Speedway

Department of Government Efficiency

Department of Government Efficiency
U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization
Logo as of January 2025

The Eisenhower Executive Office Building, where the DOGE office is located
Temporary organization overview
FormedJanuary 20, 2025;
38 days ago
 (2025-01-20)
JurisdictionU.S. federal government
HeadquartersEisenhower Executive Office Building, Washington, D.C., U.S.
Annual budget$14.4 million as of February 12, 2025; up from $6.75 million at inception[1]
Temporary organization executive
Parent agencyUnited States DOGE Service
Websitedoge.gov

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)[note 1], officially the U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization (USDSTO), is an initiative of the second Trump administration to reduce federal spending.[5] In an executive order establishing DOGE, the United States Digital Service (USDS) was renamed to United States DOGE Service and a temporary organization, the USDSTO, was established within USDS.[discuss][6][7] The order also directed that "DOGE teams" be established at each federal agency. The initiative's purpose is to carry out spending cuts and to "modernize federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity".[6][8] The DOGE temporary organization is scheduled to end on July 4, 2026.[9]

Trump has said that businessman Elon Musk is "in charge" of DOGE, whereas the White House denied that Musk is a DOGE employee[10][2][11] or that he had any authority to make government decisions.[12][13][14] The legal status of DOGE remains unclear yet carries implications regarding its power and responsibilities.[15]

DOGE has been the subject of significant controversy, including protests and lawsuits.[16][17] It has engaged in mass layoffs of federal workers, gained IT and system access to numerous federal agencies, installed loyalists as top officials, overseen the removal of alleged "DEI" content, and canceled federal contracts.[18][19] Its dissolution of agencies and its seizures of congressionally authorized funds has been described as violating Article 1 of the Constitution.[20][21] Democratic Party members challenged DOGE's authority, characterizing its actions as a "coup".[22] Neither DOGE nor Trump has constitutional authority to cut spending, but they can make recommendations for cuts to Congress which controls the power of the purse.[23][24][25][26][27] Legal experts have warned about a looming constitutional crisis.[28][29]

Conflict of interest concerns have been raised over companies owned by Elon Musk receiving billions for doing business with the federal government and having existing disputes with federal regulators.[30] Musk has said DOGE actions are "maximally transparent", although Trump has exempted it from public disclosure rules.[31][32][33] The White House says that DOGE complies with federal law,[34] and that Musk would recuse himself if DOGE activities and his businesses conflicted.[35][36]

Thirty days after its inception, DOGE reported it had saved $55 billion in federal spending. Independent analysis found that tens of billions of alleged savings were false or misrepresented.[37] Roughly one third of canceled contracts did not yield any actual savings or were already obligated.[38][39] In one case it miscounted the value of a $8 million contract it had canceled as $8 billion.[40] Analysis conducted by NPR found significant discrepancies in DOGE reporting, including that $46.5 billion of its reported $55 billion savings were not linked to any specific items.[38] Musk, DOGE, and others in the administration have made many claims of fraud being discovered, none of which have held up under scrutiny.[41][42]

Background

Elon Musk (left) has been appointed by Donald Trump (right) to head DOGE.[43]

The idea behind the project can be traced back to Trump's campaign promises to reduce federal spending, the size and influence of the federal government, and the fiscal deficit.[44] Javier Milei, the president of Argentina, stated that, prior to the official announcement of the creation of DOGE, Musk had called Federico Sturzenegger, Argentina's minister of deregulation and transformation of the state, to discuss imitating his ministry's model in the United States.[45] Musk was the largest donor in the 2024 United States presidential election, spending over US$290 million in support of Trump and other Republicans, primarily in the final five weeks of the campaign.[46] He has described deregulation as the only path to the SpaceX Mars colonization program and promised he will "get the government off people's back and out of their pocket".[47]

The New York Times compared the project with similar attempts before it, including president Theodore Roosevelt's Keep Commission, Ronald Reagan's Grace Commission headed by J. Peter Grace, and vice president Al Gore's National Partnership for Reinventing Government.[48]

Emergence of DOGE

The concept of DOGE emerged in a discussion between Elon Musk and Donald Trump, where Musk floated the idea of a department for streamlining government efficiency.[49] In August 2024, Trump said at a campaign event that, if he were elected, he would be open to giving Musk an advisory role.[50] In response, Musk wrote a post on X saying "I am willing to serve", along with an AI-created image of him standing in front of a lectern marked "Department of Government Efficiency".[51] The DOGE acronym refers to an internet meme,[52] and to Dogecoin, a meme coin that Musk promotes.[53][54] On November 12, Trump announced that Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy would lead DOGE and analogized it to the Manhattan Project.[55][56] Musk also mentioned Ron Paul could work with DOGE; Paul vowed to join; this led nowhere.[57][58]

In October 2024, at a Trump campaign rally in Madison Square Garden, Musk stated that he believed DOGE could reduce federal government spending by $2 trillion, reducing waste, abolishing redundant agencies, and downsizing the federal workforce[59] a figure higher than the federal government's total discretionary spending in 2023.[60][61][62] On November 17, Ramaswamy stated that DOGE may eliminate entire federal agencies and reduce the number of federal employees by as much as 75%.[63] DOGE may attempt to do this through re-implementing Schedule F, by which those in certain policy influencing positions are made easier to lay off.[64] Musk has also proposed consolidating the number of federal agencies from more than 400 to fewer than 100.

