A desperate email hit my inbox today: a husband, voice breaking through text, juggling care for his sick wife, aging parents, and his own failing health. “Any help for home caregivers?” he pleaded. The answer stings: almost none. While 65 million Americans like him deliver $600 billion in unpaid care for the most vulnerable among us — propping up this nation — Washington incinerates billions on fraud and incompetence.

Caregivers don’t just struggle to survive — we have to jump through bureaucratic hoops to prove it.
The Department of Government Efficiency (D.O.G.E.) has exposed the rot in weeks, prompting Trump to tease a $5,000 “DOGE Dividend” for taxpayers. It’s a flicker of hope, but caregivers need more than a token.
These 65 million aren’t just numbers — they’re America’s backbone caring for the most vulnerable among us. Their $600 billion in unpaid labor nearly matches the $700 billion defense budget, yet they’re mostly untrained, unsupported, and tragically — many are nearly broke. One in five shells out $7,200 yearly out-of-pocket, per AARP, slashing savings or skipping meals.
AARP focuses heavily on caregivers of the aging — but what about the others? Single parents raising special-needs kids? Family members caring for loved ones with mental illness or addiction? Expand the scope, and the crisis is even more staggering.
The husband’s plea echoes millions: a waitress tending her spouse, a tech exec bankrolling aides for Mom, me fighting $15 million in medical bills over 40 years for my wife. If you love someone, you’ll likely be a caregiver. Live long enough, you’ll need one.
D.O.G.E.’s findings torch Washington’s waste machine. In a month, it’s uncovered fraud that’d shame a cartel — billions bleeding out while family caregivers ration hope. Senator Chuck Schumer whined on February 11, 2025: “Everyone knows there’s waste in government that should be cut. But D.O.G.E. is using a meat axe, and they’re cutting things that are efficient and effective.”
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