DOGE’s ‘Efficiency’ Plan Is a Dumpster Fire

Sloppy execution, mass resignations, and mounting legal costs—this was never built to work.

They sold it as a revolution—an efficiency overhaul that would rip the waste out of government and replace it with speed, innovation, and streamlined operations. Instead, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has turned into a chaotic, costly mess that was doomed from the start.

This wasn’t a noble attempt to modernize outdated systems. It was a wrecking ball cloaked in a publicity stunt—one that should have set off alarm bells from day one. The model was never realistic. The timeline was impossible. The execution was reckless. And now, with resignations, service disruptions, and growing legal concerns, it’s clear: DOGE was never designed to succeed; it was designed to fail dramatically.

But here’s the real question: Why didn’t anyone stop it?

No one with a shred of experience in government operations could have looked at this plan and thought, Yes, this will work. It was rushed, vague, and built on tech-bro fantasies rather than functional governance. The real scandal isn’t just that DOGE is failing; it’s that so many people saw the warning signs and let it happen anyway.

The Coffman Chronicle is powered by YOU—no billionaires, no corporate overlords. Help us expose the BS, deliver sharp insights, and keep you informed.

You can fuel the fight and join the movement for just $8 a month or $80 a year.

Not ready to subscribe? No worries, chaos loves company, and you're always welcome.

A Doomed Premise: Why DOGE Was Never Going to Work

Government inefficiency is real, but fixing it requires methodical reforms, expert collaboration, and time. DOGE, on the other hand, took a Silicon Valley-style “disruption” approach, treating the federal government like a failing startup that just needed a quick reboot.

But the government isn’t a startup. It runs essential services that affect hundreds of millions of people. There’s no “move fast and break things” when dealing with Social Security payments, veterans’ benefits, and tax processing.

Instead of assessing which agencies needed reform and working from within to implement strategic cuts, DOGE charged in blindly, relying on AI keyword searches and rapid-fire layoffs to determine “inefficiencies.” It was cost-cutting for the sake of optics, not strategy, and certainly not efficiency.

The deadline alone should have made it obvious that this was never a serious policy. July 4, 2026—the 250th anniversary of America—was picked for symbolism, not feasibility. No serious government modernization effort could be completed in 18 months, especially when past overhauls (like IRS modernization) have taken a decade or more.

From the beginning, DOGE wasn’t about reform. It was about spectacle. The administration wanted splashy headlines about slashing government waste but didn’t seem to care that their plan would actually make things worse.

And yet, Congress didn’t stop it. Agency leaders didn’t push back hard enough. Even the media, for the most part, failed to challenge the absurdity of DOGE’s premise. The fact that it got this far proves how much our institutions have been conditioned to accept reckless policymaking without question.

---

How DOGE’s Implementation Sealed Its Fate

Even if the model was remotely workable, DOGE’s execution guaranteed its collapse.

1. A Brain Drain of Expertise

DOGE gutted its own talent pool before it even got started. The United States Digital Service (USDS), which had over 200 employees dedicated to federal modernization, was absorbed into DOGE in January 2025. Within weeks:

• 50 employees were fired in a rushed effort to “streamline operations.”

• 21 top technologists resigned in protest over ethical and security concerns.

• That left DOGE with a majority workforce of Musk hires (56) over experienced USDS employees (44)—a catastrophic loss of institutional knowledge.

What did the government lose with those departures?

• Cybersecurity specialists responsible for protecting federal data.

• Engineers working on COBOL-to-modern system migrations for critical agencies.

• Digital service teams at the VA and IRS were modernizing benefits processing.

These weren’t nameless bureaucrats. They were the people who actually knew how to modernize government systems—and DOGE either fired them or drove them out.

2. Cutting First, Asking Questions Later

Rather than carefully evaluating inefficiencies, DOGE came in swinging. Agencies were forced to justify their existence after cuts had already been made, and federal employees were blindsided by demands to explain why their roles shouldn’t be eliminated. Employees were let go only to immediately be recalled when the administration realized they were literally irreplaceable. No real efficiency plan works this way.

And here’s the kicker: each federal agency was supposed to have a four-person DOGE team—including an IT expert, HR specialist, legal advisor, and agency lead—to work with DOGE and provide oversight. These teams were meant to prevent reckless decision-making and ensure critical roles weren’t eliminated indiscriminately.

But DOGE ignored its process. Instead of working with these oversight teams, it barreled through agencies unilaterally, treating every department the same. This wasn’t about efficiency but taking control and cutting blindly.

---

The Fallout: Predictable and Disastrous

1. Service Disruptions Are Piling Up

• The IRS is struggling to manage the 2025 tax season, with processing times delayed due to DOGE’s meddling in IT systems.

• The VA is backlogged again after staff reductions and contract cancellations disrupted veterans' benefit processing.

• FAA modernization plans have stalled, with aviation experts warning that outdated systems could lead to flight delays and safety risks.

2. Millions Spent, No Savings in Sight

DOGE was supposed to save taxpayer money. Instead, it racked up millions in software and “anticipatory expenses”—before even assessing what systems were already in place. Squandering money in an attempt to cut costs is the definition of inefficiency.

And now, the legal costs are piling up, too. Multiple lawsuits have been filed against DOGE, including challenges from federal employee unions, watchdog groups, and agencies fighting unlawful terminations and security risks.

Taxpayers are footing the bill for legal battles, settlements, and the cost of reversing bad decisions. A program meant to cut waste is now actively generating new expenses.

---

Conclusion: The Inevitable Collapse of DOGE

DOGE was never about making the government more efficient; instead, it was about gutting it as quickly and recklessly as possible. The signs were there from the beginning.

• The timeline was unrealistic.

• The reliance on AI over expertise was laughable.

• The cuts were arbitrary, not strategic.

• The agency safeguards meant to prevent reckless decision-making were ignored.

And worst of all? This disaster was completely avoidable.

DOGE’s failure wasn’t just predictable—it was inevitable. The real question is: Why did so many people let it happen?

Bibliography:

• Federal Technology Staffers Resign Rather Than Help Musk and DOGE Associated Press, February 25, 2025

• Career Employees Resign DOGE in Protest of Cuts Politico, February 25, 2025

• Judges, the Economy, and Even Elon Musk's Own DOGE Team Are Turning Against His Wild Plans Vanity Fair, February 25, 2025

• 21 Civil Servants Who Worked With Musk's Government Reform Team Resign The Wall Street Journal, February 25, 2025

• Elon Musk's DOGE Has Worked Quickly to Cut Federal Agencies. Here's a List of What's Been Targeted So Far. Business Insider, February 25, 2025

• The Incompetence of DOGE Is a Feature, Not a Bug Wired, February 20, 2025

• As DOGE Enters FAA, an Aging Aviation Safety System May Come Into Focus FedScoop, February 21, 2025

• 21 Technologists Quit USDS, Saying DOGE Demands... FedScoop, February 25, 2025

• Federal Worker Advocates File Legal Challenges to DOGE, Schedule F FedScoop, January 22, 2025

• Veterans, Teachers, Public Health Professionals, Consumer... Democracy Forward, January 20, 2025

• Advocacy Group, Unions Sue Treasury Department Over Illegal... American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), February 4, 2025