A recent column in The Leader suggested in positive light that the DOGE-ing happening on a federal level might well be replicated here in Washington, and that it would be a good thing. Given the benefit of the doubt, the author of “Ferguson plays DOGE ball with housing,” Feb. 5, was writing on the front end of the DOGE invasion, before some of the truly horrific things connected to it have played out.  

But comparing the actions of our new Gov. Bob Ferguson to what Elon Musk’s DOGE is doing is inaccurate at best. Ferguson is not “playing DOGE ball” with housing, as was claimed in that column. The proposals of Washington’s governor are well-modulated, and his 6% budget cuts manageable and reasonable. 

What DOGE and the Trump administration are doing is extreme, including the elimination of entire federal agencies — created by acts of Congress — without proper legal process. Millions of lives depend on funding from these agencies, and they’ve been cut without any regard to consequences.

The differences are immense: Ferguson was elected; Musk was not. The governor has a security clearance; Musk was advised not to seek out a top security clearance in November because it would prompt a deeper look at his drug use and contact with foreign nationals.

Locally, what we can all agree on is that there is a housing crisis in Jefferson County; that regulations should be re-examined, and housing should be built with wildfire-resistant materials. We can all agree that Jefferson County should be a place where people can afford to live, and that reaching across the aisle to work with minority party legislators is wise and democratic. 

But it’s also smart to ensure infrastructure like roads, utilities, and water delivery systems are adequate to meet growth needs.  

Unlike DOGE, Gov. Ferguson waived development fees to support 24 projects resulting in 1,800 new affordable housing units. Trump waived ten federal contracting laws for border wall construction. He targeted fairness standards and cancelled requirements for contractors to provide their costs up front, which often leads to fraud—something DOGE has vowed to root out, so this is job security. 

The “flooding the zone” that’s happening on the national DOGE level runs deeper than the news cycle can keep up with. The bedrock work of federal employees is being suppressed, censored, excised, and defunded. State employees are scrambling to assess the damage caused by the stoppage of federal grants. 

Some scientists are saying it’s only a matter of time until Musk’s meddling inadvertently triggers a catastrophic failure of fiscal systems, and the damage “...may not be reversible if the safeguards required to run a secure, reliable system have been bypassed.” Musk has stated that he wants to recruit risk-takers who want to “fundamentally remake the federal government at all costs.”

Imagine the destruction if DOGE extended to state and local governments. 

We Americans have always taken pride in our country’s stability, scientific and medical breakthroughs, and generosity to help or defend others less fortunate. So why would Musk/Trump halt funding for HIV and food aid programs in poor countries at the edge of famine and call the federal agency that administers it a “criminal enterprise” unless the cruelty was the point? In addition, as of Jan. 21, all government documents intended for publication were stopped until political appointees could review them. This includes studies and other important information on the escalating bird flu outbreak, slated to appear in the CDC’s weekly report, which until now has been published uninterrupted since 1952. What kind of leaders would do this to their own people?  

Meanwhile, ironies abound. Republicans introduced (or did not object to) legislation requiring all federal employees to return to the office, while at the same time they ordered leases on all 7,500 government offices nationwide to be cancelled. And they stand by as Musk shows up at various federal agencies and locks people out, rather than creating legislation to close those agencies if they so choose. 

Make no mistake about the profound impact this will have our community — starting with fire safety, part of which is federally funded. Consider food produced in this region purchased in part by USAID, which Musk/Trump shut down without legal process. That includes farmers, fisherman and others who have lost an important customer. That’s before we ever consider why USAID exists to begin with.  

Senator Maria Cantwell (D/WA) and two Senate committees cited violations of the Privacy Act and other federal laws in a request for immediate hearings about Musk’s access to the nation’s $6 trillion dollar checkbook and the private data of millions of Americans. To quote her letter, “Putting this system in the hands of unaccountable political actors raises significant economic and national security risks.” 

Early optimism about DOGE might have been understandable except for one thing that was known on the front end, and it should concern any thinking American: In order to make investigations of legal and ethical lapses inside federal agencies harder to do, Trump first fired 18 Inspectors General, the country’s backstops for that. To lawfully fire them requires 30 days notice to the U.S. Congress, which he ignored.

Not having Inspectors General in place opened the doors to the travesty of dismantling our government that is making this nation unnervingly vulnerable. 

Perhaps next time the author could give a concept like DOGE a little more time to play out. Instead of quickly adopting DOGE as a metaphor for prudent management, perhaps look at Musk’s  government website, whose official seal contains a link to purchase the cryptocurrency he started as a joke. It’s no longer a joking matter.

Karen Sullivan is a retired senior official with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. She and her husband live in Port Townsend.