I can't speak to issues like humanitarian aid, but I can say with certainty that Elon's DOGE cuts impacted watchdogs such as the Worker Rights Consortium (WRC).
What is the WRC? People who have been following me for a while may have inadvertently seen WRC reports, as sometimes I post them to show when a company is relying on global supply chains connected to labor abuses. The WRC is a US nonprofit that monitors labor abuses abroad and fights for those workers' interests.
I will give you an example. In 2024, the WRC uncovered labor abuses at a Guatemalan factory, where the factory owner was withholding some $5 million in back wages to over 750 garment workers. This practice, called waged theft, is common in the garment industry, as garment workers are often in precarious positions and not always able to fight back.
The WRC identified a South Korean company, SAE-A Global Trading, as one of the factory's largest customers. SAE-A was essentially getting things made here and then selling those clothes to Target, the US retail chain. The WRC then pressured SAE-A to pay the back wages owed to those workers, which they did (to their credit).
By cutting the WRC's funding, the government has hobbled their efforts. It has become harder to know when labor abuses occur abroad and to fight for those workers. So, in a way, Elon's claim can't be disproven. It's hard to prove that people have been hurt because you've slashed funding for the very watchdogs that monitor for labor abuses.
Importantly, this has happened at the same time as US manufacturing continues to decline. Since 2025, there has been a decline in both manufacturing jobs and new factory construction. This means that Americans continue to rely on imports, especially in clothing, and this is unlikely to change in the near future.
This, in turn, means two things. By hobbling watchdogs and continuing to rely on imports, Americans are less likely to know when their garments are made with exploited labor. And by making it easier for factories to hide exploited labor and hobbling our ability to pressure suppliers to pay back wages, we've put US companies at a further disadvantage. It's now easier to sell a $2 T-shirt in the US, as you can exploit workers abroad and never be held accountable.
Police DO NOT prevent crime; they respond to it. Crime is prevented by higher wages, guaranteed health care, food security, high-quality child care, housing, good schools, and addiction treatment.
Nolan’s recent work speaks to me because he seems to understand the historical moment we’re in: a civilization collapsing on itself as a result of its own sins. We, the youth, are Telemachus, coming to age in an ending world. https://t.co/Knlpc7PCX8
The Odyssey: mistakes are made
Oppenheimer: despite the lessons of history, the same mistakes are made all over again
Tenet: mistakes are recognized and another path forward is taken
Noteworthy that PC MPP Stan Cho, who has a Toronto home but frequently billed taxpayers for Toronto hotel stays, was a key figure in the fight against supportive housing on Cummer Ave. for people escaping homelessness in Willowdale https://t.co/D1gPRbOMaJ
Incredibly brazen for the Prime Minister to boast about the “lasting benefits” of expanding fossil fuel production on a day like today.
Record-breaking heatwaves. Toxic smoke engulfing cities and towns. Out of control wildfires forcing entire communities to evacuate.
This government is spending billions of dollars in public money to expand the very industry that’s causing climate breakdown — at a moment when renewables are cheaper and more available than ever before.
No more climate-wrecking corporate welfare. We need a government that protects the people and places we love.