Government efficiency panels like DOGE have a long and disappointing history [Video]

As Elon Musk readies a new commission focused on reducing government spending, he is bringing memes and social media clout to a Washington tradition that dates back over a century – and often ends in disappointment.

Since at least the administration of Theodore Roosevelt, presidents have been appointing commissions to recommend reforms to the executive branch in the name of making government more efficient or saving money. But many have come up short in their goals to tackle waste and abuse, especially when led by business leaders with limited experience in federal bureaucracy.

Commissions that attempt to deliver private sector efficiency to government are “all abject failures,” said Douglas Holtz-Eakin, president of the American Action Forum, a conservative-leaning think tank. “The things that make them successful businessmen … don’t translate to setting rules for competition in government.”

Musk, who is known for his pugnacious leadership style at Tesla, Starlink and …