Above: Elon Musk wields a chainsaw at the Conservative Political Action Conference. Photo Courtesy of AP News
President Trump has created a brand new department in the United States government to cut spending and regulations. This department was titled the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE for short, when it was released on January 20, 2025.
DOGE is under criticism for firing thousands of federal workers such as employees in the I.R.S, U.S.D.A, and Education Department.
With a new department always comes new questions and concerns, this new department is no different.
Casper Altman, a freshman at SAU, is leery, “I just don’t think it’s right, especially with all of the airplane cuts (FAA). You won’t catch me dead flying now.”
A senior at St. Ambrose University says, “I mean I’ve heard of DOGE, but I’m not exactly sure what they do or what they aim to do.”
The Buzz asked SAU faculty members to help clear the confusion and answer some questions.
What is DOGE?
Dr. Joseph Hebert, SAU Political Science Professor explains “DOGE is a federal government agency set up by executive order of the President.”
President Trump created the department to “implement the President’s DOGE Agenda, by modernizing federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity,” according to the White House.
Dr. Hebert further explains “DOGE exists to give the President better information about what the federal bureaucracy is doing, and with that information, he can exercise more control, by hiring, firing, or reassigning personnel, cancelling, creating, or reorganizing programs, or issuing further orders based on the information he receives.
“The purposes of DOGE may be as broad as the President’s agenda. From what we have seen so far, the main purposes seem to be 1) exposing and eliminating wasteful spending, 2) exposing and correcting fraud or other illegal or unconstitutional practices, 3) ensuring that government agencies comply with the policies of the President rather than working at cross purposes with his political agenda.”
Concerns About DOGE: Can They Do This?
A major concern arising about DOGE is the authority the department has to conduct mass layoffs, spending cuts, and more.
SAU Business Ethics Professor, Dr. Andrew Swift, says, “Musk and Trump are textbook examples of Oscar Wilde’s definition of a ‘cynic’. A cynic is a person who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.
“In order to identify fraud and waste, you have to know what the agency does to determine that. None of them do.
“I would describe Trump and Musk cutting spending as sort of like giving a very sharp blade to a chimpanzee. They have no idea what they’re cutting and it’s affecting people’s lives.”
Dr. Swift has firsthand knowledge of the effects DOGE is passing to government workers as he has a neighbor who works for the federal government.
Dr. Swift, after having a conversation with said neighbor about an email sent by Mr. Musk demanding workers send five bullet points of what they did that week to prove their efficiency, says, “it just makes her feel miserable.
“She said that all she can do is continue to go to work every day and conduct her job with honesty and integrity, and to pray to God that he will deliver her from this situation.
“And, I am thinking to myself, ‘Why are you being treated like that? Why is your government making you feel like garbage? And do you know what the answer to that question is?’
“They hope if they treat you like garbage, you’ll quit. You’ll get the job done for them. That’s nothing I can respect.”
Above: Amy Gleason, the head of DOGE according to some. Photo Courtesy of Amy Gleason/LinkedIn
Concerns About DOGE: Who Is Responsible?
Another problem arising with DOGE is that President Trump has yet to make the administrators of DOGE clear.
When the department first opened, President Trump alluded to Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy as the administrators of the department. Ramaswamy shortly thereafter stepped down from the position, but Musk continued to represent DOGE by answering questions about the department at cabinet meetings and sending emails on behalf of DOGE.
In addition, at President Trump’s Address to Congress, he says, in reference to DOGE, “which is headed by Elon Musk who is in the gallery tonight.”
However, the White House has continuously denied claims about Musk running the department.
In recent news publications, it is explained that Amy Gleason, a Senior Advisor of USDS, was announced by a White House official as the acting administrator of the Department of Government Efficiency.
However, there has not been any formal confirmation on the White House website for DOGE.
Concerns about DOGE: The Constitution Says Maybe?
In conjunction with concerns about authority, many are questioning the constitutionality of DOGE’s actions.
Dr. Hebert explains these issues by breaking down Constitutional basics and historical development for the U.S. institutions.
“According to the constitutional principle of separation of powers, each branch of government is autonomous in its own sphere. Congress makes laws, the President enforces laws, and the Courts decide lawsuits.
“But there is a counterbalancing principle: checks and balances. For example, the President can veto laws, Congress can impeach the President, etc.
“According to the separation of powers, it is the President’s responsibility to enforce laws, and so it is right for him to exercise control over the various federal agencies that help him do that.
“At the same time, there are limits to ensure the President does not abuse this power. The Senate must approve the heads of major agencies; the Courts can adjudicate lawsuits to ensure that the President’s interpretation of the laws is sound.
“In this sense the basic purpose of DOGE—to enhance the President’s control over his own employees–is sound, but it is not surprising that numerous lawsuits have arisen over specific actions, alleging that he has misinterpreted certain legal boundaries, and we can expect that as time goes on, the President will win some of these cases and lose others, further clarifying the limits of his ability to reinterpret the laws he is enforcing.
“The ultimate results will depend on how Congress responds over time. If DOGE cuts something that Congress did not authorize, Congress might step in to authorize it, or come up with a different solution. Or it might be taken up by state or local governments or by citizen groups.”
Ramifications of DOGE
After mass layoffs of government officials, like those in the Defense Department and Department of Health and Human Services, many are worried about what effects will be seen throughout the country and SAU’s campus.
Dr. Swift says, “I could see dire possibilities. I think you could look towards all sorts of potential cuts to education, making it a lot harder for people to go to school.”
However, Dr. Hebert says the results might not necessarily be dire, he explains that “clearly the scale of what is being done here suggests that the consequences will be significant. Many resources, regulations, etc. may be affected, including educational grants and loans and the regulations that go with them.
“Bear in mind that there will be a process of judicial review and responses from Congress and states and other organizations, as noted above. So some things will be changing from day-to-day and month-to-month as we go along.
“It will not be sufficient to look at today’s news and draw conclusions. This will demand more sustained attention to the process and how it affects us in particular ways.”
Although more layoffs, more spending cuts, and new effects on the American people and students are to be expected, Dr. Hebert says it is important to remember our rights as citizens to remain informed.
“This may feel exciting or scary depending on one’s interests… But I would stress that, whatever one’s views on the particular matters affected by DOGE … that we all take this as opportunity to deepen our understanding of our system of government, and the many opportunities that exist for us to address political and social issues … we can think more deeply about how we can contribute to the betterment of society, and take action as citizens.”
