This is a small data point I’ve been following but one with potentially vast implications. Since mid-February I’ve noticed a consistent pattern based on speaking to many sources across the federal government. In contrast to almost every other part of government the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has emerged relatively unscathed. Obviously, this is not at all a bad thing. CMS oversees Medicare, Medicaid and other federal health care provision services.
This is in great contrast to the situation at the Social Security Administration which has been submitted to a full DOGE onslaught. SSA has been the focus of a propaganda wave from Elon Musk himself, major cuts and a host of disruptions. Wired reported on Friday that DOGE plans to rewrite SSA’s computer system from scratch over a period of a few months. It’s difficult to describe how crazy a plan this is. Such an effort is one that under any realistic timeline would take years not months.
