But you look at something like USAID, which is entirely DOGE. There've been amazing heartbreaking reports about the number of people that have died, just fully died because DOGE cut USAID. And we're not there yet in the US in terms of the impact of what it means that they cut a corner of the CDC, that directors have walked out because they refuse to engage with anti-vaccine lunacy.
But when you look at USAID and the quick impact and you look at what's to come and the programs that were cut, like a focus on HIV studies, what is that going to mean for people here living with that when it comes to the flu slate and shots? Who's figuring that out? We already see the impacts and I don't even think we know how bad it's going to be a year from now.
Zoë Schiffer: Yeah, I think that that is so well said. It feels like the first wave impact was obviously the government employees we were talking to who were losing their jobs and livelihood, but the reality is that it didn't seem like DOGE cared that much about that.
Leah Feiger: Yeah.
Zoë Schiffer: I think the next wave is what you're talking about. It's like what happens when we don't have robust agencies in place who can respond to public health crises or what have you. And that's the fallout that I think we're still waiting to see in this country.
Leah Feiger: And then of course the thing that we're not saying, but I feel like always say and have to end on, which is, OK, if you don't have a robust public health agency that's able to get you your flu shot, can a new startup get it for you? Can a new startup that has all of your data and all of your information because where did DOGE take everyone's data? Where is that right now? Questions that we're still trying to uncover and there's been some great reporting on, but I'm ready for it to get sold back to me in the auspices of saving my life.
Zoë Schiffer: Okey dokey. Well, that is enough depressing news for today.
That's our show for today. We'll link to all the stories we spoke about in the show notes. Make sure to check out Thursday's episode of Uncanny Valley, which is about Evan Ratliff's experiment in building a company exclusively formed by AI employees and executives. Adriana Tapia and Mark Leyda produced this episode. Amar Law at Macro Sound mixed this episode. Kate Osborn is our executive producer. And Katie Drummond is WIRED's global editorial director.