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DOGE Catch-All

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Musk Said No One Has Died Since Aid Was Cut. That Isn’t True.​


GIFT LINK 🎁 —> Opinion | Musk Said No One Has Died Since Aid Was Cut. That Isn’t True.

“As the world’s richest men slash American aid for the world’s poorest children, they insist that all is well. “No one has died as a result of a brief pause to do a sanity check on foreign aid funding,” Elon Musk said. “No one.”

That is not true. In South Sudan, one of the world’s poorest countries, the efforts by Musk and President Trump are already leading children to die.

Peter Donde was a 10-year-old infected with H.I.V. from his mother during childbirth. But American aid kept Peter strong even as his parents died from AIDS. A program started by President George W. Bush called PEPFAR saved 26 million lives from AIDS, and one was Peter’s.

Under PEPFAR, an outreach health worker ensured that Peter and other AIDS orphans got their medicines. Then in January, Trump and Musk effectively shuttered the U.S. Agency for International Development, perhaps illegally, and that PEPFAR outreach program ended. Orphans were on their own.

Without the help of the community health worker, Peter was unable to get his medicines, so he became sick and died in late February, according to Moses Okeny Labani, a health outreach worker who helped manage care for Peter and 144 other vulnerable children.

The immediate cause of death was an opportunistic pneumonia infection as Peter’s viral load increased and his immunity diminished, said Labani.

“If U.S.A.I.D. would be here, Peter Donde would not have died,” Labani said. …”

——
If folks want to argue whether even a small fraction of US taxpayer dollars should be used to keep children elsewhere alive and/or whether doing so serves a legitimate government interest, then fair play. But Musk should not be allowed to pretend there are not consequences small to immense from the sudden cuts (that didn’t follow any process to asses value or give others and opportunity to step in to replace the most impactful).
 

‘‘Delete’ is one of their favorite terms’: Inside DOGE’s IRS takeover ahead of tax season​



“… Within minutes of showing up, a twenty-something software engineer dispatched from DOGE began demanding access to the tax collection agency’s most protected internal databases – first the IT systems and then one containing the personal and financial data for millions of American taxpayers and another system housing IRS contracts.

… Another DOGE staffer sought to shut down nearly all of IRS’s congressionally funded programs and initiatives planned for this fiscal year – many aimed at modernizing the agency and improving the tax filing process.

As DOGE has set up shop inside the IRS over the past month, the agency has fired thousands of workers and auditors and set out to shutter more than 110 taxpayer assistance offices across the country. Widespread layoffs are in the works, with plans to cut nearly 20% of all IRS employees by May 15.

The barnstorming, which has played out at multiple agencies, has thrown the IRS into turmoil at the height of tax season. While the business of processing returns and issuing refunds has been ongoing, sources say these DOGE actions could undermine the long-term operations of the IRS, which handles nearly all accounts receivable for the federal government. …”
 
nycfan said:

‘‘Delete’ is one of their favorite terms’: Inside DOGE’s IRS takeover ahead of tax season​



“… Within minutes of showing up, a twenty-something software engineer dispatched from DOGE began demanding access to the tax collection agency’s most protected internal databases – first the IT systems and then one containing the personal and financial data for millions of American taxpayers and another system housing IRS contracts.

… Another DOGE staffer sought to shut down nearly all of IRS’s congressionally funded programs and initiatives planned for this fiscal year – many aimed at modernizing the agency and improving the tax filing process.

As DOGE has set up shop inside the IRS over the past month, the agency has fired thousands of workers and auditors and set out to shutter more than 110 taxpayer assistance offices across the country. Widespread layoffs are in the works, with plans to cut nearly 20% of all IRS employees by May 15.

The barnstorming, which has played out at multiple agencies, has thrown the IRS into turmoil at the height of tax season. While the business of processing returns and issuing refunds has been ongoing, sources say these DOGE actions could undermine the long-term operations of the IRS, which handles nearly all accounts receivable for the federal government. …”
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“… “They just randomly drop by people’s offices, demanding access to systems; they’re bullying us and there’s no discipline in what they are doing, which really worries me,” said one IRS employee.

“It’s a clusterf***, and I can’t believe no one is stepping in to do anything,” said another top staffer who worked at the IRS.

