How Elon Musk and DOGE Can Deliver on Smaller Government
Plus: a listener asks the editors why it is acceptable to allow unrestricted border crossings into the United States without penalty.
In this week's The Reason Roundtable, editors Matt Welch, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Nick Gillespie, and Peter Suderman assess the current shape of President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet picks and policy priorities.
00:27—New Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)
14:48—Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and former Florida congressman Matt Gaetz nominated for Trump cabinet positions
31:37—Weekly listener question
41:46—Trump's foreign policy cabinet picks
48:22—This week's cultural recommendations
Mentioned in this podcast:
"DOGE's Chances Are Slim, but It Might Be Our Only Hope," by J.D. Tuccille
"The National Debt Just Hit $36 Trillion. Does Trump Have a Plan To Control It?" by Eric Boehm
"To Cut Wasteful Spending, Start With Energy Subsidies," by Jeff Luse
"The Impact of Trump's Cost-Cutting Initiative Hinges on What He Means by 'Government Efficiency,'" by Jacob Sullum
"To Succeed at Cutting Government, Musk and Ramaswamy Must Take on Entitlements," by Eric Boehm
"The 19 Percent Solution: How to balance the budget without raising taxes," by Nick Gillespie and Veronique de Rugy
"How Donald Trump and Elon Musk Could Cut $2 Trillion in Government Spending," by Veronique de Rugy
"The Math Does Not Favor Avoiding Senate Scrutiny of Trump's Bizarre Cabinet Picks," by Jacob Sullum
"Will Donald Trump and RFK Jr. Psychedelicize America?" by Nick Gillespie
"Can RFK Jr. Fix Our Dysfunctional Public Health Agencies?" by Ronald Bailey
"Matt Gaetz's Personality Irked His GOP Colleagues. There Are Better Reasons To Oppose His Nomination." by Jacob Sullum
"Trump Nominates Matt Gaetz as Attorney General," by C.J. Ciaramella
"One Brainworm To Rule Them All," by Liz Wolfe
"Abolish the FDA," by Jeffrey A. Singer
"Abolish Antitrust Law," by Elizabeth Nolan Brown
"Trump's Immigration Picks Are Terrible," by Fiona Harrigan
"Abolish the TSA," by Robby Soave
"Abolish Borders," by Christopher Freiman
"Abolish the National Park Service," by Eric Boehm
"Abolish ICE," by Fiona Harrigan
"Get in Line! Now, Stay Out!" by Mike Flynn, Shikha Dalmia, and Terry Colon
"Infographic: How Republicans and Democrats View Federal Agencies"
"Meet Trump's Incredibly Confusing New National Security Cabinet," by Matthew Petti
"Abolish the NSA and CIA," by Ronald Bailey
"Abolish the Army," by Matthew Petti
"What is the Future of Immigration?" by Shane Smith
"'I've got a bad feeling about this,'" by Nick Gillespie
The Psychedelic Society, an masterclass on Aldous Huxley's Island. Use the code REASON for a discount. https://hereandnowstudios.com/the-psychedelic-society
Send your questions to roundtable@reason.com. Be sure to include your social media handle and the correct pronunciation of your name.
Today's sponsors:
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Audio production by Ian Keyser
Assistant production by Hunt Beaty
Music: "Angeline," by The Brothers Steve
- Video Editor: Ian Keyser
- Producer: Hunt Beaty
