Elon Musk continues to make waves in the media with his new role since Trump came into office. Only a few months ago, a new department was created: the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). This is not a typical department at a cabinet level; instead, it works within the president's executive office. With Musk as the leader, he reports directly to President Trump. Many people have criticized it, believing he should not have access to the financial statements of USAID. Members of Congress have protested Musk, all while ignoring the billions of dollars in taxpayer money going towards unnecessary and pointless initiatives.
Democrats have met DOGE with a lot of criticism. Many Democrats have questioned the validity of Musk’s findings because of his lack of ability to show receipts. The website states that receipts will be posted no later than February 14th, so hopefully, there will be more proof once the receipts are released. Democrats claim that looking into where our taxpayer dollars are going is a betrayal. The real betrayal is the immoderate amount of money wasted on fraudulent programs. While some have praised USAID and the individuals who work there, I am unsure how they are still praised by anyone after the information released recently.
According to President Donald Trump, DOGE has already saved the country “billions and billions of dollars in waste, fraud, and abuse…” To name just a few, we have saved $458,919 on a Politico membership and $25,000 on an award called “Empowering LGBTQIA+ Refugees in Greece.” Along with this, it is alleged that payments were uncovered that pointed towards FEMA paying for hotels in New York City that were known for hosting illegal migrants. When looking at most of the receipts that have been uncovered, it seems that millions of taxpayer dollars are going to programs in other countries involving gender reassignment. The money funding these programs is not lifesaving, and there is no reason to have millions of dollars funding them. This is far-left ideology being financed by American tax dollars, and it is unacceptable, which is why there has been such an uproar with the things being uncovered.
Despite the criticism, supporters of DOGE have been grateful for finally having some transparency on where taxpayer dollars are going. While there has been some debate about whether Musk's actions are legal, Speaker Mike Johnson has defended him and DOGE. He is on board with finding solutions to better manage the distribution of taxpayer dollars. Some GOP members have questioned some of DOGE's actions because they are something no one is used to seeing happen, although none have gone as far as to join Democrats in their call for Musk to stop.
DOGE brings forth some potential problems with overreaching the power they possess. With Musk reporting directly to Trump, some concerns about how much power Musk could hold have been raised. While I want to believe that Musk has the best intentions for Americans, I also find it hard to believe that America’s best interest is in the hands of a billionaire. Representative Majorie Taylor Greene is a part of a subcommittee overseeing this department. With her oversight, there is hope that DOGE will perform honestly and transparently because someone will hold them accountable.
The point of this department is to discover how the government can better distribute the money they have. America has never seen something like this, and it is refreshing to see the honesty about where our taxpayer money goes. This department can be very beneficial if they work honestly and do not overreach the power they have been given. It is a chance for America to redistribute funds to pay for things that align with U.S. Foreign policies and national security.
Photo Credit:
[1]-AP
[2]-Jim Watson | AFP via Getty Images
[3]-Yahoo
Sources:
[1]-https://doge.gov
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