Donald Trump was appointed as the 47th president of the United States on January 20th, 2025. In his inaugural address, he claims that in order “To restore competence and effectiveness to our federal government, [his] administration will establish the brand-new Department of Government Efficiency.” But what is the Department of Government Efficiency, and how is it impacting our lives as average citizens?

Trump appointed Elon Musk, 53 years old, billionaire, and CEO of Tesla and X (formerly known as Twitter) to run DOGE as a so-called “special government employee.” The overarching goal of DOGE is to minimize and cut government spending in “unnecessary” areas and to maximize government efficiency. Since January 20th, DOGE has impacted the lives of  several Americans.

Here are three things you should know:

Mass Layoffs

One of Trump’s goals for his presidency is to shrink the federal government. The government began to offer federal workers “buyouts”—a promise to workers who quit their jobs that they will be paid until September— that expired on February 12th. Although buyouts were offered, some agencies were forced to lay off their employees in general. Agencies such as the FDA, CDC, and FAA were told to terminate employees via email. 

Cutting DEI Programs

Another goal Trump set was to cancel programs related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. To do this, DOGE has cancelled various programs that help underprivileged communities and minorities. According to Newsweek, DOGE aims to cancel 85 DEI contracts. This caused many major retailers to roll back their DEI initiatives, such as Walmart, Target, and Amazon.

Accessing Government Agencies and Technology Systems

DOGE has also gained access to government agencies such as the Treasury Department, which makes Americans question the information that DOGE can see. With access to the Treasury, DOGE can find millions of Social Security numbers, banking information, and more of Americans. This makes Americans question how much of their information the government collects.

DOGE can also access the Department of Education and the Federal Aviation Administration’s data and technology. With access to student loan data and federal aviation technology, it is possible that federal education programs and safety could be put at risk. 

There have also been other agencies such as CMS, the Department of Energy, the EPA, FEMA, and more that have been attacked by DOGE, with the goal of identifying fraud.

Conclusion

As days and months pass under the Trump administration, DOGE will continue to uncover and cut federal spending in controversial areas. Although DOGE has promised to cut over $2 trillion in government spending, their most recent audit claims to have saved $105 billion in savings. Americans will have to wait and see how DOGE continues to change and reshape our government.