How Trump/Musk’s DOGE helps you and the rest of America

Question: What is the purpose of Trump/Musk’s D.O.G.E?

To cut government spending. 

Following Donald Trump’s re-election, Elon Musk was appointed to lead an organization titled, Department of Governement Efficiency (D.O.G.E.)

It’s stated goal was to reduce government spending.

Initially this included cutting up to $2 trillion from the federal budget, though estimates were later adjusted to only $150 billion. ​

As of April 2025, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, claims to have reduced federal spending by approximately $130 billion. This figure is a revision from earlier, more ambitious targets: an initial goal of $2 trillion, later adjusted to $1 trillion, and subsequently to $150 billion. (Wikipedia)

However, independent analyses suggest that a significant portion of the reported savings may be overstated or based on miscalculations. For instance, some canceled contracts were already inactive or yielded no savings, and there have been instances where the value of canceled contracts was misreported by substantial margins.

Why Cut Government Spending?

1. To Reduce the Deficit/National Debt The belief is that the government is like a household. It shouldn’t “spend more than it earns.” Cutting spending is seen as a “fically responsible” way to reduce the federal deficit or debt.

2. To Increase Efficiency The belief is that big government is inherently bloated and wasteful. Cutting spending will force it to be leaner and more efficient.

3. To Shrink the Size of Government Philosophically, some want less government intervention in the economy or personal lives. Cutting spending is a way to roll back programs and reduce federal influence.

4. To Reallocate Resources to the Private Sector Reducing public services and funding can create opportunities for private businesses to step in—healthcare, education, infrastructure, etc. The private sector is claimed to be more efficient than the public sector.

What has DOGE done to accomplish its mission:

Under billionaire Elon Musk’s leadership, DOGE has initiated substantial workforce reductions across various federal agencies.

Available reports indicate that tens of thousands of federal employees have lost their income. 

Many thousands more live in constant fear that they soon will be fired and/or deported.

Some examples: 

In late January 2025, DOGE offered “voluntary” resignation packages to federal employees, resulting in approximately 75,000 departures. ​

The word “voluntary” is used in quotes because the choice was to retire or be fired.

On February 13, 2025, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) advised agencies to fire most of the 200,000 federal employees in their probationary period (less than one year in their current roles). ​

The Department of Defense plans to reduce its civilian workforce by 8%, equating to approximately 61,000 positions. ​

AmeriCorps placed hundreds of employees on administrative leave and terminated 1,500 National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) members. Nearly 2,200 young volunteers were also instructed to cease activities and return home. ​

In March 2025, the General Services Administration (GSA) laid off 600 employees from the Public Building Service and issued Reduction in Force (RIF) notices to 165 out of 178 employees in one region. ​

United States Digital Service (USDS): Following DOGE’s restructuring, several dozen employees were dismissed, and 21 resigned in protest.

Masive firings have severe financial and emotional effects, not only on the employees themselves but also on their families, creditors, and the businesses that serve them.​

How have DOGE’s efforts benefitted America?

1. Reduce the federal deficit and debt. While firing hundreds of thousands of people would seem to reduce the deficit and debt, the situation is more complicated.

a. The fired people will pay less income tax, thus reducing the desired effect on the deficit and debt.

b. The federal government is not like a household, a state or local government, or a business. It is uniquely Monetarily Sovereign. Neither deficits nor debt are a burden on the government or on taxpayers.

Unlike state/local governments, when the federal government saves money, this does not translate into lower taxes for the populace.

Congress arbitrarily determines tax rates based on political bases, not financial needs. While state and local taxes fund state and local government spending, federal taxes fund nothing. All federal spending is funded by the creation of new dollars.

All federal taxes are destroyed upon receipt by the Treasury Department

Even if the federal government didn’t collect a penny in taxes, it could continue spending forever.

Currently Congress favors tax reductions, but only for the very rich.

Contrary to popular claims, tax reductions are not “paid for” by federal spending cuts. All federal spending is paid for by federal money creation, regardless of taxes.

The federal debt is neither federal nor debt, never is paid for” by taxes or anyone. It merely is the difference between taxes collected vs. bills already paid.

Regarding the misnamed federal debt, no one is “owed” anything. T-security accounts contain dollars owned by depositors.

The government holds them for safekeeping, and does not take ownership of them. These accounts are similar to bank safe-deposit boxes, where the bank does not owe the contents, but merely holds them for safety.

The federal government’s sole purpose is to improve and protect people’s lives. To this end, the economy (as measured by Gross Domestic Product) must grow just to match population growth and inflation. Data indicates that we have recessions and depressions when federal deficit spending does not increase or even increases insufficiently.

c. There is no science to making the federal government “leaner.” Merely firing people will do that. The more people fired, the “leaner” the government is. The ultimate of “leanness” is a government with no people and no expenses.

