Elon Musk's DOGE Cuts Spark Chaos in Federal Services

Elon Musk's tenure as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has led to significant disruptions in federal services. Appointed in January 2025, Musk implemented aggressive cost-cutting measures, claiming $150 billion in savings—a figure widely questioned by experts at The Guardian.

Critics argue that DOGE's personnel cuts have degraded vital public services, including veterans' healthcare, IRS responses, and Social Security operations. The initiative has been described as a "slash-and-burn" effort that ignored technological modernization and targeted experienced employees, with little regard for long-term consequences according to The Guardian.

Musk's approach has been seen as dismissive of public sector value, weakening governmental capabilities and potentially jeopardizing public health and safety. Experts warn that the worst impacts, including longer wait times and degraded service quality, are yet to come.

In addition to his role at DOGE, Musk continues to lead several major companies:

Tesla: CEO and director.
SpaceX: CEO, director, and co-founder.
X Corp. (formerly Twitter): Executive.

His involvement in multiple ventures has raised concerns about his ability to effectively manage each, especially as Tesla faces declining sales and investor concerns mount over his divided attention.

Conclusion

Elon Musk's tenure at DOGE has proven that slashing jobs does not equal government "efficiency"—it equals dysfunction. Instead of reforming systems to work better for the people, Musk approached the federal government like one of his private companies: obsessed with the bottom line and blind to public consequences. In gutting departments and pushing out seasoned staff, all he’s done is rack up severance costs, accelerate retirements, and leave Americans with longer wait times and worse service.