The New DOGEma: Catholic Insights on Musk’s Government Efficiency Crusade 03-15-25
Imagine a government where inefficiency is a thing of the past. No more endless paperwork, long processing times, or bureaucratic runarounds. Instead, artificial intelligence (AI) streamlines operations, automates approvals, and eliminates waste, making government as fast and frictionless as the latest Silicon Valley startup.
This is the promise of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—a bold new initiative, championed in practice by Elon Musk, that seeks to revolutionize governance through automation, AI-driven decision-making, and decentralization. To its supporters, DOGE is a long-overdue correction to an overgrown bureaucracy, cutting waste and increasing government responsiveness. To its critics, it is a dangerous experiment in technocratic rule, where efficiency trumps justice, and human dignity is reduced to an algorithm.
For Catholics, the debate is not simply about whether DOGE works, but whether it serves the common good. Does it align with the Church’s teachings on subsidiarity, justice, and human dignity—or does it risk creating an unaccountable system where efficiency becomes the ultimate goal, regardless of the human cost?
DOGE and the Principle of Subsidiarity
Catholic social teaching has long warned against excessive centralization of government power. Pope Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum (1891) lays out the principle of subsidiarity—the idea that decisions should be made at the most local and competent level possible. The role of government, he argues, is not to replace individual and community responsibility, but to assist when necessary and step back when it is not.
At first glance, DOGE appears to align with subsidiarity. By reducing bureaucratic obstacles, it could empower local governments and individuals, restoring control to those best positioned to make decisions. If AI removes inefficiencies while still ensuring human oversight, it might even be a modern fulfillment of subsidiarity.
But the real question is: Does DOGE actually reduce centralization, or does it just shift power from government agencies to private corporations and algorithms? If decisions once made by elected officials and civil servants are now dictated by AI models owned by a handful of tech elites, has power truly been decentralized—or just concentrated in a new and less accountable form?
The Dangers of Efficiency Without Ethics
Efficiency is valuable, but it is not a moral compass. The Church teaches that the true measure of government is not how quickly it operates, but how well it serves the common good—especially the most vulnerable.
DOGE raises significant concerns in this regard:
1. Who Defines Efficiency?
• If efficiency means reducing waste, eliminating redundant paperwork, and making government more accessible, that’s an improvement. • But if efficiency means cutting support services for the poor or denying welfare benefits based on an algorithm, then it becomes a moral failure. • Efficiency must always serve human dignity, not replace it.
2. Who Holds the Power?
• The Church warns against concentrating authority in the hands of the few—whether government bureaucrats or billionaire technocrats. • Musk’s leadership style, characterized by rapid decision-making, aggressive cost-cutting, and corporate centralization, raises red flags. His overhaul of Twitter (now X) prioritized speed over process transparency, often resulting in chaos. • If DOGE follows this pattern—automating governance without proper safeguards—it risks replacing one flawed system with something even less accountable.
3. What Happens to the Vulnerable?
• True justice is measured not by how fast a system runs, but by how it treats the weakest members of society. • If AI cuts costs at the expense of human needs, reducing funding for disability services, homeless shelters, or social programs, it violates the Church’s call to protect the dignity of every person. • The common good demands that efficiency serves people—not the other way around.
DOGE and Catholic Social Teaching: A Cautious “Maybe”
Musk’s experiment in AI-driven governance is not inherently good or evil. If it upholds transparency, subsidiarity, and accountability, it could become a model for responsible government reform. But if it turns into a corporate-controlled efficiency machine—where human dignity is sacrificed for speed and savings—then Catholics have a moral obligation to resist.
Three Catholic Priorities for Ethical Governance Reform
To ensure DOGE aligns with Catholic principles, it must meet the following conditions:
1. Transparency Over Secrecy
• AI-driven governance must be open to public scrutiny to prevent bias, discrimination, or unjust automation.
2. Protection of the Vulnerable
• Efficiency reforms must not disproportionately harm the poor, the elderly, or marginalized communities.
3. Decentralization, Not Corporate Centralization
• DOGE should empower local governments and communities rather than shift control to corporate-run AI models.
Efficiency With Justice
The Church does not measure government by how quickly it operates, but by how well it serves the people. If DOGE succeeds in making governance leaner, fairer, and more responsive to human needs, then perhaps it will deserve a place in history.
But if it fails?
Then the next Department of Government Efficiency may need a patron saint to clean up the mess. Perhaps St. Thomas More, the patron of politicians, could intercede for a bureaucracy in need of both reform and conscience.
