Managing a government can’t be equated to steering a corporate ship. The flamboyant personalities of Elon Musk and President Donald Trump were evident when they unveiled the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) this year. Their audacious mission, led by behemoth entrepreneur Musk, included the reduction of federal expenditure by $2 trillion, overhauling bureaucracy, and jolting a perceived stagnant government workforce. As the stint of Musk as a temporary government executive nears its termination, DOGE seems on the verge of dissolution.
Arguably, the fate of DOGE can be best summed up by the notorious ‘What did you do last week?’ email initiative. On a quiet February Saturday, federal workers were startled with a mandate to submit a list of their weekly accomplishments, laid out in five points. The alarm over potential infringements of privacy and job security rang across the government workforce.
Indeed, the appropriateness of the new policy was called into question just days after it was introduced by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). Leaked documents reveal that the OPM advised Human Resource departments across various government bodies, relegating the initiative to voluntary participation, with no subsequent disciplinary implications. Moreover, it was admitted by the OPM that they hadn’t determined how to handle the influx of responses they might receive.
What has resulted is an inconsistent implementation of the system across varying federal agencies. While some departments have elected to render the submissions as optional, or deemed them redundant, others have embraced the procedure. In particular, the Defense Department has embraced the initiative to a point where it has transformed into a regular cascade of correspondence flowing up and down the chain of authority every week.
Nevertheless, the reception of the policy has not been entirely negative. Creative adaptations to the initiative have surfaced among many employees. However, the overarching goal of the department, as proposed by Musk, has substantially shifted from its initial projection of a $2 trillion cut in federal spending.
This audacious budget reduction aim has undergone back-to-back recalibrations; it was first toned down to $1 trillion, and now, further dropped to a mere $150 billion. Skeptics have pointed out that the actual cost-saving measures that have been accomplishing so far are rather insignificant, leaving the federal deficit practically untouched.
Multiple legal obstacles have emerged in response to the DOGE’s methodologies, and opaqueness in its hierarchy was a concern for weeks subsequent to its establishment. As Musk readies to conclude his time at DOGE, sources close to him suggest that the constant scrutiny from political rivals has left him disheartened.
He purportedly holds a firm belief that the efforts of DOGE will persist, carried on by team members scattered throughout various governmental agencies. While his foray into public service seems to be winding down, Musk’s attention is likely to return to his roots – the private sector.
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