Elon Musk is leaving the Trump administration in disgrace after his reckless cuts at DOGE ended up costing taxpayers more than he saved while doing real damage to working families – but Republicans are still trying to push his toxic agenda. Last week, Speaker Mike Johnson confirmed that House Republicans would likely enact Musk’s devastating agenda as the White House sends a package of extreme DOGE cuts to Congress – all part of a scheme to pay for more tax breaks for the wealthy and corporations.
Meanwhile, working families are left to deal with the aftermath of DOGE’s disastrous cuts after Musk stripped access to Social Security and shuttered critical programs for children, veterans and seniors – all while millions of Americans are set to feel the effects of slashed scientific grants and health research for years to come. Who else might feel the (political) fallout of Musk’s reckless stint in government? Trump and Republicans who watched it all happen, or worse, cheered it on.
HERE’S A LOOK AT THE DAMAGE OF DOGE THE GOP IS STILL PUSHING:
- “EAGER AND READY TO ACT:” House Republicans Still Pushing DOGE Cuts. The White House and Congressional Republicans have confirmed they are trying to “consider the DOGE cuts package as early as possible” and enshrine Elon Musk’s reckless cuts into law.
- SHUTTERING KEY PROGRAMS: DOGE Ended Dozens of Key Federal Programs. DOGE shuttered USAID, and cut billions in contracts, grants, and leases from key programs in the Departments of Health & Human Services, Defense, Education, Safety, Homeland Security, and more. The lasting impact of these DOGE cuts includes:
- Disrupting critical HIV programs around the world;
- Firing a department working to prevent bird flu;
- Firing a department working to safeguard our nuclear arsenal;
- Paralyzing national parks;
- …and so much more.
- ATTACKING SOCIAL SECURITY: DOGE Cuts Are Gutting Social Security. DOGE gutted the Social Security Administration, threatening benefit distribution and administration after unlawfully accessing the sensitive data of hundreds of millions of Americans.
- MILLIONS OF SENIORS FORCED TO TRAVEL LONG DISTANCES FOR HARD-EARNED BENEFITS. After ending phone services and reducing staffing, DOGE cuts are estimated to cause 2 million extra visits to field offices. One staffer called the cuts “complete, utter chaos.” These cuts will force millions of seniors and rural Americans to travel long distances to verify benefits, change personal information, and more, with over a quarter of seniors living over an hour away from their nearest Social Security field office.
- “NET MONEY SINK:” DOGE Costs Overwhelmed Any “Savings.” One source noted that DOGE’s numbers were “based on speculative, never-used figures,” and outside analysts suggested that the cost of implementing the cuts would virtually offset the savings. The New York Times even called DOGE “a net money sink.”
- NEVER HIT THE MARK: DOGE Barely Hit Just 8 Percent of Elon Musk’s Goal. In fact, by April 2025, the DOGE website projected that it would meet just 8 percent of Elon Musk’s goal of cuts – less than half of which could be directly tied to cancelled projects and contracts listed. Even so, many of those receipts could not be verified by analysts.
- SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH UNDER FIRE: DOGE Targeted Biomedical Research and Science Research Grants. DOGE cuts targeted cutting-edge research, gutting NASA funding, NSF funding, and NIH funding behind major science projects with huge implications for national security as well as biomedical research that develops cures and treatments for rare and hard-to-treat diseases.
MUSK MADE MONEY OFF MAKING MILLIONS OF LIVES WORSE: DOGE Secured Multi-Billion-Dollar Contracts With Elon Musk’s Companies While Gutting Key Federal Programs. While running DOGE and flatlining key federal programs, Elon Musk’s DOGE cuts allowed his companies SpaceX and Starlink to ink contracts with the federal government worth billions of dollars for internet services, satellites, national defense technology, rockets, and more.