Miles Townes, a substitute teacher from Arlington, Virginia, holds a sign as demonstrators rally in support of federal workers and against Elon Musk and DOGE outside the Office of Personnel Management in Washington on Feb. 7.
Photographer: Lexey Swall for Bloomberg Businessweek
Elon Musk’s DOGE Is a Force Americans Can’t Afford to Ignore
From seniors to Lutheran charity networks, millions of people you wouldn’t think would be Musk targets are under threat.
In 1912 parishioners from a few churches in Columbus, Ohio, pooled their money to start a charity to provide pro bono care for the poor. Over time, the organization, now called Lutheran Social Services of Central Ohio, grew to employ about 700 and includes food pantries that served more than 2 million meals last year, a domestic violence shelter that cared for nearly 1,000 adults and children, shelters and free health care for 1,100 people who can’t afford a place to stay, and affordable housing for another 1,000 seniors and disabled people. This work is subsidized by local churches, the United Way, local and state authorities, and the federal government, which is the organization’s single largest contributor and accounts for roughly 20% of its annual budget.
Beneficiaries pay, too, when they can. In general, though, client fees are modest and many services are free. Many of the people the Lutheran nonprofit helps have nowhere else to go. Some are victims of domestic violence. Most are unable to afford life’s necessities without help. “In today’s economy, when you get sick or lose your job, things can spiral,” says Rachel Lustig, the Lutheran group’s chief executive officer. “Our services help people through that and get them to a place where they can contribute to society.”