DOGE’s cost-cutting efforts are gaining steam
Image: AFP/Getty
On Tuesday, President Trump signed an executive order requiring federal agencies to directly consult with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) on best practices for hiring approval, as well as plans for a large-scale reduction of the federal workforce.
Let’s break it down: The order calls for all federal agency heads to work with a DOGE staffer in developing a “data-driven plan” for hiring government employees only in critical areas, with agencies ordered not to fill vacancies for career appointments without receiving DOGE approval.
- Other provisions include requiring each agency to hire just one employee for every four employees that leave, and ordering all agency heads to submit a report aimed at determining whether their agencies or subagencies could be eliminated or consolidated.
- The order doesn’t apply to military personnel or law enforcement.
DOGE has been busy
In the weeks since Trump took office, DOGE staffers have been embedded at several federal agencies to review government systems for excessive spending, including the Treasury Department. In particular, DOGE has targeted the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) as areas where major budget cuts and headcount reductions are warranted.
But it’s also faced major pushback. House Democratic leaders have launched a federal taskforce to investigate whether the Trump administration and DOGE’s efforts to reshape the government are legal, as well as support ongoing lawsuits seeking to limit Trump and DOGE’s agenda.
- Overall, there are a combined 50+ ongoing legal challenges against the Trump administration’s recent actions, according to Axios’ latest tally.
Looking ahead…DOGE and the Trump administration’s next targets for widespread cuts could include the Education Department, the military, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
📊 Flash poll: In general, how do you feel about DOGE’s cost-cutting efforts across the federal government thus far?
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Sprinkles from the Left
- Some commentators argue that DOGE is fundamentally unconstitutional because it is not a true government agency, as Congress did not establish it, and the only way its function can be enforced is if Trump, Congress, and the Supreme Court all work to give it proper authorization.
- Others contend that Congressional Republicans would have likely been vocally outraged if former President Joe Biden tasked a billionaire like Elon Musk with overhauling the federal government as he has and questioning why they allowed DOGE to carry on this way.
- “Why DOGE is unconstitutional.” –Alan Charles Raul, Washington Post
- “Dangerous inaction on DOGE.” –Times Union Editorial Board
- “Five Former Treasury Secretaries: Our Democracy Is Under Siege.” –Robert E. Rubin, Lawrence H. Summers, Timothy F. Geithner, Jacob J. Lew and Janet L. Yellen, New York Times
Sprinkles from the Right
- Some commentators argue that DOGE’s efforts are finally revealing several inefficient government sectors and that it must continue swiftly implementing important and needed change despite Democrats' efforts to stop it with legal action.
- Others contend that the Democratic Party’s opposition to DOGE is proof that it cares more about maintaining the bureaucracy and institutions of the government than it does about defending the people they are supposed to serve.
- “DOGE must keep moving fast — despite Democrats’ sound, fury and lawsuits.” –New York Post Editorial Board
- “Democrats Stand Up for the Bureaucrats.”–Gerard Baker, Wall Street Journal
- “Trump and Vance uncancel embattled DOGE staffer Marko Elez.” –Washington Times Editorial Board
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