The Ends Do Not Justify the Means

Central to American democracy is the concept of Rule of Law. This means that American society and government, through the social contract between the people and the various levels of government, are regulated by properly promulgated laws. It does not mean rule by one powerful individual, such as a King or Queen.

Within the concept of Rule of Law there are, in general, two specific types of laws. Some laws are substantive, such as federal or state statutes outlining distinct types of crimes. Other laws are procedural in nature, such as the Administrative Procedure Act of 1946 (APA), which governs how U.S. Government agencies promulgate rules and regulations to effectuate the legislative (congressional) intent in statutes. The APA is significant today because of the Trump Administration/Elon Musk DOGE efforts to significantly shrink the size of the Federal bureaucracy.

Why does the above discussion matter? Well, because of the significant changes being pushed by President Trump/Elon Musk DOGE as part of the claimed election mandate to make the U.S. Government more “efficient.” How is that efficiency increase being measured? From the press reports and newspapers, it is patently clear that no one has articulated such an “efficiency improvement.”

Against that background, we need to look at the words of President Trump over the past month. On January 20, 2025, President Trump took the following oath in accordance with Article II, Section I of the U.S. Constitution:

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

On February 15, 2025, President Trump posted the following sentence on the White House’s official X account, a variation of a sentence sometimes attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte:

“He who saves his Country does not violate any Law.”

And furthermore, on February 21, 2025, President Trump said the following to Maine Governor Janet Mills during a meeting at the White House:

“We are the federal law.”

This jarring juxtaposition brought to mind the following variation on a well-known phrase in Western political and philosophical thought: The ends do not justify the means. President Trump wants to shrink the size of the Federal Government because he says it is bloated and inefficient. That is the end. So, what are the means? Several thoughts come to mind: 1) The firing/layoff of regular or probationary employees without a thoughtful plan of action for each agency, clearly articulated to agency employees and the general public; 2) The denigration of Federal employees as being lazy, inefficient, bloated, or simply not working or coming into the office; and 3) Characterizing specific government agencies (such as USAID) as being corrupt and thus incapable of being made more efficient.

Most fair-minded people would agree that eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse in the Federal Government is a good end. But the same could also be said for finding waste, fraud, and abuse in state and local governments, not to mention the private sector. Where is the discussion to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse in private companies? Is American capitalism that perfect?

I was a Reagan Republican during college in the 1980s. I remember the Grace Commission, which was to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse in the Federal Government. And while then I agreed with most of President Reagan’s policies, the one area I never agreed with were his negative comments against Federal agencies and employees. Sometimes the Federal Government is part of the solution. The size of the Federal workforce has not grown since 1980, despite the population of the U.S. having grown by 117 million. I would love for President Trump or Elon Musk explain to us how a smaller Federal workforce is going to better serve an increasing American population. Congress is silent on this issue too. Maybe they are too busy raising money for their campaigns.

The Trump Administration, I believe, is rushing through these major changes before the courts and the American public can rise up to stop them in any final sense. And while the courts and certain sections of the public are starting to engage more fully, considerable damage has already been done in terms of Federal employment and trust. The Trump Administration, from Day One, should have approached these efforts more methodically and with compassion. But given the political forces behind these changes, being humane was not at the top of their list of considerations.

Humanity is not rocket science, and the ends do not justify the means.

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James Casey, Esq., CPP, is a research attorney and data protection executive in San Antonio, TX. At the City University of New York (CUNY) he serves as the academic community leader and adjunct associate professor in their M.S. in Research Administration and Compliance Program. Besides his law degree, he holds master’s degrees in international affairs and public administration.