The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has taken Washington by storm. Spearheaded by Elon Musk and fueled by populist momentum, DOGE has already eliminated more than 280,000 federal positions across 27 agencies and promised a full overhaul of the administrative state. We can debate the methods, but not the moment: America is hungry for a reset.
Yet for all its cuts, DOGE hasn’t addressed the most fundamental reform: shifting lawmaking from unelected bureaucrats back to elected officials. That shift began with the 2024 repeal of Chevron v. NRDC, a long-overdue correction that ended a 40-year experiment in regulatory deference. Now, we have the chance to replace opaque rulemaking with democratic accountability, but only if we act.
Chevron deference allowed executive agencies to interpret ambiguous statutes, giving regulators legislative power without direct accountability. This system empowered entrenched interests, shielded regulators from oversight, and stifled the kind of dynamic policymaking innovation demands.
The Supreme Court’s decision wasn’t a mere legal technicality. It was a necessary reset of the Constitution’s separation of powers. The elimination of Chevron deference was a welcome change, but entrenched interests with deep pockets can still game the system and keep new startups grounded.
Continue reading at Townhall.
Edward Timmons, PhD, is a senior fellow at the Archbridge Institute and a service associate professor of economics and director of the Knee Regulatory Research Center at the John Chambers School of Business and Economics at West Virginia University. He is regularly asked to provide expert testimony in state legislatures across the US on occupational licensing reform and the practice authority of nurse practitioners. His work is heavily cited by the popular press, and he has authored numerous articles for media publications.
Economics of Flourishing
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has taken Washington by storm. Spearheaded by Elon Musk and fueled by populist momentum, DOGE has already eliminated more than 280,000 federal positions across 27 agencies and promised a full overhaul of the administrative state. We can debate the methods, but not the moment: America is hungry for a reset.
Yet for all its cuts, DOGE hasn’t addressed the most fundamental reform: shifting lawmaking from unelected bureaucrats back to elected officials. That shift began with the 2024 repeal of Chevron v. NRDC, a long-overdue correction that ended a 40-year experiment in regulatory deference. Now, we have the chance to replace opaque rulemaking with democratic accountability, but only if we act.
Chevron deference allowed executive agencies to interpret ambiguous statutes, giving regulators legislative power without direct accountability. This system empowered entrenched interests, shielded regulators from oversight, and stifled the kind of dynamic policymaking innovation demands.
The Supreme Court’s decision wasn’t a mere legal technicality. It was a necessary reset of the Constitution’s separation of powers. The elimination of Chevron deference was a welcome change, but entrenched interests with deep pockets can still game the system and keep new startups grounded.
Continue reading at Townhall.
Edward Timmons
Edward Timmons, PhD, is a senior fellow at the Archbridge Institute and a service associate professor of economics and director of the Knee Regulatory Research Center at the John Chambers School of Business and Economics at West Virginia University. He is regularly asked to provide expert testimony in state legislatures across the US on occupational licensing reform and the practice authority of nurse practitioners. His work is heavily cited by the popular press, and he has authored numerous articles for media publications.
Tanveer Kathawalla
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