1. United States
2. Ark.
3. Letter

I'm writing today about DOGE. I've been concerned about this mislabeled "department" from the beginning, but have found it difficult to write to you with my concerns, because the danger it poses is so widespread and multifaceted. Elon Musk is an unelected private citizen. And one that I've watched break digital systems in real-time. He's broken them largely because he is ignorant of how those systems function. A system blackout in one of his companies, like Twitter, might lead to minor irritation for its users while the people who actually have skills try to fix what he broke, but there is no part of the US government that can so easily absorb his tampering. DOGE has directed the firing of essential workers, then hired them back after openly admitting the "department" didn't actually know what those employees were responsible for. Which becomes especially egregious when you realize said employees worked on nuclear systems, or in other sectors we rely on for basic security and safety. DOGE has negatively impacted veterans, cancer research, and the national weather service. It has hurt Arkansans in a number of direct ways already, and DOGE has existed for barely a month. DOGE has granted unauthorized persons access to private citizen's--my fellow Arkansans, your constituents-- social security numbers and tax information. Which is especially alarming when coupled with how easily hackable DOGE's website proved to be. This is a devastating data breach. The infiltration of unqualified, ignorant persons into our most essential data systems is leaving the United States vulnerable not only to damage from DOGE directly, but to foreign interference. DOGE's tampering is a gift to our international enemies, who will easily exploit the backdoors and broken code left behind. On top of that, it is easy to see how the so-called Department of Government Efficiency is poorly structured, and could be ripe for cronyism and corruption. It has already become a mechanism for Musk and Trump to apply their own whims while curtailing the law. Musk now has access to the private data of his business competitors. The conflict of interest and avenues for abuse are obvious. Finally, DOGE is government overreach at its most audacious. This presidency has already reached into private citizen's homes to dictate how we dress and act, and into our doctor's offices to interfere with our treatments via its many disgustingly anti-freedom executive orders. And now that same office is violating our system of checks and balances in order to reach into areas that should be controlled by Congress. It is not difficult to see how dangerous DOGE's actions are. DOGE is attacking civil servants, undermining their work, and weakening our institutions. Congress must act to end its interference.