📚 DOGE-Eaten Homework

☀️ March 25, 2025 ☀️

🐾 Now Let’s Sic ‘Em! 🐾

The Department of Energy (DOE) has instructed its officials to mark documents related to DOGE with "legal privilege," aiming to shield them from Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.

This same directive, outlined in a memo by acting general counsel David R. Taggart, requires political appointees to evaluate whether grants and contracts are "efficient" (there’s that word again) and align with DOE policies and priorities.

This means that key decisions about federal spending, grant cuts, and possible lab shutdowns could happen behind closed doors, with no public oversight. Not to mention the fact that it’s political appointees—not career experts—who are deciding if contracts are “efficient” enough to keep.

And because the administration expects lawsuits over DOGE’s actions, they’re telling staff to keep things vague and short—making it harder for watchdogs or journalists to understand what’s really happening.

Gee, Elon… What happened to “All aspects of the government must be fully transparent and accountable to the people”…?

Nose Swat. Court Blocks DOGE from Obtaining Sensitive Information from Federal Departments.

Speaking of those other lawsuits…

Federal Judge Deborah Boardman has issued a temporary injunction preventing DOGE from accessing personally identifiable information held by the U.S. Departments of Education, Treasury, and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).

This decision arises from a lawsuit alleging that the Trump administration violated federal privacy laws by granting DOGE access to sensitive personal data without consent.

The judge emphasized that "no matter how important or urgent the President’s DOGE agenda may be, federal agencies must execute it in accordance with the law… and that likely did not happen in this case.”

Hopefully, this sets a precedent for other organizations fighting tooth and claw in similar legal battles. The American Federation of Teachers, labor unions, membership organizations, and several U.S. military veterans have also filed lawsuits to tighten the leash on DOGE’s access to systems with sensitive and private data.

DOGE-Eaten Homework. IRS Faces $500 Billion Revenue Shortfall Due to DOGE-Induced Cuts.

Like is happening throughout the government, DOGE has implemented the same reckless and severe staff and budget cuts at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as well. And these aren’t just marginal cuts.

The IRS is planning to reduce its workforce by half, cutting around 45,000 jobs from its current 90,000 employees through layoffs, attrition, and buyout offers. ​

The problem of course is that this massive reduction could lead to an estimated $500 billion loss, since there will be far fewer IRS employees to process returns, enforce tax laws, and audit wealthy tax dodgers.

Compounding the problem, with fewer audits and weaker enforcement, more people and corporations are likely to underreport income, commit fraud, or just not pay what they owe. So essentially, the government is defunding its own ability to collect money that it’s legally owed.

These failures of grade school level logic make it clear the DOGE bros never did their homework and probably need to go back to school to learn some simple math skills. Or here’s a thought, hire back some of those IRS employees to help you out with that too, since we’re pretty sure they know a thing or two about subtracting and deductions.

Musk/Rat Love. Musk Gets Seat at Trump’s Table In Cabinet Meeting.

​With nervous “meet the parents” energy, Elon Musk joined Co-President Trump’s Cabinet meeting. The two played it cool and didn’t sit next to each other. Instead Musk sat at the end of the table, with a title-less placard (unlike the other members who had their official Cabinet titles printed below their names).

Thus continues the coy dance the two are playing in public about their relationship. Sometimes, Musk is just a “Special Government Employee” (emphasis on special, in Elon’s case). Other times, Musk is elevated and confirmed to be the Head of the official-unofficial Department of Government Efficiency.

In a display of dominance, Trump praised his Co-President, saying: “He’s a patriot more than anything else. He’s never — think of it — he’s never asked me for a thing. And he could have! I always say ‘I wonder if he’s ever going to ask me for something.’”

Aww, c’mon, Donny… Don’t make him ask. Put a ring on it already!

Pick of the Litter. Acting SEC Chair Plays Favorites, Opposes Lawsuit Against Elon Musk.

Elon Musk is being sued by the SEC for failing to disclose his 5% stake in Twitter within the required 10-day window.

During the 2022 purchase, Musk waited 11 days, quietly buying more shares and saving himself an estimated $150 million. It’s a textbook case of skirting disclosure rules—rules meant to protect investors and ensure a level playing field.

