Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamytwo billionaires appointed by the president-elect Donald Trump to monitor the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), say they will rely on recent Supreme Court rulings to justify unilaterally cutting federal agencies and wiping out existing regulations.

In one op-ed published by the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday, the pair of MAGA businessmen pointed out two special decisions it will prove particularly useful, in their view. In 2022, the Court found that federal agencies cannot address “major issues” with broad economic or social impact without express congressional approval. Later that year, the Supreme Court overturned its own precedent that had urged courts to defer to an agency’s interpretation of ambiguous laws.

Both decisions have given courts the power to intervene in federal policy and strike down Biden administration rules they characterize as overreaching, including student loan forgiveness and one extended overtime pay. Now that Musk, Ramaswamy and their allies are at the executive wheel, they believe the courts will support their rollback of thousands of other policies, amounting to about $500 billion in cuts.

Programs on the chopping block include the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, as well as international aid and money for Planned Parenthood.

Some legal experts say their confidence is misplaced. William Buzbee, professor at Georgetown Law, told Reuters that the Musk-Ramaswamy interpretation of recent cases is “very confused,” and that while Trump has room to ask agencies to “go easy” on enforcement, no court order limits as much as Musk and Ramaswamy desire.

But even partial implementation of their plans could seriously disrupt government services essential to a functioning society, especially if they end up laying off federal workers en masse or forcing them into retirement. Musk has acknowledged as much, implying that Americans would have to suffer immediately “hardship” in return for long-term prosperity.