Trump and Musk’s Government Purge: Who Needs a Functioning Government Anyway?
Federal agencies exist to serve the public, but what happens when their expertise is deliberately erased? With an executive order slashing thousands of federal jobs, President Donald Trump–advised by billionaire Elon Musk–is leading a sweeping workforce reduction that disproportionately affects agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Education. A government without experts does not run more efficiently. It runs weaker, with fewer safeguards and less oversight. Yet Musk, a private businessman with no public policy experience, is playing a key role in shaping these decisions. As Trump’s appointee to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Musk has overseen sweeping federal workforce reductions and budget cuts—effectively restructuring agencies without congressional oversight. His involvement highlights a growing concern: the increasing influence of unelected billionaires over institutions meant to serve the public, not private interests.
The administration claims these cuts will streamline government operations, but history–and the immediate consequences–suggest otherwise. By gutting agencies that provide essential services, these cuts are not eliminating inefficiency and oversight. This pattern is particularly evident in the Department of Education, where more than $1 billion in federal contracts have been eliminated, slashing funding for education research, teacher training programs, and support for students with disabilities. Rather than improving the system, these cuts weaken the very institutions designed to ensure that students, teachers, and policymakers have access to the resources and data needed to make informed decisions.
By dismantling these resources, the administration isn’t just cutting budgets, but access to knowledge. The Institute of Education Sciences (IES), the primary research arm of the Department of Education, has nearly lost $900 million in federal contracts, severely limiting its ability to collect data on student performance, financial aid, and school effectiveness. Around 170 contracts have been canceled, severely limiting research on education policies. Without independent data, there is no way to measure whether policies succeed or not, giving policymakers the freedom to push ideological agendas without scrutiny. If we stop measuring systemic issues, we stop solving them, turning education policy into a tool for control rather than a means for progress.
The effects of these cuts extended far beyond education. Across multiple federal agencies, the consequences are already apparent, evidenced through the longer wait times for Social Security and passports, fewer TSA agents at airports, and limited staffing at national parks. Yet, despite the administration’s claims of cost-cutting, experts say these reductions won’t translate to tax relief for the average American. Instead, Trump’s proposed tax cuts will primarily benefit corporations and the wealthy, proving that this isn’t about balancing the budget–it's about redistributing power away from public institutions and toward private interests. Perhaps most alarming is the role of Elon Musk, an unelected billionaire who now wields unchecked influence over the federal government. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has no congressional oversight, has already dismantled USAID, an agency responsible for global education, healthcare, and poverty relief. This action has led to the closure of health clinics worldwide, including in northern Syria, where facilities providing free care to approximately 35,000 displaced individuals have been shut down. The abrupt cessation of aid has left vulnerable populations without essential medical services, exacerbating health crises in regions heavily reliant on U.S. assistance. Additionally, a federal judge recently authorized the administration to place over 2,000 USAID employees on leave, effectively reducing the agency's workforce and hindering its operational capacity. These developments not only jeopardize the well-being of countless individuals but also tarnish America's global image as a leader in humanitarian aid.
If one man’s decision instincts now shape government decisions rather than democratic processes, it forces a deeper question. What happens when unelected billionaires hold more influence over public policy than the citizens it attempts to serve? The United States was built on representative governance, yet Trump has placed Musk–who answers to no voters–at the helm of government restructuring. This isn’t just about efficiency; it’s a shift away from institutional accountability toward decision-making concentrated in the hands of a select few. A government that can be dismantled without congressional approval or public input is no longer one that serves its people, it serves those who stand to gain from its downfall.
But the damage doesn’t stop at the underfunded agencies and longer wait times; these cuts are also putting tens of thousands of Americans out of work. The people losing their jobs aren’t just faceless bureaucrats, rather, they are the same workers who keep the government functioning, stimulate local economies, and support their own families.
And yet, this upheaval is unfolding in a way that breaks from tradition–not through legislation or public discourse, but through a slow, methodical shift where governance bends to private influence rather than democratic will. How does one individual have the authority to dictate the structure of the U.S. government? The Constitution is clear–legislative power rests with Congress, and the executive branch is meant to enforce laws within limits set by the system of checks and balances. Yet, through DOGE, Musk has been granted the authority to reshape federal institutions with no congressional approval and no public accountability. Article 1 of the Constitution explicitly grants Congress–not the president or private individuals–the right to appropriate funds, regulate federal agencies, and oversee the civil service. Yet Elon Musk and his acolytes are now making decisions that override legislative authority, providing that power is no longer earned through elections or public trust in modern America. It is seized by those wealthy enough to bend the system to their will.
The real damage isn’t just to government agencies–it’s to the public’s trust in democracy. When policy is dictated by an unelected billionaire rather than an elected representative, it sends a clear message: civic participation, voting, and democratic engagement no longer matter. According to a Reuters/lpsos poll, 71% of Americans believe billionaires have too much influence over Trump’s administration, and 58% fear Musk’s sweeping government cuts will delay essential services like Social Security and student aid. This isn’t just political division, it is a clear sign that the public sees what’s happening and is deeply unsettled by it. If billionaires can bypass Congress and remake the government to serve their own vision, what faith can the average American have that their voice carries any weight at all?
This should alarm every American, regardless of political affiliation. The erosion of democratic accountability reshapes the foundation of governance that will outlast any single administration. This is not just a theoretical warning, it is a reality already unfolding.
When the government is no longer accountable to the people, the consequences are not immediate collapse but a gradual unraveling of democracy itself. Institutions weaken, civic engagement declines, and the expectation that elected officials serve the public becomes nothing more than an outdated ideal. This shift does not announce itself with fanfare—it happens quietly, as Americans grow accustomed to having less influence over the policies that shape their lives. Economically, policy decisions with profound consequences, such as Federal Reserve rate cuts, often occur behind closed doors, affecting everything from job security to the cost of living while remaining largely beyond the reach of public input. And once the public accepts this imbalance as the norm, the damage becomes nearly irreversible.
This is not just about one billionaire or one administration–it’s about the systematic unraveling of democratic governance in favor of private rule. The further we allow unelected elites to dictate public policy, the harder it becomes to reclaim government as a tool for the people. History shows that democracy does not disappear overnight; it erodes until the public no longer expects to have a say at all. The question is no longer whether democracy is being dismantled by unelected billionaires, because it is. The real question is whether Americans will wake up in time to stop it, or will they only realize what they’ve lost when their voices no longer matter, their votes no longer count, and their government no longer belongs to them.