“We are paralyzed,” said a third IRS source.

Another current IRS employee, who works outside Washington and is a local union leader, said it’s now routine to see people crying in the office and managers going around apologizing for firings they had no decision in.

“Morale is suffering,” the person said.

… Along with reducing headcount, sources say that it appears that DOGE’s priority at the IRS has been around accessing its vast data systems.

… The employee told CNN Corcos was making the demand without “fully understanding how the agency works within the federal government.”

“They’ll come in and say we’re going to delete that initiative– ‘delete’ is one of their favorite terms,” said the IRS employee.

“So, we are scrambling to figure out ‘Does Sam have that authority? Does Gavin have that authority? Did Treasury give them that authority?’”

Corcos also pushed for a fast-tracked background check which would have required federal employees to work on the weekend so he could quickly gain access to the IRS IT system.

By the following Monday, the agency’s top HR officer was placed on administrative leave and told she was dismissed for being insubordinate after Kliger’s demand for an expedited background check for his DOGE partner had not been fulfilled over the weekend, sources said. …”
 

DOGE representatives visit US Institute of Peace, are turned away​


thehill.com

DOGE representatives visit US Institute of Peace, are turned away

U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) officials said several members of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) arrived unannounced with FBI agents on Saturday but were denied access to the bu…
thehill.com

“U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) officials said several members of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) arrived unannounced with FBI agents on Saturday but were denied access to the building after being approached by their counsel.

“They were met at the door by the Institute’s outside counsel who informed them of USIP’s private and independent status as a non-executive branch agency. Following that discussion, the DOGE representatives departed,” Gonzo Gallegos, USIP’s director of communications, said in a statement to The Hill.

… USIP is a national non-partisan organization created by Congress and dedicated to protecting U.S. interests by helping to prevent violent conflicts and broker peace deals abroad according to their website.

It uses federal funding to perform its mission and works closely with the Department of Defense.

A Senate-confirmed Board of Directors made up of the Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense and President of the National Defense University governs the USIP in an effort to align with each presidential administration and their national security efforts.

“As an independent, non-profit organization established by Congress, USIP remains committed to the cooperation and comity with the Trump Administration it has exhibited in its work with seven administrations since its founding under President Ronald Reagan,” Gallegos said after the DOGE visit. …”
 

OPINION: Mr. Musk, How Much Is a Ukrainian Child Worth?​

Thanks to the Trump administration and their so-called DOGE initiative, led by Elon Musk, funds have been pulled from countering Russia’s kidnapping of Ukrainian children.

www.kyivpost.com

Opinion: Mr. Musk, How Much Is a Ukrainian Child Worth?

Thanks to the Trump administration and their so-called DOGE initiative, led by Elon Musk, funds have been pulled from countering Russia’s kidnapping of Ukrainian children.
www.kyivpost.com www.kyivpost.com

“… More than 19,500 Ukrainian children have disappeared into Russia. Some were taken from orphanages and hospitals; others were kidnapped from occupied territories. All have undergone the same process – forced name changes, new passports, and indoctrination into the “Russian world.” They are taught to forget the Ukrainian language. To despise the country they came from. To never learn the truth about their origins.

This is not a conspiracy theory or propaganda. There are documented testimonies from children who managed to escape.

Twelve-year-old Makar, one of the few lucky ones who was returned to Ukraine, described how Russians at a so-called “rehabilitation center” told him his Ukrainian parents had abandoned him and that he would now finally have a “real family” – a Russian family. Imagine the psychological trauma of a child made to believe their parents had discarded them while being given a new identity, a new language, and a new life they never wanted.

And what about the children who were in orphanages or whose parents were killed in the war? They are the easiest prey. In Russian government records, these children do not exist as Ukrainians. They are now “rescued orphans” meant to be adopted by Russian families and raised as small patriots of the new empire. Their past has been erased. Their names changed. Their future sealed. This is not assimilation – it is cultural genocide.

