It is assuredly true that there is fraud, waste, and abuse within government. It is also true that those things exist, in some degree, within any bureaucratic institution. That means they exist in private corporations, religious organizations, and indeed government. However, this does not justify the current actions of Trump, Musk (a non-elected and non-confirmed member of the administration), and DOGE.
This is before even considering the obvious conflicts in interest when it comes to government subsidies and contracts received by Musk’s businesses. As well as his incentives to limit government oversight when it comes to regulating his industry or the industries of his elite cohorts.
The antidote to this fraud, waste, and abuse is not rapidly destroying government to make it wholly ineffective. Regardless of what you think about government, a sizable bureaucratic institution is necessary for this whole experiment that is the United States to operate. Keeping accurate records and doing the monotonous work required to keep our country functional and safe is quite different than revamping a private company with a few hundred workers.
The real antidote to this fraud, waste, and abuse within government is to staff this bureaucratic machine with good people. The actions of the last few weeks seem to be a reckless exhibition for the Trump base. It will very likely be detrimental to the future ability of government to do its necessary job. I see three serious repercussions from the actions taken by this administration and DOGE over the past few weeks.
First, these hasty firings, agency closings, and freezing of funds will result in the loss of some very passionate and qualified public servants. Folks that have spent much of their lives working for more than just a paycheck. Folks that have worked hard towards the American ideal and have done the necessary work, which is mundane and often not overly lucrative.
The second is that people relying on the services provided will suffer. This will put a strain on the overall system in unexpected ways. There are a myriad of people that rely on the services that these agencies provide, both domestically and abroad. Those that will be the most effected will be the vulnerable of our population – the sick and the poor. Again, fraud, waste, and abuse exist, but it is hard to believe that it is in such high degrees that we are gambling with people’s lives – using a bulldozer here instead of a scalpel to address these concerns.
The third, and perhaps most damaging of these consequences, is that it will discourage the next generation of qualified and passionate people from pursuing this work. The antidote to ineffective and wasteful government isn’t destroying government but staffing it with competent, passionate, and integrous people. That will be difficult to do if the precedent is set that an administration can quickly and hastily cancel their careers.
The actions of the past few weeks will strain our judicial system, our healthcare system, our social safety nets, and our perception around the world. What message are we sending to the rest of the world as the richest man on the planet wields a chainsaw on stage in celebration of cutting necessary programs for the worlds most vulnerable populations? From the most modest perspective, it seems to be quite distasteful. From an extreme perspective, he seems like a comic book supervillain.
Perhaps the actions of the last few weeks actually do what Elon and the administration say they will do. Perhaps this is the only remedy for rooting out fraud, waste, and abuse. I cannot say in full confidence that this will end in disaster, but I do not believe that the people doing this are acting in the best interest of the people. They seem to be acting in the narrow self-interests of the wealthy oligarchs that have co-opted the levers of control.
This oligarchy has been able to do this by appealing to the desires of some fringe movements. That is how they built their coalition. Much of which was built on anecdotal evidence, sensationalism, and outright lies. They’ve used the tools of mass manipulation – social media and partisan 24-hour ‘news’ – to propagate fear and disinformation.
Fraud, waste, and abuse exist within every organization that relies on some form of bureaucracy. Exposing legitimate cases of these is a noble endeavor and would be favored by any rational tax-paying citizen. However, rooting out fraud, waste, and abuse requires diligence and deep understanding of the system. This cannot be done in the short time that these cuts have been made.
The actions of the first six weeks of this administration seem to be more for show. They seem to be appeasing their base with ‘good television’ that aligns with their desire for limited government. It is concerning to see this celebrated with such enthusiasm in some circles. While I feel empathy for those that lost their careers as well as those that will lose vital services, I do hope that this works out. I hope that my concerns are in vain, but I fear that they are not.
Please look out for your fellow humans. I hope you’ve found value in this. I appreciate your attention and thanks for reading.
Billy's Briefs 