Have Elon Musk-directed spending cuts helped or hurt? Michiganders weigh in

Elon Musk may have left his position heading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) last week, but his name continues to dominate the news cycle after a public feud with President Donald Trump.

Michiganders have voiced their own strong opinions about Musk – and his DOGE cuts to federal agencies – in an unscientific MLive survey.

While some were warm to the idea of cutting government waste, a majority of those who responded, 84%, said they don’t agree with Musk’s own approach to limiting federal spending.

Some said a more targeted approach or financial auditing could have yielded better, and more permanent, results. Several readers expressed concern about the cost of ongoing legal battles and paid leave for federal employees.

“Perhaps a gentler pruning would have yielded better results with less criticism,” said one reader, Sheryl, from Grosse Pointe Park.

Others disapproved of the cuts on the whole, citing Musk’s large role without government confirmation or experience outside of the private sector.

Grand Rapids resident Bob described his approach as “using a chainsaw to do brain surgery.”

Approximately 16% of respondents said they do appreciate Musk’s approach, however.

MLive reader John described the cuts as “an excellent start.” Ada resident Scott said a “deep and thorough analysis of our spending has been much needed.”

MLive reader Mike said he feels “sorry for the way people smeared (Musk) for doing this tough project.

“It opened the eyes of many (to) where tax money is disappearing to,” he said.

Elon Musk announced Wednesday, May 28 that he would leave his highly publicized role as a top government advisor to Trump, a little over four months after he began heading efforts to cut spending and reduce federal bureaucracy.

He said on X that the announcement is because he is a special government employee, meaning he is only authorized to perform temporary, limited duties for a period of up to 130 days in a year.

Despite his departure, Musk has continued to make headlines. He publicly sparred with Trump on social media on Thursday after speaking against the President’s budget proposal.

MLive respondents who shared their thoughts did so before the interaction between Trump and Musk on Thursday afternoon.

The back-and-forth is a departure from just weeks ago, when Musk frequently appeared by Trump’s side as a special government employee.

Trump’s order to officially establish DOGE was among his first announcements made in office on Jan. 20.

From mid-January through the end of May, Musk repeatedly made headlines for selling federal assets, cancelling/renegotiating contracts and leases, ending federal grant programs and reducing the federal workforce.

Several MLive readers expressed concern that Musk was not an elected official, however, and did not have an official confirmation hearing.

Earlier this year, Attorney General Dana Nessel sued Elon Musk over a claim that he violated a clause in the U.S. Constitution by not receiving U.S. Senate confirmation.

MLive reader Paul said the goal of decreasing fraud, waste and abuse “always plays well,” but he feels the agency was “inappropriately established with no Congressional oversight, no leadership confirmation and no monitored intelligence clearances.”

“There are many reputable ‘good government’ organizations with experts eager to provide analysis of potential cost savings and ways to make stated government agency goals more efficient and effective,” he said.

Some of Musk’s cuts are now pending after court injunctions.

A good number of the agencies that were affected had offices, leases or federal workers located in Michigan.

DOGE has announced the closure of a Michigan-based Social Security office, a terminated lease for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s office space in Ann Arbor and an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) facility in metro Detroit.

MLive reader Marilyn said she’s especially concerned about the “disastrous” impact on the IRS, after some federal employees faced cuts.

“So many workers were let go that those remaining will not be able to do the work necessary to carry out the mission of the IRS,” she said. “Less enforcement will mean less money taken in.”

The savings touted by DOGE have also extended to federal funding, including the cancellation of grants and contracts at the Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Department of Health and Human Services.

As of May 29, DOGE reported 15,149 grant terminations totaling $40 billion in savings, including multiple grants for Michigan agencies and municipalities and at least 17 grants to Michigan universities.

Dave from Hillsdale said he’s most concerned about cuts to USAID, the lead U.S. government agency for international humanitarian and development assistance.

This week, the White House sent Congress a request to officially claw back $9.4 billion in funding for foreign aid and public broadcasting, including $8.3 billion from USAID. The recissions package is the first request that would codify DOGE cuts.

“When I hear defenders say no one has died, I wonder if those folks understand the connection between food and life,” Dave said.

Karen from Williamston said she’s all for trimming fat in government, “but the way they went about it was chaotic and unreasonable.

“I think DOGE went too fast and cut things without even knowing what they were cutting,” she said.

Musk has also sought to cut down the federal workforce, which DOGE and the Trump administration have attempted to accomplish through a combined Jan. 20 hiring freeze, federal employee buyouts and mass layoffs.

There are no official figures for the total number of firings and layoffs to the 2.4 million U.S. federal workers since Trump took office.

The cuts include probationary employees, or those who have typically worked for less than a year. The move has been challenged in court numerous times, including by Nessel.

Kalamazoo resident Steve said he believes the cuts have led to the elimination of “a great deal of our nation’s brightest and most professional staff.”

“He’s left our federal government agencies politicized, far less effective and less fiscally efficient,” he said.

Some of the federal departments that have seen layoffs include the Defense Department, Department of Education, Department of Energy, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Veterans Affairs and National Park Service, according to analysis by the Associated Press.

MLive reader Bonnie said she’s especially concerned about the impact on the National Park System, “one of our country’s greatest assets.”

Several former parks managers have anticipated that cuts may make operating Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and other Michigan parks more difficult.

As of June 6, a DOGE website estimates it has saved $180 billion. That’s less than the original $2 trillion figure Musk mentioned on the campaign trail, then walked back to $1 trillion, but still amounts to a little over $1,118 per taxpayer, according to DOGE.

Stephen from Jackson said he believes DOGE’s efforts have helped stem wasteful government spending.

“I am concerned that they didn’t do enough and that another administration will once again add back in excess programs and expenditures that only cater to special interest groups,” he said. “I applaud Musk’s efforts and am thankful to him for his patriotism in wanting to cure our bloated government.”

But Grand Rapids reader Nic said he feels there hasn’t so far been an organized plan. Holland resident Rich said he’s concerned that instead of saving trillions, the department could ultimately lose money.

MLive reader Frank said the concept of DOGE has potential, but he’s afraid the cuts in practice will result in most positions cut being restored “at a high actual cost.”

A study by the Partnership for Public Service, reported on by The New York Times, found that the cost of making DOGE cuts is also high – upwards of $135 billion for this fiscal year.

The nonprofit used “budget figures to produce a rough estimate” regarding the costs of firings, re-hirings, lost productivity and paid leave.

White House spokesperson Harrison W. Fields told the Times “it’s important to realize that doing nothing has a cost, too, and these so-called experts and groups are conveniently absent when looking at the costs of doing nothing.”

DOGE’s cuts are also expected to be less costly in the coming years as up-front costs may be more than future costs.

Click here to follow MLive’s complete coverage of President Trump’s impact on Michigan.

Have Elon Musk-directed spending cuts helped or hurt? Michiganders weigh in

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