June 16, 2025
The New Yorker recently published an article featuring Jetson Leder-Luis, Assistant Professor of Markets, Public Policy, and Law, examining how Elon Musk, as an unpaid adviser during Trump’s second term, drove aggressive federal restructuring through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). DOGE targeted DEI programs and sidelined agency leaders, becoming a top-down instrument for rapid and fear-inducing changes.
At the IRS, modernization efforts led by Commissioner Danny Werfel were abruptly reversed when DOGE fired 7,000 new hires—many focused on cracking down on wealthy tax evaders—putting billions in tax revenue at risk. Werfel warned that the administration prioritized layoffs over effectiveness. Leder-Luis notes that similar dysfunction extended to Medicare and Medicaid, with issues ranging “from doctors reclassifying procedures to, like, organized crime.”
A conservative insider described Musk’s influence as almost “near-mystical,” with DOGE enacting ideological purges rather than strategic reforms—scrubbing DEI language and freezing grants—leading to confusion and fear among federal workers.
Meanwhile, USAID was severely cut amid violence in Congo, with staff evacuations and funding freezes. DOGE seized control of independent aid organizations, provoking backlash from Republicans caught off guard by the sweeping changes. Musk acknowledged errors, saying, “Nobody’s going to bat a thousand,” while officials described DOGE as an unlawful extension of the President’s will.
