A DOGE Exit Interview

"How to begin to recount our monumental achievements? Never have so few done so much to so many. A few highlights ... We were willing to be vulnerable. Shared vulnerability brings people together, and by that metric, millions of Americans are now closer than when we started. What we are trying to say is, we uploaded Social Security data to the cloud in a worrisomely insecure way, as one whistleblower noted. Now we're all at risk!"

"We took risks. Cuts to the U.S. Forest Service made our national forests more dangerous and dirtier. We have increased the likelihood of devastating wildfires and also hacked away at the forces that fight them. What can we say? Some men love to watch the world burn, and we are some men. We have also made it easier for hurricanes to sneak up on us, to add another thrilling element of danger to the lives of average Americans."

DOGE ceased to exist but left behind widespread consequences across government and public safety. Sensitive Social Security data were uploaded to the cloud insecurely, creating large-scale exposure risk. The Institute of Peace briefly became a battlefield, indicating institutional instability. Cuts to the U.S. Forest Service degraded forest conditions and reduced firefighting capacity, increasing wildfire likelihood. Policies and actions also made hurricane threats more dangerous for average Americans. Government systems serving millions continue to be run by fewer, overburdened employees on outdated platforms. Institutional change alienated reform-minded officials while scientific ambitions aim to elevate national standing.

Read at The Atlantic