Here’s the deal: We can’t just get rid of everyone when the administration changes. Institutional knowledge matters. We need at least one person who knows where to find the bathroom and the supply closet. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have any Sharpies for President Trump or the box full of Cross Century IIs for the next president.
The same logic applies beyond the White House. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will need career diplomats to help him navigate foreign policy. You can pick up a language in a year, but deep expertise in international relations takes decades to develop.
Now that Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has been confirmed as Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), he needs career civil servants—especially doctors and scientists—because he is neither. The FDA and CDC have deep rosters of subject matter experts who understand everything from Ebola to vaccine development. It’s impossible to replace that expertise overnight.
The federal government employs roughly 3 million people. These employees handle everything from national security to forest management to disease surveillance.
A leaner, more efficient federal government is a worthy goal, but the blunt approach taken by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and Elon Musk’s team appears to be chaotic rather than strategic.
For example:
It’s unclear how RFK Jr. will handle HHS, the FDA, and the CDC, given his history of vaccine skepticism. He has also questioned the safety of fluoridated water, which could influence public health policies.
The CDC desperately needs modernization after its failures during COVID-19, but will RFK Jr. actually improve it or just gut it? The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) has outlined reforms to make the CDC more agile and innovative, but so far, DOGE’s approach seems more like a meat cleaver than a scalpel.
One of the best government-private sector partnerships is the FEMA-Waffle House relationship. FEMA uses the Waffle House Index to assess disaster severity:
This model should be replicated elsewhere. Agencies like the CDC and FDA could partner with private sector leaders to modernize without sacrificing expertise.
DOGE and Trump do not appear to want to take the surgical approach to trim fat from the government. Instead, Elon Musk’s team at DOGE seems more comfortable with a meat cleaver.
Polling shows independents don’t support DOGE—only 11% approve. Meanwhile, Elon Musk is unpopular with independents, holding a -17 net favorability rating.
Why does this matter? Independents don’t want chaos. They want bipartisanship.
The takeaway: Government reform should be a bipartisan win, but reckless decisions at DOGE are creating unnecessary instability.
The IRS is still using 1970s technology. Social Security and Medicare face severe financial shortfalls in the next decade. Modernizing these agencies is essential, but it must be done with a plan, not a wrecking ball.
Reforming government should mean making it work better—not breaking it beyond repair. If reforms aren’t done carefully, chaos and dysfunction will only grow.
Subscribe to our newsletter to stay informed on government policy from the perspective of independent voters.
.jpg)