The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is moving swiftly through the bureaucracy, eliminating waste and fraud at such a pace that its employees will soon work themselves out of a job. Presumably, after they have dealt with the most glaring and obvious abuses of fraud and waste, they will settle into a routine of collaborating with Trump administration appointees at federal agencies to outline areas for improvement, push forward implementation, and put mechanisms in place to prevent recidivism. That next phase begins with proposals for Reductions in Force (RIF) — tough cuts to the workforce that will require a hard look at mission statements, programmatic activities, and the functional roles of agencies and their constituent components.
However, those categories of mission, program, and function don’t apply when right-sizing some of the biggest and most wasteful parts of the U.S. government. The Department of Defense, the State Department, and the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC) all operate under a mission statement involving national defense and security. Their programs can all be justified in terms of protecting the American people and promoting peace and security. Their activities overlap with every other part of the government, occupying the attention of most senior policymakers, and contributing to the image and legacy of countless politicians.
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