President Donald Trump has wasted no time in his second term, taking a sledgehammer to Washington’s bureaucracy in a way no administration has ever attempted. In just a few weeks, he’s shut down entire agencies, frozen spending, and restructured the balance of power in the federal government—all while Democratic lawmakers and career bureaucrats scramble to stop him.
At the center of this transformation is Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a newly created agency with sweeping authority to root out waste and streamline operations. Musk and his team of engineers have moved at lightning speed, gaining access to the networks of at least 18 agencies, freezing funds, and—in a move that has shocked Washington—completely dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
“Twelve days ago, people knew where their next paycheck was coming from. They knew how they were going to pay for their kids’ daycare, their medical bills. And then, all gone overnight,” says Kristina Drye, who was fired in the USAID shutdown. https://t.co/cysOqteb8p pic.twitter.com/bUcOAnhMjs
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) February 17, 2025
USAID, a 63-year-old agency responsible for directing billions in foreign aid, was shuttered by executive order, with more than 8,000 employees sent home. Critics, including former USAID administrator Andrew Natsios, argue that Trump overstepped his legal authority, claiming that the agency is mandated by Congress and cannot simply be dissolved.
“He cannot rescind federal law by executive order,” Natsios said. “And A.I.D. is a statutory agency.”
Trump, however, has long argued that USAID is a deeply politicized entity where billions of taxpayer dollars have been misused. He has accused the agency of being a “criminal organization” and its employees “worms.” Musk, in characteristic fashion, took to social media to celebrate its closure, saying he had put the agency through “the woodchipper.”
🚨🚨60 Minutes pulled in 2 comms consultants who were never actual employees of USAID and presented them as though they were longtime employees who were fired for lack of “loyalty.” 🚨🚨 https://t.co/dxinUlR3T0 pic.twitter.com/nGdEp65DVL
— Eli Steinberg (@HaMeturgeman) February 17, 2025
The move has sent shockwaves through Washington. USAID’s annual budget of $38 billion—less than 1% of federal spending—has now been frozen, raising questions about how global aid programs will proceed.
But USAID appears to have been just the first domino. Democratic Senator Chris Coons has warned that DOGE is now eyeing other major agencies, including the Department of Education, the Department of Labor, the Veterans Administration, and even the Social Security Administration.
“They’re getting into core government computer systems and making changes without oversight,” Coons said. “Our Social Security information, our Medicare, Medicaid, Veterans Benefit payments… if they have access to it, they can change it.”
Between this and Margaret Brennan’s weekly self-destructions, CBS News is having a year. https://t.co/ngxrZgu9WB
— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) February 17, 2025
DOGE’s rapid expansion has led to growing concerns—not just among Democrats but even among some conservatives—about the unprecedented power Musk now wields over the federal government. According to 60 Minutes, DOGE engineers have been granted system access across multiple agencies, with some employees allegedly giving themselves unauthorized clearance.
Trump, meanwhile, remains defiant. “We want to weed out the corruption, and it seems hard to believe that a judge could say we don’t want you to do that,” he said. “So maybe we have to look at the judges.”
Not surprisingly, the courts have begun intervening. Federal judges have already issued multiple injunctions blocking parts of Trump’s agenda, but so far, nothing has reached the Supreme Court.
Judge Tanya Chutkan, who previously presided over Trump’s federal election interference case, has been assigned a lawsuit filed by 14 states challenging the legality of DOGE and Musk’s role in the federal government. The lawsuit describes Musk as a “21st-century tech baron” with “unprecedented executive authority.”
Kristina Drye was a longtime speechwriter for the Biden Admin’s USAID administrator Samantha Power. https://t.co/Q8ouNp76bw
— Jerry Dunleavy IV 🇺🇸 (@JerryDunleavy) February 17, 2025
Legal scholars like Georgetown Law’s Stephen Vladeck argue that Trump’s fraud allegations against USAID and other agencies may be “a cover for a broader consolidation of power.” He warns that the ultimate goal appears to be “controlling every single apparatus of the federal government directly out of the White House.”
And that’s where things could get even more explosive. If the Supreme Court ultimately rules against the Trump administration, what happens if Trump refuses to comply?
“If it gets to the Supreme Court and the Supreme Court rules against the administration on something and they refuse to enforce it, then we will have a constitutional crisis,” Natsios warned.
What happens after that? “No one knows.”
