What the DOGE approach to government gets wrong

"The U.S. executive branch is a large, bloated, and wasteful enterprise, but it performs essential functions. Efficiency is a worthy goal, but it must avoid the “enshittification” of federal government services. Having fewer employees isn’t efficiency; instead, efficiency requires fewer employees. Efficiency requires finding, retaining, and rewarding qualified and competent employees who focus on meaningful work. From that point of view, the underlying notion of the DOGE process needs to be flipped on its head. Reward the desired behavior."

https://democracyssisyphus.substack.com/p/government-efficiency-gone-wrong