CNL Statement on DOGE and The Recent Mass Layoffs in the Federal Government
Today, the Center for New Liberalism is releasing the following statement from CNL Director Colin Mortimer and Steering Committee Chair Cathy Reisenwitz on the actions of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which have included the cancellation of billions in federal grants and mass layoffs of the federal workforce:
“Government efficiency and reform is an admirable goal, but the hard truth is that President Trump and Elon Musk’s DOGE will do nothing to make government more efficient, or work better. ”
“The actions taken by DOGE in recent weeks, including the firing of tens of thousands of highly talented and capable scientists, civil servants, engineers, and more, will only serve to make our government less efficient, reduce American competitiveness with the world, and weaken our security.”
“While much of the attention has been focused on the impact of Elon Musk’s layoffs on federal workers in D.C., the pain is being felt across the world. These mass layoffs of probationary employees and the cancellation of federal grants are hurting everyone. Talented workers from NASA in Huntsville to NPS employees in Colorado, to university researchers in Ohio and beyond are just some of the people represented by CNL chapters that are worse off because of Trump and DOGE’s actions.”
“As our country’s constitutional policymaking body, it should be the job of the Congress to lead and advise the effort to make government more efficient, transparent, and responsive to the people. It should not be done through unilateral interventions of the Executive that have the appearance, if not substance, of political targeting rather than productive inquiry and reform.
Lawmakers must take the responsibility to improve government operations through smart, targeted reforms that increase effectiveness without dismantling essential services or weakening America’s security or competitiveness. The Center for New Liberalism urges members of Congress to step up, reclaim their role in governance, and enact legislation that strengthens, rather than undermines, our public institutions.”
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Media Contact: Tobin Stone
tobin@cnliberalism.org | (402) 619-7744