Hello, and welcome to today’s episode. Elon Musk’s whirlwind stint as head of the “Department of Government Efficiency” came to an end with a late-night tweet: “The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government.” But the damage he left behind is anything but benign. In a few short months, he demanded sensitive data on millions of Americans, blew up foreign-aid programs, and dismissed thousands of federal employees—turning cost-cutting into what one critic called “performative vandalism.” Musk himself later admitted it was “much worse” inside the federal bureaucracy than he’d realized. His headline-grabbing chainsaw antics promised to slash trillions, but the real tally? Roughly $150 billion in savings—many of which agencies are now suing to restore—could instead cost taxpayers an extra $135 billion this year in rehiring and lost productivity. And the human cost is real: regulators from safety commissioners to scientists were abruptly ousted. Elon Musk may have exited Washington, but the wreckage he leaves stands as a stark warning: you can’t simply tear down government without consequences.
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