It is no secret that Democrats are steadfastly opposed to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). From the first day of President Donald Trump’s second term, the left began filing lawsuits aimed at disrupting the agency’s effort to streamline government operations and eliminate waste. Their goal appears to be stopping DOGE wherever they can.
But why?
Democrats love the government more than a hungry rottweiler would love a juicy steak, don’t they? Wouldn’t it behoove them to ensure the government becomes more efficient?
One might think that the last thing they would want is for the federal government to be less proficient.
So, what gives?
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During a February House Oversight Committee hearing on DOGE’s intent to cut the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), ranking member Melanie Stansbury (D-NM) railed against the idea. She claimed Republicans supporting the initiative peddle in “all kinds of wild conspiracy theories, accusations, and unfounded data.”
She further argued that it is “designed to confuse you and provide cover for Donald Trump and Elon Musk and their reckless and illegal gutting of foreign aid and realignment of international affairs.”
Interestingly, one of the main opponents of USAID programs is Donald Trump's own buddy Vladimir Putin. Why? Because among the programs the U.S. was funding before these funds were frozen and dismantled was aide to Ukraine, including safe houses on the front lines and a free and open press to help keep people informed on what was going on. Not to mention refugee resettlement programs in the U.S.
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) National President Everett Kelley issued a statement back before DOGE began its work, waxing hysterical about the prospect of eliminating “essential” government programs.
“Millions of Americans should brace for massive cuts to benefits and services they rely on for their survival under plans to target government spending and operations.
“On Tuesday, President-elect Trump announced he had appointed business executives Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead a private commission tasked with recommending drastic changes to the federal government’s programs and operations, which Musk has said could cut federal spending by $2 trillion.
“Budget cuts of this magnitude, coupled with the massive tax reductions Trump has said he will implement, will affect vital programs that tens of millions of Americans currently rely on for their financial security and their health and safety. This includes Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, food assistance for low-income families, veterans’ benefits and health care, and so much more.
“By their very nature, cuts of this size also would require slashing spending on our military, homeland security, federal law enforcement, and virtually every aspect of our government operations. This kind of financial pressure would lead to painful, widespread reductions in services that will affect Americans from every walk of life.
“To really attack government waste, the administration should target private contractors who are price gouging American taxpayers to deliver poorer service at higher cost while their corporate profits and executive pay skyrocket.”
If they want the government to take care of the American people, would it not make sense for an agency like DOGE to exist? Apparently not.
There are several reasons for this.
For starters, Democrats are trying to defend one of their most loyal voting blocs: Government workers. The party relies heavily on the support of federal workers, most of whom support Democratic candidates. In fact, the AFGE, the largest union for government workers, overwhelmingly directs its campaign contributions to Democrats.
This is why leftists pushed back so aggressively when Musk’s team started firing bureaucrats deemed to be non-essential. They must be seen as fighting for those they claim to champion.
A federal judge later ordered the Trump administration to rehire thousands of the workers it laid off, referring to the move as a “sham.” This came after leftists filed a lawsuit against DOGE to stop the firings.
There is also the matter of the specific programs DOGE seeks to cut or jettison entirely. Along with USAID, Musk and his team are also looking at the Universal Service Fund, which requires telecom companies to subsidize service in rural areas.
Critics of the fund refer to it as a “bureaucrat’s dream” and a “nightmare scenario” for taxpayers forced to foot the bill. Still, Democrats are ardently defending the program.
The Education Department has also found itself in DOGE’s crosshairs, much to the consternation of Democrats who want the federal government to have ultimate control over how children are educated.
The issue isn’t that DOGE is cutting government programs, it is that the agency is targeting programs Democrats like. This is why leftist talking heads are on the airwaves and interwebs caterwauling about the possible cutting of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Welfare is one of the Democrats’ political cash cows, meaning they must meet any challenge to these programs with vicious aggression.
The Democrats’ primary weapon has been the court system and mindless fearmongering about what might happen if the government wasn’t forcing taxpayers to fund these welfare programs. Sen. Chris Murphy, in a particularly telling moment, cautioned that the initiative is an “assault on essential service.”
It almost reminds us of when Democrats shrieked from the rooftops about how Republicans who opposed Obamacare wanted to hurl Grandma out into the street in her wheelchair.
Democrats, by framing DOGE as an attack on public institutions instead of a pruning of waste, are trying to foment anxiety among Americans.
We must also consider the political factor. Much of the Democrats’ opposition to DOGE is purely partisan. They resent the idea because Republicans are backing it. If former President Joe Biden initiated a similar project, the left would be dancing naked in the streets like King David when the Israelites brought the Ark of the Covenant back to Israel.
This isn’t to say there aren’t valid criticisms of how DOGE is pursuing its mission. But Democrats aren’t focused on those as much as they are on winding the public up into a frenzy over it. The fact that they are astroturfing protests at town hall meetings shows their objective is merely to stymie President Trump’s agenda, not make the government more efficient.
If Democrats truly sought to improve government operations, they would be trying to work with the administration, providing insight on how to accomplish this objective. Unfortunately, they are more concerned with power than with anything else.
