Center’s focus. It has been a long time since either party has talked seriously about things like out-of-control government spending and inefficiency.

So we have a few ideas we’d like DOGE to consider. Veronique de Rugy leads the way in suggesting areas DOGE should explore, pointing to government agencies like the FAA, Ex-Im Bank, and the Small Business Administration, as well as subsidies for things like public broadcasting, Amtrak, farming, and energy.

Liya Palagashvili argues that portable benefits—benefits like health insurance and savings accounts that are not tied to a particular job or employer but travel with the worker—would enable independent workers and contractors to pursue flexible employment that will lead to higher employment levels and economic growth.

And on regulations, our research finds that an increasing regulatory burden comes with unintended consequences. In particular, low-income individuals suffer the most through increased income inequality, poverty, and mortality. In states and provinces where regulations have been decreased, budget savings, economic growth, and new businesses have increased. Correlation does not equal causation, but this is encouraging evidence of the benefits of reducing regulation.

See all our ideas for government efficiency and deregulation here.