In an effort to slash government spending, President Trump has asked the world’s richest man, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, to lead his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). In turn, Musk and his team have spent the first few weeks of Trump’s second term waging a largely unchecked war on the federal bureaucracy.

Of the many changes President Donald Trump has introduced since returning to the Oval Office, few have brought as much intrigue as the Department of Government Efficiency. DOGE was conceived by Trump and his billionaire benefactor,

As its name implies, DOGE is supposed to focus on improving efficiency. But instead of presenting reforms to streamline government sensibly, Musk’s initial forays focused on political retribution and a desire to gut the federal workforce no matter the cost to efficiency, expertise, and security.