For DOGE, the buck stops at the White House

If you thought Ol Sleepy Joe Biden was napping away retirement from his Delaware home, you’d be sorely mistaken.  

Republicans have mastered the art of pointing their fingers at the former president for all that ails the country — even for actions that came after Biden was sent into hibernation. 

The latest ridiculous “Thanks, Joe Biden” moment was delivered from Montana’s Rep. Ryan Zinke as he tried to explain away the fast and furious roll out of federal layoffs that left critical probationary Forest Service workers fired, rehired and maybe fired again. 

“President Trump rightfully exempted seasonal hires from layoffs but when the previous administration reclassified thousands of experienced USFS seasonal workers as probationary employees, they got caught in the reduction of force,” Zinke stated in a press release Friday about the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board ruling to reinstate probationary Forest Service workers that were fired last month. 

The Department of Government Efficiency’s blind chainsaw approach to slashing the federal payroll isn’t to blame for these boots-on-the-ground workers getting “caught in the reduction of force.” No, according to Zinke, it’s somehow Biden’s fault that Elon Musk didn’t show a morsel of care about which workers were being let go and how that might affect the national forests that represent 18% of Montana’s land area. 

There are plenty of reasons to saddle blame on Biden — the last four years of crushing inflation standing alone at the top of the list. But the fallout of DOGE’s breakneck strategy only lands with the current administration. The buck stops here, as Trump himself said recently about DOGE.  

Deflecting blame won’t get the job done. It’s up to Zinke and his congressional colleagues to help guide DOGE and hold it accountable when necessary. 

It’s unfortunate that Musk and his team didn’t take the time to learn that the Forest Service had recently implemented a new structure for hiring seasonal employees that made them permanent workers and subject to probationary status. The move has been lauded by Forest Service officials because it means stability in the workforce. A similar approach has been used for years to keep the best federal wildland firefighters available year-round. 

Had DOGE been working with a precise scalpel, as Trump recently requested from his Cabinet, rather than a Stihl, the department could have made more prudent and effective decisions about the Forest Service’s frontline workers who keep Montana’s trails clear and facilities open. 

Just like a forest trail crew chooses the right tool for the job, DOGE and Trump’s Cabinet must do the same if efficiency is truly the end game.