Connecting The Dots On DOGE

The NPR Politics Podcast

NPR

Politics, Daily News, News

4.5 • 24.9K Ratings

🗓️ 26 May 2025

⏱️ 15 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

It's been six months since President Trump first announced the creation of the Department of Government Efficiency initiative, which has dramatically shrunk parts of the federal government. And with so many individual stories about federal workers losing their jobs around the country, the big picture can sometimes look blurry.

From Consider This: A team of NPR reporters has been looking at agencies — from food inspectors to nuclear scientists to firefighters and more — and today, we'll connect some of the dots on how DOGE cuts have impacted workers, and hear how Americans far beyond Washington may feel the effects of these cuts.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This is Irid Glass, the host of This American Life.
0:02.9	So much is changing so rapidly right now with President Trump in office.
0:07.3	It feels good to pause for a moment sometimes and look around at what's what.
0:10.7	Just try and do that.
0:11.4	We've been finding these incredible stories about right now that are funny and have feeling,
0:16.1	and you get to see people everywhere making sense of this new America that we find ourselves in. This American
0:21.8	life, wherever you get your podcast.
0:27.9	Hey there, it's the NPR Politics Podcast. I'm Miles Parks. I cover voting. And today, we want to
0:33.5	highlight some reporting from our friends that consider this. Doge, the Department of Government Efficiency, has kept parts of the government that reach far beyond Washington, D.C., to services that many Americans count on.
0:43.9	After a quick break, Ari Shapiro talks to three NPR reporters covering different pieces of this puzzle.
0:49.7	More in just a moment.
0:51.7	These days, there's a lot of news.
0:53.7	It can be hard to keep up with what it means for you, your family, and your community.
0:58.6	Consider this from NPR as a podcast that helps you make sense of the news.
1:03.0	Six days a week, we bring you a deep dive on a story and provide the context, backstory,
1:07.5	and analysis you need to understand our rapidly changing world.
1:12.3	Listen to the Consider This Podcast from NPR.
1:15.3	Conductor Robert Franz says a good melody captures our attention.
1:19.3	And then it moves you through time.
1:21.5	Music is architecture in time.
1:25.2	If you engage in the moment with what you're listening to,
1:30.2	you do lose a sense of the time around you.
	...

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