Editorial Note: Opinions and thoughts are the author’s own and not those of AFROTECH™.
The tech industry has long had an obsession with youth. This is seen in how the industry conducts itself, who investors look to invest in, how people look at hiring in the world of startups, as well as which programs are being targeted by DOGE, and which ones aren’t, as they look to make the government more efficient. Over the last few months, the Department of Government Efficiency has aggressively looked for waste and fraud within the federal government. It started with organizations that do not come to mind for the average American, like the United States Agency For International Development, or USAID, which focuses on deploying aid to foreign countries for a variety of efforts centered around health, disaster aid, and economic development. DOGE came in like a wrecking ball to the organization, and as reported by ABC News in February, 4,080 employees worldwide were placed on leave and an additional 1,600 people were laid off. At the time, while these cuts impacted Americans both here and abroad, the cost would have been most felt by the people we were helping overseas and less so by Americans here. This changed once DOGE moved on from USAID and focused on efficiency within organizations that Americans are more familiar with.
The Small Business Association, as reported by Yahoo, will be cutting 43% of its staff based on recommendations by DOGE, and it aims to return staffing to pre-COVID 19 levels by cutting nonessential staff. Given DOGE has a mandate to cut out abuse and fraud, it does make sense to me that they turned their attention here. The SBA got on many people’s radars after the creation of the COVID-19 Payment Protection Program, which aimed to keep businesses and nonprofits afloat by providing forgivable loans to help management teams pay for payroll, rent, mortgage, and utilities. While this program was needed, given the economic shock that COVID-19 placed on management teams and employees, we did see people look to abuse this help provided by the federal government. As reported by the FBI, the SBA estimates that $64 billion was defrauded through the program, including six people who were operating out of New Jersey, according to the IRS. As DOGE has gone from agency to agency, it has usually targeted those that did not impact many people. Unfortunately, programs like Medicare and Social Security do.
When it comes to the livelihoods of the elderly, no two programs do more to provide them with a certain standard of living than Medicare and Social Security. Medicare aims to provide health insurance and services to those who are 65 and older, and Social Security is a financial safety net for them as they come up on retirement age. Lyndon B. Johnson is the former president who signed Medicare and Medicaid into law in 1965, and Frederick D. Roosevelt established Social Security in 1935. These two programs, which have served the elderly as they age for years, are now under scrutiny by DOGE. As reported by law firm Arnold & Porter, DOGE has gained access to and has reviewed data that is housed in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which includes contract and payment data as it relates to the programs. The good thing is there have been no reports about the department looking to cut staff that helps administer the Medicare program, but depending on what they say they find, measures could be taken to reduce staff or change processes impacting how Medicare is accessed. This is different from how DOGE is operating within the Social Security Administration (SSA). DOGE has already taken swift actions on that agency. The department has made it so that senior citizens are unable to change their banking information by phone, as reported by CBS News. DOGE is also looking to cut phone line service totally and have more seniors come in to handle their Social Security needs while in tandem closing down SSA offices, as reported by the Medicare Rights Center. Outside of DOGE, Dr. Mehmet Oz — better known as Dr. Oz from his TV show — has been nominated by President Donald Trump, to oversee the CMS, and he plans to make sweeping changes if confirmed, as reported by NPR.
This attack on services for the elderly will sprinkle down to those who have to care for them. Upwardly mobile Black people often find themselves taking care of parents or grandparents as they age, which can put a strain on their finances, and mental and physical health. I see the continued changes to services like Medicare and Social Security contributing to young Black professionals having to carry even more of the weight of caregiving for their older loved ones than they already do. When we reduce the social safety net from the government, someone has to pick up the slack, and that is usually carried by the younger people who care for the elderly.