… While humanitarian organizations, led by Save Ukraine, are trying to locate and bring back the stolen children, someone is now preventing them – Elon Musk. The visionary, the man who loves to play Messiah, has decided to cut funding for the team working to find and return abducted Ukrainian children. …”
 
nycfan said:

OPINION: Mr. Musk, How Much Is a Ukrainian Child Worth?​

Thanks to the Trump administration and their so-called DOGE initiative, led by Elon Musk, funds have been pulled from countering Russia’s kidnapping of Ukrainian children.

www.kyivpost.com

Opinion: Mr. Musk, How Much Is a Ukrainian Child Worth?

Thanks to the Trump administration and their so-called DOGE initiative, led by Elon Musk, funds have been pulled from countering Russia’s kidnapping of Ukrainian children.
www.kyivpost.com www.kyivpost.com

“… More than 19,500 Ukrainian children have disappeared into Russia. Some were taken from orphanages and hospitals; others were kidnapped from occupied territories. All have undergone the same process – forced name changes, new passports, and indoctrination into the “Russian world.” They are taught to forget the Ukrainian language. To despise the country they came from. To never learn the truth about their origins.

This is not a conspiracy theory or propaganda. There are documented testimonies from children who managed to escape.

Twelve-year-old Makar, one of the few lucky ones who was returned to Ukraine, described how Russians at a so-called “rehabilitation center” told him his Ukrainian parents had abandoned him and that he would now finally have a “real family” – a Russian family. Imagine the psychological trauma of a child made to believe their parents had discarded them while being given a new identity, a new language, and a new life they never wanted.

And what about the children who were in orphanages or whose parents were killed in the war? They are the easiest prey. In Russian government records, these children do not exist as Ukrainians. They are now “rescued orphans” meant to be adopted by Russian families and raised as small patriots of the new empire. Their past has been erased. Their names changed. Their future sealed. This is not assimilation – it is cultural genocide.

… While humanitarian organizations, led by Save Ukraine, are trying to locate and bring back the stolen children, someone is now preventing them – Elon Musk. The visionary, the man who loves to play Messiah, has decided to cut funding for the team working to find and return abducted Ukrainian children. …”
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Elon Musk's DOGE Cuts Hit Team Saving Kidnapped Ukrainian Children​

www.newsweek.com

Elon Musk's DOGE cuts hit team saving kidnapped Ukrainian children

The work of a Yale University team that helped rescue Ukrainian children abducted by Russia has been defunded, according to reports.
www.newsweek.com www.newsweek.com

“… The i Paper says Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has paused financial support for researchers at Yale University's Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL).

A university spokesperson confirmed to Newsweek that government funding for its work on the war in Ukraine had been discontinued.

… The Ukrainian government has said that nearly 20,000 children have been abducted by Russia from the occupied territories of Ukraine since the start of the war as part of a program to eradicate Ukrainian identity. Kyiv says the children are put into camps and foster homes, indoctrinated to Russian customs and brainwashed into turning against Ukraine. The decision to cut funding for the U.S. program could harm Ukraine's ability to reunite children with their families.

Russian president Vladimir Putin and his Children's Rights Commissioner, Maria Lvova-Belova, have been issued with arrest warrants from the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the deportation of Ukrainian children.

… The U.S. government has paused funding for the Yale University team which used open source technology including satellite imagery, social media and Russian publications, to trace the lost children and share their findings with the Ukrainian authorities to help them locate the abducted minors.

Ukrainian organization Bring Kids Back UA, is one of the groups relying on the evidence to help find children and repatriate them.

The Yale lab is part of the Conflict Observatory program, set up with funding from the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations to investigate Russia-perpetrated war crimes.

A report before Trump's inauguration said the lab gathered evidence on 314 children from Donetsk and Luhansk provinces in eastern Ukraine aged between two and 17, according to the i Paper.

U.K. outlets The Mirror and the Telegraph also reported the defunding story which was carriedby Ukrainian news outlets amid a growing debate over recent U.S. federal cuts impacting Washington's international programs.

A Yale spokesperson told Newsweek the Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) were notified government funding for their work on the war in Ukraine had been discontinued. …”
 
nycfan said:

Elon Musk's DOGE Cuts Hit Team Saving Kidnapped Ukrainian Children​

www.newsweek.com

Elon Musk's DOGE cuts hit team saving kidnapped Ukrainian children

The work of a Yale University team that helped rescue Ukrainian children abducted by Russia has been defunded, according to reports.
www.newsweek.com www.newsweek.com

“… The i Paper says Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has paused financial support for researchers at Yale University's Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL).

