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Donald Trump empowered Elon Musk’s DOGE to cut federal spending and jobs, but critics say the moves weakened US readiness for crises, cyber threats and evacuations abroad. As the Iran war unfolds, officials are questioning whether the cuts have harmed national security and emergency response.
When US President Donald Trump returned to the White House for his second term in January 2025, one of his first promises was to slash “billions and billions of dollars” in government spending and empower the Billionaire Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The department, then headed by Musk, was responsible for eliminating programs and removing federal workers deemed “wasteful”.
However, now, a year later, after Trump assigned Musk to be in charge of removing federal workers, the move is hampering the US government's ability to prepare for domestic emergencies, monitor terror threats, guard the country against cyber attacks, and broadcast US information into Iran, and quickly help US citizens who are stranded abroad, officials have told CNN.
DOGE cuts were “too aggressive, too fast, too soon”
Trump's plan of establishing a new department that was solely responsible for firing federal workers has long been criticised by both Democrats and some Republicans, who have warned that these cuts were “too aggressive, too fast, too soon”, GOP Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania said.
Critics have argued that these cuts have harmed the US both domestically and abroad. They are now being scrutinised almost a year after Musk left the department, as the US launched strikes on Iran, sparking a war that has plunged the Middle East region into a renewed military confrontation.
Military funding unaffected by DOGE cuts
Fitzpatrick said he opposed DOGE's approach of using a "sledgehammer" against federal agencies and potentially compromising national security. Report suggests that while military funding for the Iran war was left largely untouched, DOGE did propose slashing some Pentagon programs. However, lawmakers are now discussing the need for additional funding that could give the US Defence Department billions of dollars more for the war, which was started 11 days ago.
Trump administration blames Democrats for unpreparedness
The Trump administration and Republicans have argued that Democrats are responsible for weakening the government’s preparedness for threats by failing to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which has been shut down amid a political dispute over who is to blame.
“Despite the Democrats’ decision to shut down the Department of Homeland Security, the Trump administration is working diligently to ensure the government’s security systems continue to operate at the highest level,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement.
Republicans support Trump's DOGE cuts
However, several Republicans have supported the Trump administration's decision to cut DOGE funding, adding that the impact of these cuts on the government's war response is overstated. According to GOP Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, who chairs the House subcommittee that oversees the State Department and related national security budgets, DOGE only cut waste, and the move has not affected Washington's ability to go to war with Tehran. Diaz-Balart added that the spending bill that Trump helped pass in Congress increased funding for US allies to help them counter China and Iran.
Stranded Americans in the Middle East blame the US govt
Days after the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran, its embassies in the Middle East, particularly Jerusalem, advised Americans to leave the country; it, however, added that the US government is unable to assist them at this time. Speaking to CNN, the former State Department officials called the confusion and frustration that stranded Americans faced a result of the agency's reduced ability to respond quickly and clearly to crises after last year’s staff and budget cuts.
A former official with more than a decade of experience in evacuation operations said the administration had dismissed personnel with crisis expertise, leaving the government without enough experienced staff to manage a growing, large-scale crisis.
However, as expected, the US State Department has rejected claims that reductions in force (RIFs) have affected the country's ability to assist stranded US citizens in the Middle East.
US facing difficulties domestically?
The DOGE cuts have also raised concerns about the United States’ readiness to deal with possible retaliatory attacks by Iran or Iran-backed groups on US soil. Cuts to cybersecurity staff and resources at DHS have reduced the amount of information shared with critical infrastructure companies about potential Iranian hacking threats compared with similar situations in previous years, according to current and former US officials and industry executives.
FBI removed agents who oversaw threats from Iran
Days before the US began military operations in Tehran, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel removed several agents from a counterintelligence unit who were monitoring threats from Iran. The move is now also being scrutinised alongside the DOGE cuts.
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