Thoughts from U.S. civil servants about Elon Musk's DOGE departure
發佈日期: 2025-05-31 19:52
TVB News
The cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been marked by mixed outcomes and controversy.
Some civil servants who were fired under the sweeping government cuts argue Elon Musk's efforts were not about trimming government spending, but about paving the way for big corporations to profit.
Benjamin here is a wildlife biologist with the U.S. Forest Service. The job encompasses monitoring flora and fauna, conducting environmental impact assessments, responding to wildfires and mitigating landslides across national forests. At one time, Benjamin described his job as a dream.
But he, along with more than 3,400 others, was dismissed with immediate effect in mid-February -- no severance, no warning.
The order came from the Department of Government Efficiency or DOGE, part of President Trump's controversial push to cut federal spending.
BENJAMIN VIZZACHERO, Wildlife Biologist, Los Padres National Forest, California: "What's humiliating was hearing Donald Trump say we're saving money and cutting government wasteful spending, bragging as if they're doing something good for the American people. When they fire someone like me, maybe they're saving money tomorrow, but there's a cost that is going to come back to us."
Following a judicial review, Benjamin returned to his job six weeks after his dismissal.
BENJAMIN VIZZACHERO: "From DOGE's perspective, I'm a regulator and they want me out of the way so that corporations can run wild. They're trying to make it easier for billionaires to earn money."
After the firing saga, Benjamin once confronted Musk in Congress.
BENJAMIN VIZZACHERO: "I turn around and say, 'Hey, Mr. Musk.' I grab his attention and I say, 'Am I a waste?' He says, 'who are you?' And I say, 'I'm a biologist.' After so many words, and as I recall, he just says, 'No, I don't think we really need you here.' And I tell him, 'I disagree, you're wrong.'"
With Musk's stepping down, Benjamin has this to say.
BENJAMIN VIZZACHERO: "Elon Musk, you gave me the push I needed to find my voice, to speak up, and to say that this is wrong. So I think that what he's doing for this country is a horrible disservice. I think the only people he's trying to help are himself."
With the U.S. fiscal deficit this year expected to reach 1.8 trillion U.S. dollars, Benjamin said the key lies in streamlining the overly convoluted government processes, instead of sacking people who are working to solve problems.
BENJAMIN VIZZACHERO: "You have to invest in hiring people who know the system because those are the people who know how to fix it, not some 20-year-old tech genius hired by DOGE that's just going to slash and burn everything with a machete."