A university spokesperson confirmed to Newsweek that government funding for its work on the war in Ukraine had been discontinued.

… The Ukrainian government has said that nearly 20,000 children have been abducted by Russia from the occupied territories of Ukraine since the start of the war as part of a program to eradicate Ukrainian identity. Kyiv says the children are put into camps and foster homes, indoctrinated to Russian customs and brainwashed into turning against Ukraine. The decision to cut funding for the U.S. program could harm Ukraine's ability to reunite children with their families.

Russian president Vladimir Putin and his Children's Rights Commissioner, Maria Lvova-Belova, have been issued with arrest warrants from the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the deportation of Ukrainian children.

… The U.S. government has paused funding for the Yale University team which used open source technology including satellite imagery, social media and Russian publications, to trace the lost children and share their findings with the Ukrainian authorities to help them locate the abducted minors.

Ukrainian organization Bring Kids Back UA, is one of the groups relying on the evidence to help find children and repatriate them.

The Yale lab is part of the Conflict Observatory program, set up with funding from the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations to investigate Russia-perpetrated war crimes.

A report before Trump's inauguration said the lab gathered evidence on 314 children from Donetsk and Luhansk provinces in eastern Ukraine aged between two and 17, according to the i Paper.

U.K. outlets The Mirror and the Telegraph also reported the defunding story which was carriedby Ukrainian news outlets amid a growing debate over recent U.S. federal cuts impacting Washington's international programs.

A Yale spokesperson told Newsweek the Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) were notified government funding for their work on the war in Ukraine had been discontinued. …”
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Maybe this is the “some” that is supported.
 
Been like that for years. Conservatives only supported the good parts. It's not their fault the some honest mistakes were made.
 
wmheel1287 said:
The people that support "some" of what DOGE does will never in a million years take ownership of anything negative from it, no matter how horrendously bad.
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These are the same people who were saying that Trump's denial of Project 2025 was sincere and it was a smear to associate him with it, and now claim that he ran on doing this and people voted for him to do this.

They know they're morally bankrupt raging hypocrites, but they do not care.
 
StrangePackage said:
These are the same people who were saying that Trump's denial of Project 2025 was sincere and it was a smear to associate him with it, and now claim that he ran on doing this and people voted for him to do this.

They know they're morally bankrupt raging hypocrites, but they do not care.
Click to expand...
They "know" God will forgive them. After all, they're only doing the things he's too powerless or had forgotten to do.
 
nycfan said:


“Unintended consequences”?

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“At Veterans Affairs facilities in Detroit and Denver, staff reductions have led to canceled health programs and left homeless veterans without their dedicated coordinator to help them find an apartment and line up a deposit.

In Alabama, job cuts at the Education Department have slowed efforts to get disabled children access to classrooms.

And in California, Yosemite National Park paused new reservations for more than 500 campsites during peak summer months because of staffing uncertainty.

An unprecedented effort to shrink the federal labor force is impeding work at government sites across the country and spawning unintended consequences for services Americans rely on.

…After facing years of bipartisan criticism from Congress, the Department of Health and Human Services late last year hired a transplant surgeon to help implement fixes to the system that regulates organ transplants.

Dr. Jayme Locke, who left her post at the University of Alabama Birmingham for the federal job, was recently fired as a probationary worker. Transplant experts had hoped she would preside over a new era of making improvements instead of just studying them. Dr. Locke declined to comment. HHS didn’t respond to a request for comment.

…Weather balloons, which capture information on temperature, humidity and wind, aren’t going up regularly in Albany, N.Y., or Gray, Maine, and launches have stopped altogether in Kotzebue, Alaska, due to staffing shortages at the National Weather Service.

National Parks and other federal lands are cutting hours at visitor centers. More than 700 Park Service employees took the government’s resignation offer, according to an email to supervisors seen by The Wall Street Journal. Roughly 1,000 probationary employees were fired, according to the National Parks Conservation Association, a nonprofit advocacy group. …”
 
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