But this does not translate into greater efficiency.

If efficiency is measured by the degree to which the government improves and protects the people’s lives, wholesale firings do not accomplish the mission.

On the contrary, they prevent efficiency.

Those agencies that have already experienced mass firings are less efficient today than before—less able to accomplish their missions.

Examples of “Leaner” government hurting people: Fewer inspectors → more food safety issues, workplace hazards.

Fewer IRS agents → less tax enforcement on wealthy individuals/corporations.

Fewer teachers or public health workers → worse services, more burnout, worse education.

Reduced unemployment offices → longer wait times for help.

Underfunded disaster response → worse outcomes during emergencies.

In these cases, “Leaner” isn’t more efficient—it’s slower and less ineffective.

d. There is no inherent advantage to a “small” government, however “small” is measured. The optimum size of a government is the size that will best accomplish its mission. It is difficult to see how DOGE’s wholesale firings, which do not consider those fired’s experience, work ethic, and individual accomplishments, can result in an optimum size.

Merely making a team smaller does not make it better. Quite often, a smaller team cannot accomplish as much as a bigger team, or the U.S. military would be composed of a dozen soldiers.

e. Reallocating resources to the private sector (aka “privatizing”) has no general effect on an agency’s ability to accomplish its mission.

The primary mission of a federal agency is to serve the people, while the primary mission of a private organization is to make a profit and serve the people.

The agency and the organization are judged by how well they accomplish their missions. Both private and public groups employ people. There are no fundamental differences between people working in the private sector vs. those working for the government.

One difference between the two types of organizations is that private organizations cannot focus on the people; their focus must be split between service an profits.

A second difference it that for a federal agency, the primary decision-makers must please Congress and the President, while the private organization’s decision-makers must please the owners-shareholders. The goals of the two groups are different.

This can be seen when the service and pricing of the United States Postal Service are compared with those of FedEx and UPS. They have different goals, different pricing, and different outcomes.

The DOGE willy-nilly, unfocused, mass workforce reductions will impact important public services, including disaster response, social security administration, and national security operations.

Visualize a football team with fifty players that tries to downsize by firing twenty players, without regard to position or skill level. That is the DOGE “efficiency” method.

Now imagine the effect of Trump’s efforts to deport millions of workers and consumers from the economy. because of false claims — based on bigotry — that these people are criminals. No evidence, no trials, only bigoted claims.

Millions of businesses all over America, will lose employees and customers (and this doesn’t consider the economic losses Trump’s tariffs will cause.)

Visualize the transfer of billions of tariff dollars from the private sector to the federal government, where they are destroyed.

Who Benefits from Cuts?  This depends heavily on which spending gets cut. Here’s how it probably will play out:

Winners Wealthy individuals and corporations will see lower taxes, especially on tax shelters, and capital gains.

Private contractors/businesses: If public services (e.g., education, healthcare, infrastructure) are cut, private firms will be brought in to fill the gap—for profit.

Private jails, notoriously the least human, provide an example.

Ideological libertarians: People who hate government see this as a win.

Losers Working-class and low-income people: Most federal spending goes toward Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, education, and income support. These people will receive worse service and lose their income because of layoffs, hiring freezes, and wage stagnation.

Their real taxes will rise. They do not benefit from tax loopholes and other schemes afforded to the rich. They will suffer most from tariff increases, which will be nothing less than sales taxes on buyers.

Communities relying on infrastructure investment: Fewer public works = fewer jobs, slower development.

Cutting billions from programs that benefit the general population does not help the economy. It widens the income/power/wealth Gap between the rich and the rest.

The government will do less for regular people, leaving them to fend for themselves or turn to private corporations that profit by extracting dollars from those who cannot afford it.

IN SUMMARY

Trump and Musk lead these efforts under the banners of “efficiency,” which masks a deeper agenda: consolidating influence by the rich, reducing democratic control, and opening new markets for privatization.

If you believe government should actively provide education, healthcare, infrastructure, safety nets, and regulation—then cutting it back doesn’t make it better. It just makes it less capable.

And that is the real goal of Trump/Musk’s DOGE. To make the rich richer and the rest poorer.

If you are not rich, you have not and will not see a penny’s worth of benefit from Trump/Musk’s DOGE.

All that pain. All those lives ruined. All for nothing.

You will experience the result of ignorance, greed, paranoia, cruelty, and hatred.

Rodger Malcolm Mitchell

Monetary Sovereignty

Twitter: @rodgermitchell

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MUCK RACK: https://muckrack.com/rodger-malcolm-mitchell;

https://www.academia.edu/

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A Government’s Sole Purpose is to Improve and Protect The People’s Lives.

MONETARY SOVEREIGNTY