DOGE-Eat-DOGE World: Trump's New America

... Featuring the newly acclaimed Trump-Musk show!

Step aside, President Trump— Elon Musk has taken the reins of America, making sweeping changes in minutes. He's been quick to strike down, shut down, and remove policies with little hesitation. In rapid succession, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives are rolled back, USPS announces new restrictions on packages from Hong Kong and China, and rumors swirl about potential cuts to Pell Grants and federal student loans—though the details remain uncertain.

Trump has repeatedly described the federal government as wasteful in its spending. He's not quite wrong— the Pentagon entered 2024 as its 7th failed audit year, but the potential consequences are hard to ignore. In the 2025 fiscal year alone, an estimated 5 million students (including myself) receive Pell Grants yearly, nearly 75% of undergraduates rely on some form of financial aid, and over 10 million students benefit from federal grants or loans. Reducing these programs will significantly impact access to higher education, but President Trump has decided to grant Mr. Musk a carte blanche to strip funding from every last place. Perhaps Mr. Musk doesn't quite appreciate the cost of university, given that his alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania, only charged him $15,198 compared to today's $60,920 at the same university (wages have not risen significantly during this time).

Andrew Harnik | Getty Images

Take the Pell Grant as an example. If the program is reduced or eliminated, what's next? Millions of students will watch in horror as college becomes more of an unattainable dream than it is already. The long-term impact on social mobility would be nothing short of devastating.

From a rational standpoint, Trump's actions make even less sense. His targeting of USAID quite literally goes against Republican-US interests: the global reputation of the US isn't the highest, and USAID has done wonders for American soft power. Gutting aid programs that provide invaluable assistance all over the world is a moral tragedy and nonsensical for US interests.

As of February 11, 2025, executive orders signed by President Trump directed all federal agencies to collaborate with the newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to reduce costs and staffing— very Milei-esque. Agencies like USAID, which provides international aid, have already been flagged for reductions alongside DEI programs. Reports suggest the Department of Education has canceled 89 contracts, though the specifics remain unclear.

Trump and Musk seemingly have the same approach to governance that practically mirrors their leadership style at their previous (private) companies: move fast, cut costs, and eliminate "inefficiencies." However, governing a country is not the same as running a private company with practically no oversight. Again, politicians fail to acknowledge—or don't care—that they're not the ones who will feel the ramifications of these policies—the average, everyday American will.

GOP Rep. Don Bacon has expressed concerns over the increased role of DOGE. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

There has been very little opposition to the Trump-Musk show. GOP Representatives have expressed discomfort with being relegated to the sidelines but are understandably reluctant to put their jobs at risk by directly criticizing Musk, which has been equated to anti-Trumpism (and we all know how well that's gone in the past). The Democrats are worse— they still haven't figured out a cohesive, effective anti-Republican message and have had varying calls against Musk's actions.

I can't believe parties used to engage in dialogue before deciding on policy. As I observe the lack of pushback against Musk's administration, I look over the remnants of what used to be political accountability— they're gone. Politicians are meant to be partisan. They're meant to disagree. If our own elected officials can't even oppose someone without fear of being cast aside or relegated to the shadows, what's the point?

We should all be asking ourselves: what kind of country do we want to live in? And what are we willing to do to protect it?

Photo Credit:

[1]-Brandon Bell| Pool | Reuters

[2]- Andrew Harnik | Getty Images

[3]- Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Sources:

[1]-https://foxbaltimore.com/news/nation-world/musk-and-doges-top-findings-in-wasteful-spending-across-the-federal-government-fema-iron-mountain-mine-epa-pentagon-sesame-street-elon-president-donald-trump-joni-ernst

[2]-https://www.cfo.com/news/pentagon-fails-7th-audit-in-a-row-michael-mccord-cfo-dod-pentagon/733313/

[3]-https://www.newsweek.com/how-department-education-dismantling-impacts-scholarships-pell-grants-2026219

[4]-https://archives.upenn.edu/exhibits/penn-history/tuition/tuition-1990-1999/

[5]-https://srfs.upenn.edu/costs-budgeting/undergraduate-cost-attendance

[6]-https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2018/08/07/for-most-us-workers-real-wages-have-barely-budged-for-decades/

[7]-https://www.theamericanconservative.com/the-usaid-i-knew/

[8]-https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-signs-order-instructing-doge-prepare-massive-cuts-federal-government-staffers

[9]-https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/11/us/politics/musk-doge-education-data.html

[10]-https://www.economist.com/united-states/2025/02/03/elon-musk-is-shredding-americas-government-as-he-did-twitter

[11]-https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/11/politics/congress-republicans-doge/index.html

[12]-https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/mike-pence-endorse-donald-trump-2024-surprise/story?id=108167592

[13]-https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/mitt-romney-gop-trump/

[14]-https://apnews.com/article/capitol-siege-c8ab2d47bc9bb168b648a77e8cf498c5

[15]-https://www.businessinsider.com/liz-cheney-ousted-delivering-trump-his-biggest-primary-victory-2022-8