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The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) slowly but surely, completely made off into that ‘good night’ before our very eyes. And it did so eight months before its mandate was set to expire, marking one of the most abrupt and chaotic political shutdowns in recent history.

DOGE Quietly Shut Down Ahead of Schedule

DOGE, as I remember it, was a meme, then a meme coin, and then an official department of the government via an executive order. It’s embarrassing things like this that really make you think that you’ve landed in an alternate timeline. The department was originally scheduled to operate through July 2026, but multiple federal sources have confirmed that the department “no longer exists” as of November 2025. Its functions have been silently absorbed into many other agencies without a public announcement.

_{*The following image is not the actual Doge dog}

^{The DOGE meme dog – Kabosu – originated from a photo taken by Japanese kindergarten teacher Atsuko Sato back in 2010 (source: Know Your Meme). The meme exploded in 2013 when it inspired Dogecoin, the joke cryptocurrency that somehow turned into a global cultural moment. From there, the DOGE concept kept snowballing until it managed to influence internet culture, finance, politics, and eventually even the creation of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in the U.S. government}.

In Washington, this kind of silent redistribution is how failed political experiments get erased from public memory.

Unfulfilled Promises and Inflated Claims

At launch, supporters of Doge promised: major reductions in government spending for the following fiscal year (major fail when we suffered a shutdown 40 days biblical), deep cuts to the federal workforce (drain the swamp), rapid modernization of outdated systems (they had unfettered access to millions of Americans’ information), and aggressive audits of federal contracts. Let’s break down each of these in a clean bullet point – response style.

• Major cuts to spending – We spent significantly more in 2025 than all of 2024 due to mass firings and re-hirings. The recent shutdown itself cost more than just money. In the month of November, millions of families have lost access to safety net social programs, and health insurance premiums more than doubled for many more. So far, not good.

• Massive loss of workforce – Many people have lost their jobs or have been furloughed. Which is a fancy way to say ‘you’re unemployed while also still employed.’ A sort of job ‘limbo’ is what I see it as.

• Rapid Modernization of outdated systems. – This one kind of speaks for itself. But I’ll say it anyway, they’re essentially putting themselves out the door as this 250-year-old system itself has stagnated and is falling into even more antiquated ways. I guess this is what we get for letting geriatric folks be in charge for far too long.

And finally,

• Aggressive audits – I’m not particularly well-versed in this, but I’ll say this. They noticeably failed here also.

But independent analyses repeatedly found that many of the savings were overstated, unverifiable, and based on canceling contracts that weren’t actually costing anything. The math never aligned with the marketing.

The Human Cost Was Far Worse

Instead of delivering efficiency, DOGE became notorious for mass firings and abrupt purges of public service workers. Entire offices were emptied overnight. Decades of institutional knowledge disappeared. Now, in a twist of political karma, DOGE’s former employees find themselves living in the very nightmare they manufactured and force-fed other humans. Former staff members of madness are reportedly experiencing a great amount of stress and fear as they scramble to find legal representation. One former employee allegedly warned colleagues:

“Get your own lawyers… Elon is great, but you need to watch your own back.”

That single sentence captures the level of panic within DOGE’s final days.

USAID, once a lifeline for millions, is now effectively out of service. The humanitarian fallout continues as USAID decays from within.

A Culture of Speed, Pressure, and Dysfunction

DOGE ran on a Silicon Valley-inspired move fast and break things philosophy. However, government infrastructure is not built to be dismantled and reassembled on the fly. Insiders described that the rushed operation led to many mistakes being made, some are still affecting us to this day. The system was far too complicated for anyone without the correct training and knowledge, causing internal confusion. The unclear mandates, paired with the pressure to perform coming from the top down, would make anyone’s head spin with anxiety and, in turn, cause a fumble of important data.

Without transparency or accountability, instability grew until the department simply collapsed under its own weight.

A Fragmented Aftermath

With DOGE dissolved, its remaining projects and personnel were scattered across: The Office of Personnel Management, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Office of Naval Research, the National Design Studio, and multiple smaller interagency teams.

These organizations now face the task of sorting through the wreckage left behind.

My Personal Take

I was genuinely astonished by the sheer audacity of the administration and how it allowed this instability to unfold. DOGE dismantled long-standing departments, fired entire teams, and operated as though consequences were optional.

The real shock isn’t that DOGE failed – it’s how fast it collapsed.

And now the same people who once enforced the cuts are afraid for their own futures. Hearing insiders warn each other to get lawyers because “loyalty won’t save you” speaks volumes about the inner chaos.

DOGE didn’t just shut down; it imploded. And now the truth is catching up to people who built the storm.

The Larger Crisis: The USAID Shutdown and Its Human Toll

The decision to dismantle or defund USAID may represent one of the largest humanitarian failures of the decade. From my perspective, this isn’t just a policy misstep – it’s a moral crisis. The impacts are already visible. According to several global health experts, the termination of USAID has been linked to catastrophic loss of life. An estimated 600,000 deaths this year (according to Google sources), the majority being children.

Other global analyses – including reporting from Reuters – warn that continued cuts could contribute to as many as 14 million preventable deaths by 2030. If even a fraction of these projections is accurate, history will judge this moment harshly.

This wasn’t just inefficiency. This was abandonment. And the world’s most vulnerable paid the price.

Final Thoughts

DOGE’s collapse may be the headline today, but the deeper story is the pattern: rushed decisions, political experiments with real human consequences, and a disturbing willingness to sacrifice stability for optics. Accountability shouldn’t be optional. Not when lives are at stake, and not when the stability and future of our democracy hang in the balance.

This story affects us all – and your perspective matters. Leave your thoughts in the comments below.