Moving fast and breaking things doesn't work in government

This month, the Trump administration reversed the termination of 300 of the 350 employees fired from the National Nuclear Security Administration.

They were, like many other federal civil servants, terminated in the recent culling of the federal workforce at the behest of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, in line with the stereotypical argument that government is inefficient and outdated, not stable and secure.

DOGE has brought the Silicon Valley ethos of “move fast and break things” to the federal government in a blindingly fast and indiscriminately reactionary fashion. DOGE is reconstructing the reality of federal work based on Elon Musk’s management style, most recently on display during his path of destruction through X. But social media companies are nothing like one of the largest and most powerful countries in the world.

As researchers of misinformation governance and information science experts, we understand the combination of social and technical factors at play when engineers take over new sectors. Engineers are good at optimization and efficiency; they are not good at long-term stability or understanding the impact of the things they build.

For example, Open AI was shocked by ChatGPT’s popularity because their engineers did not understand the power and applicability of their tool.

To be sure, engineers can solve important design problems, but technology is not neutral and in optimizing for one variable, engineers make potentially harmful tradeoffs with others.

Reducing moderation on a social media site can increase harassment and decrease users and advertisers. Every effort to eliminate bias and increase efficiency inherently reflects a set of beliefs that are technocratic and ignores decades of research and evidence of the social impact of values on design.

For most Americans, the federal government is a stable, secure and safe entity that provides services for those who need them most. We look to the government during times of personal tragedy and global calamity. We trust that experts are overseeing nuclear safety and researching avian flu.

The math can be right, but the reality of the math can be very wrong. Creating a lean and efficient Department of Energy should not come at the expense of nuclear safety. You may only need a few people to do a task, but what happens when they all get the flu?

One billionaire’s inefficiency is one public servant’s safeguard. Tech companies may value efficiency; we need the government to value safety.

DOGE is reconstructing the reality of government institutions based on values that do not represent the best interests of most Americans. Narratives of waste, fraud and abuse paint a deceptive picture of fat cat bureaucrats, not career experts who have years of experience learning what works and what matters to their sector.

Congress and courts need to enforce checks and balances and force DOGE to go through all of the normal procedures from Article 2 Section 2 Clause 2 of the Constitution like all other federal departments.

Require all employees to adhere to background checks and financial disclosures to limit conflicts of interest. Force the Trump administration to comply with constitutional restrictions on federal appointments.

Highlight the real and important bipartisan work of the federal workforce for the millions of Americans who rely on their work, but do not know who to thank. For example, The General Services Administration manages and maintains federal buildings that house courts, Food and Drug Administration laboratories and border cross stations. All necessary elements of a functional U.S. government.

Finally, do not be complicit in the reconstruction of reality. The federal government provides lifesaving, and life-sustaining work for millions of Americans every day. The federal workforce is made up of individuals who deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. They do not make the kind of money that allows Silicon Valley to treat most tech workers as expendable.

The damage DOGE is causing is already harming individuals around the world and reshaping our understanding of government work. The impacts will be felt for years to come. Stopping the misinformation and destruction is the only way to regain the fundamental narrative at the heart of our country.

Melissa Ocepek is an assistant professor at the School of Information Sciences University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Madelyn Sanfilippo is an assistant professor in the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a Public Voices fellow and a member of the 24-25 OpEd Alumni Project sponsored by the University of Illinois.

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