DOGE and the Death of USAID

The most consequential legacy of Elon Musk's pet project will be human misery on a massive scale.

Jul 14, 2025

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President Donald Trump participates in a press conference with departing DOGE adviser Elon Musk, Friday, May 30, 2025, in the Oval Office. (Official White House Photo by Molly Riley via Flickr

This is a summary of a longer open-access piece appearing in the journal Public Administration and Development co-authored with Rachael Zuppke.

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A guest post by

Don Moynihan

Guggenheim Fellow, Professor of Public Policy, Ford School, University of Michigan. Immigrant. Researches and teaches about state capacity, tech in government, administrative burdens, and politicization.