After the election, Musk said $2 trillion would be a best-case scenario, but he had a "good shot" at cutting $1 trillion.[65] During the first cabinet meeting of the second Trump administration in February, 2025, Musk expressed optimism to find $1 trillion in cuts—15% of a $7 trillion budget.[66][67]

Congressional DOGE Caucus

On November 19, 2024, representatives Aaron Bean (R-FL) and Pete Sessions (R-TX) launched the congressional Delivering Outstanding Government Efficiency Caucus (DOGE Caucus) to support the DOGE mission.[68] Plans to create a new congressional subcommittee were announced on November 21 by the House Oversight Committee chairman James Comer (R-KY).[69] This new subcommittee will be called the Delivering on Government Efficiency Subcommittee, will be chaired by Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), and will work closely with DOGE to reduce governmental expenditures.[70][71][72][73] On November 22, Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) was appointed to lead the corresponding Senate DOGE Caucus.[74][75]The caucus led by Republicans is a separate entity from Elon Musk's advisory DOGE department. The caucus is also separate from the DOGE House subcommittee.[76]The House counterpart functions as a subcommittee of the House Oversight Committee.[51][77]

Several Democrats have expressed support and willingness to work with DOGE, including representatives Moskowitz (D-FL) and Ro Khanna (D-CA),[78] Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY),[78] and Rep. Val Hoyle (D-OR).[76] Several other Democrats have begun offering ideas for DOGE, including Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), who has ideas on cutting agency redundancies, instituting self-populating tax forms, as well as scrapping fossil fuel subsidies.[78] Rep. Greg Landsman (D-OH) has proposed reducing the size of many government forms, such as student financial aid applications and tax return forms, while Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) suggested making it easier to obtain permits for infrastructure and development projects. Further, Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME) has stated that he is working on a bill to "move all the federal agencies out of D.C." and send them to states.[78]

On December 17, the DOGE caucus held its first meeting, with over 60 members in attendance, according to Bean, which lawmakers described as largely organizational.[79] The attendees included three Democrats – Steven Horsford (D-NV), Hoyle, and Moskowitz.[79] The discussions encouraged lawmakers to think of what kind of DOGE goals would be "worthwhile lifts", "quick wins", "lower priority", and "low-hanging fruit", and a likely "low-hanging fruit" was mentioned as "people going back to work".[79] The very next day, Ernst proposed a bill dubbed "Drain the Swamp Act", which would require each executive agency to relocate at least 30 percent of employees working at Washington, D.C., headquarters to offices located outside of the D.C. metro area, while also restricting the ability to telework.[80][81][82] A few days later, Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), the only Democrat to have joined the newly formed DOGE caucus in Congress at the time, proposed reorganizing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) by potentially removing agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Secret Service from its jurisdiction. This proposal aimed to reduce the size of the DHS.[78]

By February 5, Rep. Moskowitz stated that he was unsure if he would remain in the commission, stating that it was potentially irrelevant and that "I need to see one of my Republican colleagues in the caucus explain the point of the caucus, because it seems that Elon doesn't need them, because it seems what Elon is doing is destroying the separation of powers. And I don't think the DOGE caucus at this moment really has a purpose."[83]

Ramaswamy steps away

On January 19, 2025, CBS News reported Ramaswamy was expected to step away from DOGE to instead run for the governorship of Ohio. CBS also reported there had been internal friction between Ramaswamy and Musk, with Musk's supporters reportedly "privately undercutting" Ramaswamy and encouraging him to depart from DOGE over his alleged lack of engagement with the project.[84][85] On January 20, following the second presidential inauguration of Trump, the White House clarified that Ramaswamy would not be serving in DOGE.[86] On January 27, Ramaswamy said that he had resigned after a "mutual discussion" with Musk. Ramaswamy described his own focus as "a constitutional law, legislative-based approach", in contrast with Musk's "technology approach, which is the future approach".[87] Musk became the sole leader of DOGE, but his official role is not clear.[88]

Establishment

On January 20, executive order 14158, "Establishing and Implementing the President's 'Department of Government Efficiency'" established various DOGE entities.[89] At the time of announcement, the budget of the service was unknown, and several of the employees were expected to be unpaid volunteers.[6]

United States DOGE Service

The existing United States Digital Service (USDS) would be renamed to "United States DOGE Service" and be established within the Executive Office of the President.[8] The move to the Executive Office of the President would insulate the group from Freedom of Information Act records requests until at least 2034.[33]

The executive order also proclaimed that the United States DOGE Service would have "full and prompt access to all unclassified agency records, software systems and IT systems" to the "maximum extent consistent with law".