And Catholics, guided by the principles of subsidiarity, human dignity, and the common good, must stand alongside all Americans of good will to ensure that in the pursuit of progress, no one is left behind.
This is the promise of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—a bold new initiative, championed in practice by Elon Musk, that seeks to revolutionize governance through automation, AI-driven decision-making, and decentralization. To its supporters, DOGE is a long-overdue correction to an overgrown bureaucracy, cutting waste and increasing government responsiveness. To its critics, it is a dangerous experiment in technocratic rule, where efficiency trumps justice, and human dignity is reduced to an algorithm.
For Catholics, the debate is not simply about whether DOGE works, but whether it serves the common good. Does it align with the Church’s teachings on subsidiarity, justice, and human dignity—or does it risk creating an unaccountable system where efficiency becomes the ultimate goal, regardless of the human cost?
DOGE and the Principle of Subsidiarity
Catholic social teaching has long warned against excessive centralization of government power. Pope Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum (1891) lays out the principle of subsidiarity—the idea that decisions should be made at the most local and competent level possible. The role of government, he argues, is not to replace individual and community responsibility, but to assist when necessary and step back when it is not.
At first glance, DOGE appears to align with subsidiarity. By reducing bureaucratic obstacles, it could empower local governments and individuals, restoring control to those best positioned to make decisions. If AI removes inefficiencies while still ensuring human oversight, it might even be a modern fulfillment of subsidiarity.
But the real question is: Does DOGE actually reduce centralization, or does it just shift power from government agencies to private corporations and algorithms? If decisions once made by elected officials and civil servants are now dictated by AI models owned by a handful of tech elites, has power truly been decentralized—or just concentrated in a new and less accountable form?
The Dangers of Efficiency Without Ethics
Efficiency is valuable, but it is not a moral compass. The Church teaches that the true measure of government is not how quickly it operates, but how well it serves the common good—especially the most vulnerable.
DOGE raises significant concerns in this regard:
1. Who Defines Efficiency?
• If efficiency means reducing waste, eliminating redundant paperwork, and making government more accessible, that’s an improvement. • But if efficiency means cutting support services for the poor or denying welfare benefits based on an algorithm, then it becomes a moral failure. • Efficiency must always serve human dignity, not replace it.
2. Who Holds the Power?
• The Church warns against concentrating authority in the hands of the few—whether government bureaucrats or billionaire technocrats. • Musk’s leadership style, characterized by rapid decision-making, aggressive cost-cutting, and corporate centralization, raises red flags. His overhaul of Twitter (now X) prioritized speed over process transparency, often resulting in chaos. • If DOGE follows this pattern—automating governance without proper safeguards—it risks replacing one flawed system with something even less accountable.
3. What Happens to the Vulnerable?
• True justice is measured not by how fast a system runs, but by how it treats the weakest members of society. • If AI cuts costs at the expense of human needs, reducing funding for disability services, homeless shelters, or social programs, it violates the Church’s call to protect the dignity of every person. • The common good demands that efficiency serves people—not the other way around.
DOGE and Catholic Social Teaching: A Cautious “Maybe”
Musk’s experiment in AI-driven governance is not inherently good or evil. If it upholds transparency, subsidiarity, and accountability, it could become a model for responsible government reform. But if it turns into a corporate-controlled efficiency machine—where human dignity is sacrificed for speed and savings—then Catholics have a moral obligation to resist.
Three Catholic Priorities for Ethical Governance Reform
To ensure DOGE aligns with Catholic principles, it must meet the following conditions:
1. Transparency Over Secrecy
• AI-driven governance must be open to public scrutiny to prevent bias, discrimination, or unjust automation.
2. Protection of the Vulnerable
• Efficiency reforms must not disproportionately harm the poor, the elderly, or marginalized communities.
3. Decentralization, Not Corporate Centralization
• DOGE should empower local governments and communities rather than shift control to corporate-run AI models.
Efficiency With Justice
The Church does not measure government by how quickly it operates, but by how well it serves the people. If DOGE succeeds in making governance leaner, fairer, and more responsive to human needs, then perhaps it will deserve a place in history.
But if it fails?
Then the next Department of Government Efficiency may need a patron saint to clean up the mess. Perhaps St. Thomas More, the patron of politicians, could intercede for a bureaucracy in need of both reform and conscience.
And Catholics, guided by the principles of subsidiarity, human dignity, and the common good, must stand alongside all Americans of good will to ensure that in the pursuit of progress, no one is left behind.