Trump and DOGE: what do they mean for the U.S.?

D.O.G.E graphic (Ryan Win-Ruan/ The Puma Prensa )

Written By: Ryan Win-Ruan, staff writter

Recently, President Donald Trump returned to his status as a prominent figure both in the U.S. and internationally, as his executive orders and new legislation completely erased much of the Biden administration’s actions from the prior term. 

However, another less discussed, yet equally relevant matter could have a more significant impact on the U.S. than anything else Trump has done: his mass purge of government positions and shrinking of the U.S. government. 

Trump and one of his closest allies, billionaire Elon Musk, formed the Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE) to crack down on what Trump views as wastes of taxpayers’ money on certain departments and cutting government spending. However, DOGE is facing various legal problems, and, according to the BBC, “despite its full name, [DOGE] is not an official government department, which would have had to be established by an act of Congress.” 

Even though DOGE has been controversial and many Democrats have opposed its formation, its goals of reducing government spending and fixing the U.S.’s nearly 36 trillion dollar debt have caused many to align with and support its actions thus far, although the amount of progress it’s made towards that goal is a topic of heavy debate.

Many of the departments which have been monitored by DOGE have been in opposition to its actions, as employees of the Departments of Education, Homeland Security, Energy, Defense, and many more have all been fired by Trump’s administration, according to ABC News.

Even more recently, many of the U.S.’s Attorneys General and officials in the Department of Justice (DoJ) have been taking action against DOGE’s more controversial actions, such as attempting to access sensitive information which the Treasury Department holds. 

At this point in Trump’s term, reviews of DOGE and its actions are mixed, but the only way to know how these actions will end is to wait and see.