"100 days of Dogecoin: more turbulence than productivity" or "Dogecoin's 100-day journey: more turmoil than progress"
Unveiled: The Hidden Truth Behind Elon Musk's Federal Bureaucracy Overhaul
WASHINGTON - In the heart of the nation's capital, a wave of change is sweeping through various government agencies as Elon Musk, tech visionary, and Donald Trump, the President, embark on a mission to streamline the colossal federal machinery. However, as the duo pledges to make the bureaucracy more efficient, tales of growing pains, lengthy delays, and rising costs have begun surfacing from the depths of government offices.
At the Social Security Administration, veteran claims processors have made way for fresh faces from Baltimore headquarters, tasked with replacing them. But these newcomers, often statisticians or lawyers, are struggling to master the art of handling claims, resulting in increased wait times for disabled and elderly Americans relying on these crucial benefits. An SSA official, defensive about the changes, maintained that the reassigned employees are "brimming with knowledge about our programs and services."
Meanwhile, over at the Internal Revenue Service, the internet connection has turned chaotic since Trump ordered remote workers back to overcrowded offices. The ensuing mayhem has staff resorting to personal hotspots, potentially compromising the higher stakes of tax season.
But the consequences of these staff and funding cuts extend beyond the aforementioned issues. Reuters' investigation revealed 20 incidents of purchasing bottlenecks, increased costs, paralysis in decision-making, and longer public wait times across 14 government agencies, as well as scientific and technological talent drain.
Jessica Riedl, a fellow at the Manhattan Institute, observed that despite these changes, DOGE has only saved an estimated $5 billion to date, and she fears it will ultimately cost more than it saves. The examples provided shed light on the unintentional collateral damage resulting from DOGE's efforts to make the sprawling federal bureaucracy more efficient.
When confronted with questions about the impact of DOGE's cuts on government efficiency, White House spokesman Harrison Fields maintained that Musk's team "has already modernized government technology, prevented fraud, streamlined processes, and identified billions of dollars in savings for American taxpayers." However, Fields failed to provide concrete examples of improved government computer systems or workforce efficiency.
As Musk bids adieu to his DOGE role, concerns linger about the project's future. Yet experts believe the cost-cutting will continue, despite the lack of concrete evidence demonstrating the government's enhanced efficiency as a result of the mass layoffs and terminated government contracts.
The DOGE teams, operating in secret within agency computer systems, have left a trail of errors and corrections on their official website claiming $160 billion in savings to date. The White House furnished Reuters with several instances of cost savings, including the prevention of over $630 million in fraudulent loans made by the Small Business Administration and the reduction of $18 million in leasing costs at the Environmental Protection Agency. However, these claims remain unverified.
In its drive to cut costs, DOGE has canceled nearly 500,000 government credit cards and centralized decision-making, leaving managers in some regional offices unable to buy basic supplies. At the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, a scientist had to wait a month to get authorization to buy $200 worth of dry ice for urine samples, a purchase usually made at a local supermarket. The additional shipping costs amounted to an extra $100.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which oversees NIOSH, did not respond to a request for comment, while the CDC also remained silent on the fate of a chemical analysis instrument at a facility in Cincinnati that has been idle for months due to a lack of training caused by the ban on communicating with outside vendors.
Critics contend that the government gains tested by DOGE were already being attempted by civil servants striving to save taxpayer dollars. Despite this, some of these offices have been targeted for cuts by DOGE, including 18-F, a team dedicated to streamlining technology across the federal government.
Waldo Jaquith, who worked for 18-F between 2016 and 2020, noted that the team had saved the Pentagon $500 million during a single three-day project by discovering that two departments were unwittingly performing the same task. However, it remains unverified whether this figure is accurate.
As the government overhaul continues under the watch of Trump and Musk, reports of inefficiencies, delays, and increased costs persist, making one thing certain: the journey towards an efficient federal bureaucracy is far from over.
- The changes brought by Elon Musk and President Trump to various government agencies, aiming to improve business efficiencies, have led to an increase in wait times for Social Security Administration claimants, as veteran claim processors are replaced by statisticians or lawyers without adequate experience.
- Despite promises of a healthier financial landscape for taxpayers, reports suggest that the paralysis in decision-making and subsequent delays across 14 government agencies due to staff and funding cuts have resulted in increased costs and inefficiencies.
- Reuters' investigation revealed that the administration's focus on environmental matters has faced obstacles, with staff at the Internal Revenue Service experiencing connectivity issues while working in overcrowded offices during tax season, leading to potential compromises of higher-stakes data.
- Jessica Riedl, a fellow at the Manhattan Institute, expressed her concern that despite the cost-cutting measures implemented by the Administration, the general news and policy-and-legislation sectors are yet to see concrete evidence demonstrating a positive impact on government efficiency.
- The increasingly centralized decision-making processes undertaken by the Administration as a means of improving efficiencies have left some regional offices,"managers unable to buy basic supplies and caused delays in necessary purchases, such as dry ice at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
- Critics contend that attempts to streamline government business and reduce costs have already been initiated by civil servants dedicated to saving taxpayer dollars, but despite this, teams like 18-F, focused on modernizing technology across federal agencies, have been targeted for cuts by the Administration.