But the bigger red flag is what happened inside the SEC. The commission voted 4–1 to move forward with the lawsuit. The lone dissenter? Acting SEC Chair Mark Uyeda, a Trump appointee, who decided Musk didn’t deserve to be held accountable. That kind of decision sends a message—not about law, but about loyalty.

And of course, Musk-wingman Trump was ready to pounce and protect his bestie, issuing an executive order calling for a review of what he calls “politically motivated investigations” at the SEC under the previous administration.

Musk has until April 4 to respond to the SEC’s lawsuit. But with Top Dog political allies in high places and his BFF Co-President openly backing him, don’t be surprised if this ends without this DOGE having a day in court. Grrr.

"WH mistakenly Shares Yemen War Plans With a Atlantic Journalist"
Cue the Team America theme song... A crackerjack team of high-ranking Trump bros accidentally added The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief to a Signal group chat where they were actively planning airstrikes on Yemen. Jeffrey Goldberg saw classified intel (weapon types, targets, timing, and more) a mere two hours before bombs fell. Trump’s brain trust included VP JD Vance, Defense Sec Pete Hegseth, Bond Villain Stand-In Stephen Miller, and others. Democrats are raising their paddles and calling for an investigation into what may be one of the most reckless intelligence leaks in years. AMERICA… FUCK YEAH!

“Hegseth's Book Bans Trigger Student Protests on Military Bases”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth—formerly of Fox News—is turning the heat up to Fahrenheit 451 and targeting the Pentagon’s high-performing school system with book bans, material purges, and culture war crusades. He’s blocked access to lessons on immigration, psychology, Black history, and even a biography of a transgender Union Army veteran. Protest walkouts happened in Germany, Japan, and Korea, where students are already pissed thanks to DOGE-related spending cuts that have canceled sports and disrupted school activities like cooking classes (in which students were told to bring their own ingredients due to $1 credit card limits). Feels a lot like these new dogs are getting taught old Nazi tricks.

“Trump Admin Cancels $40M in Vital LGBTQ+ Health Research Grants”
Tie Size Queen Trump is continuing his crusade against what he calls “ideologically driven science” under the guise of cost-cutting and efficiency. He recently terminated at least 68 federal grants focused on LGBTQ+ health research, affecting 46 institutions and totaling nearly $40 million. ​These cuts impact critical studies on HIV prevention, cancer, youth suicide, and bone health within LGBTQ+ communities. The grand total in savings amounts to approximately 0.00059% of the $6.8 trillion federal budget… so “Great Job!”

“DOGE Tried to Axe ICU Docs at NIH—Because Efficiency, Apparently”
DOGE bros nearly fired ICU doctors at the NIH’s Clinical Center—yes, the only federal hospital that handles cutting-edge research and critical patient care. The plan would’ve fired “code blue” responders—the team that literally revives patients during cardiac arrest. Scientists warned it would force emergency airlifts to save lives. The backlash was so fierce—over a thousand protesters—that DOGE had to reverse course, reinstating certain staff members. But others at NIH weren’t so lucky: scientists are being placed on unpaid leave, labs are running out of supplies, and years of research are being shredded due to budget chokeholds. The internal NIH verdict? The public’s only seeing a fraction of the damage. “Whatever people are reading in newspapers, it’s 10 times worse.”

“Oscar-Winning Filmmaker Attacked, Detained by Israeli Army Days After Win”
Well, this is unsettling… Just days after winning an Oscar for No Other Land — a documentary about Palestinian displacement jointly produced by both Israelis and Palestinians — co-director Hamdan Ballal was reportedly attacked by Israeli settlers and detained by Israeli forces in the West Bank village of Susiya. The film highlights the military’s demolition of Palestinian villages in Masafer Yatta, one of the most contested areas in the occupied territory. Co-director Basel Adra said armed, masked settlers stormed the area, backed by soldiers who pointed guns at residents, and took Ballal into custody.

Well, that was a lot to chew on… Again.

So as your reward, here are a few treats.

Some doggy goodness to calm your nerves… lift your spirits… and get you through to tomorrow…

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🙌 Thanks for reading. See you on Hump Day.  

🐾 And until then, do your best to stay pawsitive!