The Resistance
Why resist DOGE?
Who Is Opposed to Cutting Bureaucracy?
It’s a good question. There are a few possibilities.
1. People who think that the cuts will hurt society in the short-run and/or the long-run
2. People who think that the cuts will hurt them personally
3. People who think that cutting bureaucracy is good, but doing it this way is bad
4. People who think that the Administration lacks the authority to do this
5. People who have a partisan bias against the current Administration
We wouldn’t be in this position if we hadn’t spent like sailors in Tijuana five minutes after getting paid.
Saying you don’t like cutting bureaucracy at this point is like a cancer patient saying that they don’t like chemotherapy.
Maybe you shouldn’t have smoked two packs a day..
‘Minimizing bureaucracy should be supported by everyone. It's obvious. It's depressing to see how much inefficiency there is in government, the very system that has an opportunity and responsibility to help a lot of people at scale. Everything should be made digital (fast, easy, accessible), transparent (no waste/corruption), and all processes made as simple as possible.’
Crypto Regulation Is Different Now
I suppose they’re just subject to normal consumer fraud protection laws?
‘WOW. The SEC just said that meme coins are generally NOT considered securities under US federal law. They also said that meme coins have "limited or no use" and do not need to be registered with the SEC. This is a MASSIVE statement by the SEC.’
#AltGov: the secret network of federal workers resisting Doge from the inside
The bureaucrats are organizing their resistance.
‘It was only the latest effort by a growing and increasingly busy group banding together to “expose harmful policies, defend public institutions and equip citizens with tools to push back against authoritarianism”, according to Lynn Stahl, a contractor with Veterans Affairs and a member of the network. Increasingly, the group is also trying to help its members and others face the thousands of layoffs that have been imposed across the federal government.
‘Calling itself #AltGov, the network has developed a visible, public-facing presence in recent weeks through Bluesky accounts, most of which bear the names or initials of federal agencies, aimed at getting information out to the public – and correcting disinformation – about the chaos being unleashed by the Trump administration.’
JP Morgan CEO slams DOGE critics amid audit: 'bureaucracy pushes back at everything'
Dimon is a trader at heart.
He hits the nail spot on here.
It’s not just waste, fraud, and abuse, though those are important. That phrase has legal and political reasons for its use.
It’s about outcomes.
If you push the button thinking X will happen and either it doesn’t happen or Y happens (and Y is bad), maybe we shouldn’t keep pushing the button until we figure out what’s happening?
‘The government is inefficient, not very competent, and needs a lot of work,” Dimon said. “It’s not just waste and fraud, it’s outcomes. Why are we spending the money on these things? Are we getting what we deserve?’
Who’s Afraid of Medicaid Reform?
Medicaid spending, already growing at a disproportionately high rate, has turned into a giant federal slush fund for states, especially Blue states.
‘The Biden Administration also gave states waivers to spend federal Medicaid dollars on non-medical purposes, including food, homeless housing, and personal transportation for beneficiaries. Health and Human Services is only supposed to grant such waivers if they don’t increase the federal deficit, but the Biden HHS ignored this rule.
‘Nearly half of the states have received federal permission to spend Medicaid dollars on housing, and a dozen have for food. What are federal low-income housing vouchers and food stamps for again?
‘Mr. Biden’s HHS even blessed California’s plan to spend federal Medicaid dollars on “activity stipends” for art and music lessons for children and club sports. Oregon is tapping Medicaid to pay for cooking classes, air conditioners and mini-refrigerators. Some Republican states have joined this all-you-can-spend Medicaid buffet.’
Importantly, CRA also handcuffs subsequent administrations.
‘The 1996 CRA allows an incoming Congress to “disapprove” only of regulations up to 60 legislative session days after they were finalized, and Team Biden worked hard to shelter many of its rules from that threat. But Republicans are also looking to push the boundaries of what is defined as a rule and plan, for instance, to try to use CRA to strike down a Biden waiver to California for its electric-vehicle regime. One side benefit of CRA: It bars future administration from promulgating any rules “similar” to those disapproved. Trump and his first GOP Congress used the CRA to successfully knock out 16 Barack Obama-era rules.’
Congress Set to Vote on Repeal of Biden Administration Climate Regulations
CRA moving down the track.
‘UPDATE: On Thursday, the Senate passed the resolution withdrawing the fee on methane emissions in the oil and gas sector, following passage by the House of Representatives the previous day. The House on Thursday also passed the resolution rolling back the water heater efficiency standards, but as of midday Thursday, that bill has yet to be voted on in the Senate.’
DeSantis creates Florida DOGE task force to cut state spending, target bureaucracy
Courage is contagious.
‘Taking a page from billionaire Elon Musk's push to cut federal spending, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday announced a new panel that will review about 900 state positions, university spending, local government spending and the need for about 70 state boards and commissions.’
It’s a dessert topping. It’s a floor wax. It’s both.
‘Readers of the New York Times can be forgiven for thinking that Elon Musk has persuaded Donald Trump to cut federal spending enough to devastate life on this planet—but not enough to matter.
‘Statists are pulling out every tool in the rhetorical shed to attack the Department of Government Efficiency campaign against wasteful spending. If you don’t like one argument against the job Mr. Musk is doing for the President, just wait a few moments and you’re sure to hear another one.’
We’ve Stripped $1 Billion from the Left’s Patronage Machine
How much government spending was partisan self-dealing? Serious question.
‘I was right. My reporting on the department’s DEI programs, regional education centers, and other NGOs has led to immediate action from Elon Musk’s DOGE, which has announced contract terminations for these programs, sometimes within hours of my reporting. In total, this campaign has led to more than $1 billion in cuts to the Left’s patronage machine—all in less than 30 days.’
It’s naïve not to think of 21st century flag officers as anything but politicians. This notion that the current Administration is politicizing the military is blind to what has been happening for the past twenty years.
George Marshall was renowned for firing generals.
We don’t have the luxury of comfortable technocrats anymore.
‘The deeper issue with our top generals is that they are the creatures of a system geared toward bureaucratic conformity and a flavorless competence.’
Trump Should Take a Bite out of Nonsensical Laws
Don’t tell me that 100% of the laws are rational and consistent.
‘“Dispensing with the mens rea requirement has led to the criminalization of totally innocent conduct,” writes the Cato Institute’s Mike Fox, “and to destroying the lives of well-meaning people like John Moore and Tanner Mansell, who genuinely believed they were doing the right thing.”’