URBANDALE, Iowa — Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst praised Elon Musk and the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, saying they are important for change in Washington, D.C. She described it as “a storm coming that will change how the city works forever.”
The state’s governor, Kim Reynolds, has lined up with DOGE, too, in remarks she gave Tuesday to a U.S. House committee.
Almost 1,000 miles away, people in a diverse suburb of Iowa’s biggest city are aware of the ongoing efforts to cut spending and reduce funding for government agencies. Some of them are worried, unlike their main leaders.
Some people doubt whether the government is providing services well or if Musk has the right power to do what he is doing. Some people support Musk, believing his action is necessary because not taking action could lead to high government spending.
Here are parts of talks that took place on Wednesday and Thursday in Urbandale, a suburb northwest of Des Moines.
Nik Nelson, a 35-year-old small business owner, said that Musk’s actions were long awaited. He also mentioned that he believes there are too many people working for the federal government.
He mentioned that some strict House Republicans want to cut spending by $2.5 trillion, which sounds good, but not if it’s spread over ten years.
“More than 10 years?” “That doesn’t mean anything,” Nelson said.
“I want good education, clean water, clean air, and good healthcare.” “But I don’t think that a large bureaucracy is the answer to achieving those goals,” he said. “The reason I want Elon and DOGE to succeed is I want them to take a hatchet to all this so the money actually goes to doing good.”
“I fully support it,” Nelson said.
Becky Olsen, 66, is a former teacher and manager at the Iowa Department for the Blind.
Olsen, a retired state worker, is worried that a sudden cut in the government workforce will affect the money that state programs rely on.
“Olsen said it would be polite to call it complicated.”
“The state gets a lot of federal money to help its services, including education, programs for older people, rehabilitation services, and public health efforts,” she said. What happens when government agencies are severely weakened? Will the funds be available on time? People in Iowa who need help rely on that.
Ricky Thompson, a 71-year-old retired Army soldier, finds it a bit worrying that Musk can access important government systems.
“Also, he’s not someone that Congress has to approve,” Thompson said, talking about Trump’s Cabinet members who need Senate approval. “We didn’t elect him, and he seems to have a lot of freedom even though he hasn’t been approved by the people we do elect.”
Many people were concerned about Musk’s influence and power, often mentioning Thompson.
“He has a lot of information, and no one knows if he has completed a background check,” he said. “What tests has he gone through to deserve this wide access?”
Christian Taff is 45 years old. DJ Taff believes the government is too large and should be reduced. However, he thinks it’s a mistake to let someone like Musk take on such a big job because it implies that essential government services are the same as business expenses.
The retired Army veteran, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, has post-traumatic stress disorder. He spent years trying to appeal the rejection of his disability claims from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
“I need veterans’ benefits because my body and mind are not in good shape, but Veterans Affairs doesn’t have enough staff,” Taff said.
“Talk to the people who are currently on waiting lists, just like I was,” he said. “I had to struggle for six years to get full disability benefits.”
“Do I think trimming is necessary?” “Of course,” Taff replied. “Do I feel that attacking the infrastructure of the social programs that help people and, to that end, help keep what I can do for the economy afloat? No, that’s not the answer.”
Wayne Shaw is an 80-year-old mechanical engineer.
Shaw noted that Trump delegating the job to Musk does not violate the promises made during his campaign.
“Someone is finally holding the gun to their head and saying: ‘Nope. It’s finished. It’s over,’” Shaw said of Musk’s aggressive efforts to press for millions of federal employees to consider deferred resignation or retirement with eight months of pay.
“I understand the outrage,” Shaw said. “But you have this moment now, and by giving this job to Musk, Trump is keeping his promise.”
Shaw believes that Musk’s quick and bold actions are a result of many years of inaction by previous leaders and Congress.
Shaw said, “I hope they try to push the whole government to a standstill until Trump agrees to only sign a budget that is balanced.” “We’re going to stop doing this.”
Luke Abou, a 53-year-old medical lab worker, believes that appointing Musk to a key role in reducing government spending is a conflict of interest because of Musk’s business connections with the federal government.
Abou, who works part-time as a personal care helper, said, “It looks like it’s meant to help a rich person keep their money.”
Musk’s company SpaceX has contracts worth billions of dollars with NASA. The government aerospace agency has given over $4 billion to Musk’s company for two planned manned moon landings later this decade. Musk has disagreed with the Federal Aviation Administration because he believes there is too much red tape.
Abou said, “You have a person who won’t risk their own interests, but insists on making major cuts that will lead to many people losing their jobs.” “Even if some cuts in spending make sense, his method will cause many people to become poorer.”
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