By Sam Gruetter

Immediately following President Donald Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, he employed several controversial and extreme policies, including the appointment of  tech CEO Elon Musk, a non-cabinet member, as head of the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). DOGE aims to decrease government spending by making adjustments to the government, such as decreasing the amount of government employees. 

Musk immediately began taking action to bring the goal of DOGE to fruition, entering a period of productivity he proclaimed as his “demon mode.” Musk often adopts this manic behavior, including sleeping in his office or going several days without sleep, during his reconstruction of companies. One of the department’s first policies was to send out an email to federal workers stipulating that they could either agree to leave their jobs in September, but continue to work and get paid until then, or risk being fired. The initial deadline for employees’ decision was Feb. 6, although a federal judge suspended this deadline due to a lawsuit that the American Federation of Government Employees filed. 

Another one of Musk and DOGE’s changes included shutting down the US Agency for International Development (USAID). Trump initially halted funding for the organization for 90 days; however, Musk took this a step further, even going so far as to call them a “criminal organiZation” on X. Over the course of the next few days, the government laid off masses of employees and locked them out of their emails, despite many Democrats questioning the legality of Musk’s actions. 

DOGE’s policies have sparked controversy among different political figures, many of whom are questioning the merits of DOGE’s background, namely, the large volume of classified information DOGE has acquired through President Trump. This information includes financial records of many Americans, medical records, payroll information about government employees, and identities of undercover government officials. Anonymous senators from Congress commented on the lack of transparency from both Trump and Musk, saying, “No information has been provided to Congress or the public as to who has been formally hired under DOGE, under what authority or regulations DOGE is operating, or how DOGE is vetting and monitoring its staff and representatives before providing them seemingly unfettered access to classified materials and Americans’ personal information.”

(Sources: BBC, CNN, PBS)