Congress should deregulate if it will not tackle entitlement spending 

The Senate is currently reviewing the House version of the One Big Beautiful Bill in an effort to have President Trump sign the bill into law before July 4^th. A slim majority held by a fractious Republican Party prevents House Speaker Johnson from introducing significant cuts to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid to tackle the national debt crisis. With Republicans already eyeing reelection prospects in swing districts, it makes it difficult to have any serious conversation about America’s entitlement programs.  

Despite these institutional barriers, Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has done its part in highlighting where waste, fraud, and abuse exist in the federal government by cutting up to $29.4 billion, yet even that barely makes a dent in the $36.21 trillion US national debt driven by entitlement spending.  

As Congress won’t address these entitlements in the “One Big Beautiful Bill” reconciliation package, members should instead examine the massive regulatory costs incurred each year in federal regulatory agencies. There are roughly $2 trillion of regulatory costs spread throughout US federal agencies, and addressing these costs could help mitigate the $2.4 trillion deficit increase from the One Big Beautiful Bill.  

Although Elon Musk has departed from his role as the head of DOGE, deregulation can help fulfill DOGE’s original mission to cut costs and make Americans more aware of the hidden regulatory costs. At the very least, deregulation will allow for greater economic growth and provide time for Congress to take responsibility in addressing the US national debt.