The newly minted United States Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is the latest–and arguably the most worrisome–tool of government overreach. Disguised in Silicon Valley-type language to streamline U.S. bureaucracy, DOGE is streamlining the ability for government overreach with the invasion of privacy and dismantling of crucial systems.
DOGE's promise of efficiency serves as a code for cutting the public out of processes, or as they pretend it to be– optimization. In less than one month since its inception, its means of optimizing government money has altered the American political landscape into a dystopia, pushing the US farther away from its core American values.
No dystopian government initiative would be complete without a leader who is representative of the people they are serving. In this case, there was no better choice than billionaire Elon Musk for the job. Someone who– yes, understands business– but is far from understanding the realities of everyday people.
Musk’s idea of efficiency has been about cutting corners, discarding workers, and automating humanity out of the equation—so it should come as no surprise one of DOGE’s recent targets is the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). After all, what better way to optimize government spending than by slashing resources for those who risked their lives for this country?
Amongst many of the department’s responsibilities, they employ “about 479,000 individuals and handle medical and benefits information for more than 9 million veterans,” according to the Military Times.
More than 1,000 VA workers were laid off this week, though the department—including VA Secretary Doug Collins—insists the layoffs will not impact veterans' health care, benefits, or services.
Additionally, “VA leaders have already placed about 60 department employees focused on diversity and inclusion programming on administrative leave, and last week dismissed the heads of the Center for Women Veterans and the Center for Minority Veterans.” per the Military Times.
As of the beginning of February, a DOGE representative has been placed at the VA and given access to multiple areas: contracting systems, VA operations information, information technology systems, and data on disability compensation and benefits.
Collins addressed concerns in a video message via the VA Central Office where he said, “I’m happy to partner with them to find things we need to get rid of so we can put the money where it belongs … back with our Veterans.”
Yet, my father, a US Army Veteran having served 20 years, received a notification last week from the VA that all veterans should download all their files since systems will be reevaluated, and there is a possibility veterans will have to choose between VA disability pay or retirement – but not receive both–what has always been done. This doesn’t sound like an optimization of the VA budget while ensuring full veterans’ care is still provided.
The full effects of this are yet to be determined, but depending on the shift and where money will be funneled out in the name of “efficiency,” it could betray American values and the fundamental promise to support those who served our country.
Furthermore, DOGE’s budgetary “optimizations” aren’t stopping with the VA. Another recent victim of its so-called efficiency measures? The United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Much like the VA, USAID has found itself in the crosshairs of DOGE’s aggressive restructuring. USAID provides support to more than 100 countries and only amounts to a small fraction of the entire federal budget. Though the US is the largest provider of foreign aid, providing about $64.6 billion, foreign aid only makes up 0.2% of US GDP.
But, over the past two weeks, entire offices dedicated to humanitarian aid, economic development, and disaster relief have been put on freeze. “More than 10,000 people work for USAID, about two-thirds of them overseas,” according to NBC News.
Reports indicate foreign aid programs across Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East are either being drastically downsized or cut altogether, including initiatives that provide food security, clean water, and education to vulnerable populations.
Aid hold-ups over bureaucratic indecency are already affecting processes, many of which are not efficient in themselves. Due to delays in USAID food shipments, over 475,000 metric tons of US-grown food—enough to feed 36 million people—were at risk of going to waste, according to USA Today. As of Monday, more than 29,000 metric tons remained stuck in USAID warehouses in Houston, unable to be shipped to crisis zones like: Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, and Sudan. Additional stockpiles were stranded at ports across the US, highlighting the devastating impact of bureaucratic holdups on global food aid.
USAID is a crucial soft power tool and makes up one of the “3 Ds” of US foreign policy – diplomacy, development, and defense. The reallocation of funds away from USAID is more than just an efficiency move—it is a fundamental shift in America’s role on the global stage. It signals an abandonment of diplomacy and humanitarian leadership in favor of a militarized foreign policy.
Historically, support for veterans and international aid has been a bipartisan pillar of American policy. From the GI Bill, which helped reintegrate World War II veterans into the economy, to the Marshall Plan, which rebuilt war-torn Europe, US investment in human capital has always been a cornerstone of its global leadership. These policies weren’t just acts of charity—they were strategic investments in stability, security, and prosperity.
By dismantling these institutions under the guise of efficiency, DOGE is betraying both the service members who risked their lives for the country and the global commitments that have cemented US influence for decades.
The message is clear: efficiency, under DOGE, is nothing more than a euphemism for gutting social services that not only support the success of the US but align directly with American values. With less than a month of its inception, the future under DOGE is volatile.
Photo Credit:
[1]-Al Drago | Bloomberg
[2]- Eric Lee | The New York Times
[3]- Kayla Bartkowski | Getty Images
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