Imagine two approaches to improving a complex machine. One involves carefully studying the blueprints, understanding how each part interacts, and making precise adjustments to optimize performance. The other involves tearing out components that look broken or superfluous at first glance, then checking to see if the machine still runs without them. In theory, either of these approaches might leave you with a more streamlined machine. The first approach will take longer, but it’s a good way to avoid catastrophic failure. The second approach will be faster, and that might feel like a win at first. The machine might end up streamlined, but in practice it’s more likely to just end up broken, or so fragile that it breaks later when it needs to rely on a part that’s no longer there.
In the world of government modernization, this contrast mirrors the difference between the way the U.S. Digital Service has operated for the last 10 years, and how teams like DOGE operate under a “move fast and break things” mentality. It is a story of surgical precision aimed at lasting impact versus reckless destruction disguised as efficiency.
The U.S. Digital Service takes a deliberate, methodical approach to not just to fix what is broken, but to sustainibly strengthen government infrastructure well into the future. Employees begin by deeply understanding existing problems, respecting institutional knowledge, and designing solutions that integrate seamlessly with essential systems. … The driving force is not maximizing profit or making headlines, but enhancing the efficiency, accessibility, and effectiveness of public services. This requires a sophisticated understanding of government systems and a commitment to refining them in ways that benefit all Americans.
In stark contrast, DOGE has charged in with an arrogant “we know best” mentality, disregarding the complexities of government systems and the people who rely on them. Under the guise of efficiency, DOGE pursues cost-cutting measures and sweeping technology overhauls without fully considering their downstream effects….
The consequences of DOGE’s approach are severe: broken systems, wasted taxpayer dollars, and public services that fail the very people they are meant to serve. Rather than making government more efficient, their actions dismantle agencies’ ability to perform the very services they were designed to provide to help the American public.
True efficiency means making the government work better for its people—not just today, but for generations to come. USDS understands this. DOGE does not.