Cato Institute analysis and core math problem

The Department of Government Efficiency disbanded in November after cutting 271,000 federal jobs, the largest peacetime workforce reduction since World War II. But new data shows federal spending rose by $250 billion anyway. Elon Musk now calls DOGE only "somewhat successful" and says he would not do it again. We break down what happened, why the math never worked, and what Musk's government experiment reveals about the limits of disruption in Washington.