Unelected and unnecessary are two words befitting of Elon Musk, the tyrannical tech billionaire who just so happened to have “bought” a seat of political power. This unearned political authority rears its ugly head through the Department of Governmental Efficiency or DOGE. Elon’s cost-cutting agency has successfully eliminated 239 governmental contracts, with San Antonio being under constant fire from the axe of DOGE.
In the wake of governmental cuts, San Antonio is not only being hit by the brunt of slashes within Texas but it is also being misrepresented on the official DOGE website. As of March 13, the DOGE website lists only seven cuts against San Antonio entities, totaling $45.8 million in lost funding.
One of the unlisted victims of DOGE was the Family Endeavors Organization, a non-profit organization that primarily works to provide social services for communities, veterans and migrants alongside general emergency services. Endeavors previously received $18 million monthly, as this organization was tasked with the upkeep and maintenance of migrant resettlement centers — primarily focusing on helping migrants adjust and find footing in their new lives.
“While we provided services as outlined in the contract, decisions regarding facility use and migrant sheltering locations were made by the federal government, not Endeavors,” Family Endeavors said. “With federal officials onsite daily.”
Endeavors has clearly shown that they strictly adhere and have adhered to federal supervision since their opening in 2012. Regardless of their adherence to strict regulations, they now face potential closure due to the gaping wound left in their operations budget by DOGE.
The DOGE website additionally states the termination of 38 federally occupied buildings across the state, with seven of those federal buildings located at San Antonio: the San Antonio Geological Survey, the San Antonio U.S. Mine Safety & Health Administration, the Administration of San Antonio Employment Standards, the San Antonio Office of Personnel Management, the San Antonio Office of Inspector General and the San Antonio National Parks Service.
The termination of these offices raised major questions about the future of federal services within the United States, as the amount of services provided to citizens is declining inversely in proportion to the growth in population across Texas. San Antonio itself has been named the fastest-growing city in the U.S., with over 23,000 people moving to the city between 2022 and 2023.
Musk is rearing his unelected and unnecessary head, and the people who are paying the price for his “accomplishments” in DOGE are the American citizens who rely on the government the most. Migrant children who have nowhere to turn to, veterans struggling with adjusting to civilian life and single mothers seeking emergency care; all of these citizens and more are the ones paying the price for the so-called bloat within our government.
While it is easy to argue the obvious redundancy within our government, playing devil’s advocate and considering whether or not DOGE is treating these social programs as redundant or if the department is treating the people they supposedly serve as redundant allows constituents to fight for their rights as American citizens.
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Sunil Magavi • Mar 18, 2025 at 10:25 pm
Couldn’t have said this better. This is not about politics. This is about the most vulnerable in society being impacted. A great nation like a good father is one that takes care of the most vulnerable family member.