Fans of The Simpsons drew parallels between Homer and Elon Musk after Musk casually admitted that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) temporarily canceled Ebola prevention programs by mistake.
“We are not going to be perfect,” Musk acknowledged during President Donald Trump’s first cabinet meeting. Musk, for example, described accidentally “deleting Ebola prevention” while cutting USAID funding, but quickly reinstating program budgets once the error was discovered.
Musk framed the blunder as normal as DOGE takes on the ambitious task of reducing the federal deficit by $1 trillion. “We will make mistakes… but when we make a mistake, we will fix it very quickly,” he assured us.
The speech did not put the internet at ease. Musk’s approach was compared to a reckless trial-and-error experiment by social media users, with some likening him to Homer Simpson who was left in charge of the Springfield nuclear plant.
Others cited DOGE’s previous “accidents” in recent weeks, which included cutting funding for bird flu control and nuclear oversight. One user summed up the backlash: “I am beginning to believe it is not a bug, but rather a feature of your leadership style.” Which mistake will be catastrophic?”
Musk’s comments have raised new concerns about his role in the Trump administration, particularly as he oversees massive budget cuts to agencies such as USAID, Medicaid, and cancer research. Critics warn that his aggressive cost-cutting measures may result in far less cartoonish real-world consequences.
