The Effects and Fallout from DOGE

2-24-2025 (Updated 3-4-2025)

The Effects and Fallout from DOGE

In 2014 Barack Obama launched the United States Digital Service (USDS) following the rocky rollout of the Healthcare.gov website. Some argue that Obama created the first DOGE and Trump simply renamed it. Maybe what Obama lacked was vision or an actually thought out purpose for USDS, which obviously didn’t work out very well.

It’s obvious that when Donald Trump created the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) it had was focused on modernizing technology and software across the federal government. The “DOGERS” as they are called very smart Silicon Valley software engineers with high powered algorithms focused on uncovering theft, fraud, waste and abuse during a phased “whole of government approach” audit.

A byproduct of this audit is the belt tightening and slimming down of entrenched government bureaucrats who act as if job security is their primary concern. Some have expressed themselves as “WeBes” (we were here before and we’ll be here after those elected/appointed officials are long gone).

During the Biden administration many government workers were encouraged to work remotely from home. After the China Virus a number of entrenched bureaucrats didn’t get the “ALL CLEAR, RETURN TO THE OFFICE” memo and chose to remain “working remotely” and nobody checked or ordered them back to the office. Several of these federal workers have posted on social media that they were lounging around at home; on the golf course; or doing as they pleased, by choice, without ever being told by management to return to the office. So how do you root out these inefficient workers?

Trump gave a federal workforce ultimatum, return to the office, retire or be fired.

The next step implemented was to make the offer government-wide to return to the office, resign and they would receive pay for 8 months as their severance package. This was in order to weed out inefficient/substandard federal workers and in the course of these buyouts, a great many good federal workers took advantage of the buyouts leaving many agencies/departments without an adequate workforce.

Trump then issued a directive to every government agency to compile a list of all recently hired, temporary and probationary government employees. From those lists many who didn’t take advantage of the severance package were soon terminated.

As the DOGE team began combing through USAID, DOE, SSA, IRS, DOD, HHS and soon every government agency it became obvious that Congressional overspending to foreign governments, non-American interests and worse amounted to $Bs of wasted, misused or lost federal taxpayer funds costing American taxpayer funds.

Trump ordered a hiring freeze across the federal workforce and instructed agencies to only hire 1 new employee for every 4 federal workers lost.

Trump ordered a freeze on government spending and ordered DOGE teams to assist agency/department heads (cabinet secretaries) delving into the spending habits of each agency/department.

It became clear that resistance being mounted along political party lines in Congress resulted in a mass of Lawfare as lawsuits began rearing their ugly heads.

Instead of buckling down in the interests of American taxpayers, lawmakers actually rallied against finding theft, fraud, waste, or abuse in government. Falsely claiming the auditors of DOGE were after taxpayers identity so they could steal the money.

What is interesting is that I have seen the names of congressional lawmakers who have literally made a fortune on less than $200,000 per year salary (before perks) as public servants?

In the history of our nation there has never been a government wide audit of congressional spending although many presidents and congresses have tried unsuccessfully.

Now why is that?

After Trump encouraged Elon Musk to be more forceful with DOGE it caused a ripple effect throughout the federal workforce. Musk has issued (through OMB) federal workforce-wide emails requiring each federal worker to reply and providing 5 bullet points outlining what they have done last week (and copying their manager). Failing to respond could lead to immediate termination. The reactions have been mind boggling as federal workers panicked, claiming they are being threatened by a simple email that is at best a means of determining whether they are alive or an actual federal worker. Some have claimed they are unable to function, yet they manage to go on CNN to voice their fears. Others have responded with inappropriate texts demonstrating clearly they are not suited for federal employment.

Due to the wide range of fearmongering of the media, many Americans do not understand that the only way to slim a bloated government workforce is to downsize through attrition, retirements, buyouts or workers either quitting or being terminated.

The same holds true to a bloated government that requires thinking outside the box by combining or consolidating agencies/functions/processes or workforce in order to make government more efficient.

I have a question about congressional oversight, why is it that of every dollar spent has no one ever “followed the money”?

Maybe congress should employ DOGE to take a look at the way congressional oversight is being done?

DOGE is on a short and defined schedule which will end by July 2026 and I am interested in seeing where all that taxpayer money has gone and is going. I am also interested in seeing those responsible being held accountable with federal prosecutions and imprisonments.

So if you are a federal worker worried about how DOGE will affect you in the short term, I suggest you work up a “Plan B”. Do what you can. Don’t do what you can’t. – RTM