meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
Business Daily

Life after DOGE

Business Daily

BBC

Business

4.4816 Ratings

🗓️ 19 January 2026

⏱️ 18 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Twelve months into Donald Trump’s second term as President, we examine what it’s meant for the US workforce.

For government workers it has been a year of cuts, sackings and Elon Musk’s now disbanded DOGE - Department of Government Efficiency - group. Some sections of the workforce have felt their rights under attack. Meanwhile, many Republicans feel DOGE has been a success.

Has the past year also provided opportunities for those switching to the private sector?

If you'd like to get in touch with the programme, our email address is businessdaily@bbc.co.uk Presenter: Ed Butler Producer: Craig Henderson

(Picture: President Donald Trump listens during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on the 26th of February 2025 in Washington, DC. He was holding the first Cabinet meeting of his second term, joined by Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, then head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Credit: Getty Images)

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, podcasts.

0:06.7

Hi there, I'm Ed Butler. This is Business Daily from the BBC World Service. Today, 12 months into

0:13.2

Donald Trump's second term as US president, we're taking a look at what it's meant for the

0:19.1

workforce. I've lost my job. I cannot find a new job. I can't go back to school because there's no

0:25.3

federal funding. I think that this has been a merry go-round. For U.S. federal workers,

0:30.1

it has been a year of cuts, sackings, and Elon Musk's now disbanded Doge Group. Some sections of the workforce have felt their rights under attack.

0:41.0

It's not a matter of do they have less rights. The rights are there. The problem is when they exercise

0:47.9

those rights, are they going to be protected? But has the past year also provided opportunities for those switching to the

0:56.1

private sector? When the federal government reduces its employment, if a lot of high-skill workers

1:02.0

are now shifted to the private sector, that can be good for the economy. How is the future

1:07.3

looking for workers in the US? That's Business Daily from the BBC.

1:14.6

We're cutting down the size of government. We have to.

1:17.5

We're bloated. We're sloppy.

1:20.5

We have a lot of people that aren't doing their job.

1:23.1

We have a lot of people that don't exist.

1:25.1

On returning to office 12 months ago, Donald Trump wasted no time in delivering on campaign

1:31.4

pledges to root out what he saw as waste and even fraud within the heart of government.

1:37.2

He called it draining the swamp.

1:39.3

At his very first cabinet meeting, he stood side by side with tech billionaire and high-profile

1:44.5

supporter Elon Musk, whose job it was to wield the axe at the head of the new cost-cutting

1:50.3

agency, the Department of Government Efficiency, Doge.

1:54.3

We wish to keep everyone who is doing a job that is essential and doing that job well.

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.