U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization

The "U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization," was established within the U.S. DOGE Service, intended to advance "the President's 18-month DOGE agenda." The temporary organization will terminate on July 4, 2026. [8]

DOGE Teams

"DOGE Teams" will be embedded within all federal agencies, consisting of at least four employees, some of whom may be special government employees, typically including a DOGE Team Lead, one engineer, one human resources specialist, and one attorney.

Funding

As of February 4, 2025, $6.75 million had been apportioned to DOGE from the Information Technology Oversight and Reform account, the same account that funded the U.S. Digital Service before it was renamed U.S. DOGE Service. Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) observed that this was "nearly twice the annual salaries and expenses budget of the White House".[90] By February 12, the budget had more than doubled to $14.4 million.[1]

On February 20, ProPublica discovered, after reviewing Office of Management and Budget records, that DOGE budget neared $40 million.[91]

Functions

Musk holding the "Chainsaw for Bureaucracy" at the 2025 Conservative Political Action Conference

Despite its name, DOGE is not a federal executive department, which would require an act of Congress to create. Following its announcement but prior to its formal establishment, Vox had speculated the body would be "unlikely to have any regulatory teeth on its own, but there's little doubt that it can have influence on the incoming administration and how it will determine its budgets".[92] When questioned about Musk's abilities and powers within the government, Trump indicated in February 2025 that Musk would only act when directed with approval from the White House.[93] Donald Trump said DOGE would help to "dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures and restructure federal agencies". He also stated that DOGE will work with the Office of Management and Budget to address what he called "massive waste and fraud" in government spending.[94]

Implementing Project 2025

Much of DOGE’s agenda maps onto the goals of Project 2025,[95] which Trump claimed in September 2024 that he had "nothing to do with".[96] Nine of the fifteen agencies DOGE had thus far targeted had been identified by Project 2025 for elimination or downsizing.[97] The BBC suggested that Trump's goals for DOGE are broadly in line with Project 2025's suggestions to implement the unitary executive theory.[98]

On December 12, The Wall Street Journal reported that the Trump team and officials from DOGE had inquired about abolishing the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). It also reported on several differing plans to combine and restructure the FDIC, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and Federal Reserve.[99]

Broadcasting its actions

On February 11, 2025, in an Oval Office press conference, Musk claimed that DOGE's actions would be "maximally transparent", and promised to publish them on an official government website.[32] On February 12, the DOGE website went live. The main page provides a Twitter feed, a DOGE handle on X, and most of the data on the website is already public.[100] On February 12, another DOGE website waste.gov, purporting to "track government waste",[101] was password protected after it was discovered that it was displaying a default WordPress landing page of a fictional architecture firm that apparently violated some of Trump's executive orders because of the word "diverse".[102]

On February 14, 404 Media reported that the main DOGE website was insecure, seemingly built on Cloudflare pages and that two unauthorized people had posted messages on the website.[103][104] The "savings" page originally read "Receipts coming soon, no later than Valentine's day" on February 14,[105]; it was updated to "Receipts coming over the weekend!" on the 17th.[106] Once they published their "receipts" (currently search results from the FPDS) DOGE claimed it saved $55 billion. The claim is still there, even after its own wall has been reduced $7 billion after many accounting errors were pointed out; current analyses estimate that the amount would rather be $2 billion.[107]

The Daily News observes that, as of end of February, DOGE's website does not "provide names and contact information for the officials and employees associated with its work, an organizational chart or a calendar of past and upcoming activity."[108]

Terminating itself

According to tweets by Musk and Ramaswamy, the ultimate goal of DOGE is to improve government efficiency to the point where DOGE itself is no longer necessary. The organization has a set expiration date of July 4, 2026, the United States Semiquincentennial (250th anniversary), which follows Ramaswamy's idea that most government projects should have clear expiration dates.[109]

Trump stated that the entity's work will "conclude" no later than July 4, 2026,[110] also coinciding with a proposed "Great American Fair".[111] Trump called the proposed results of DOGE "the perfect gift to America".[112]

Disclosure exemptions

The United States Digital Service was previously subject to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) transparency laws in a government reporting chain through the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).[113] As of February 5, 2025, all DOGE staff were ordered to stop posting to Slack, an online chat and collaboration tool that they had been using, as DOGE transitioned from OMB oversight to instead work under the White House chief of staff, which Musk and OMB believe would allow them to keep DOGE communications and operations from public oversight.[113]

The New York Times reported on February 10 that the Trump administration had placed DOGE under the purview of the Presidential Records Act, exempting it from disclosure of its documents, communications and records to the public and in most judicial actions until at least 2034.[33]

Early claims

During the early weeks of the project, Trump, Musk and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt asserted DOGE had discovered many cases of corruption and fraud, but they produced little to no evidence of it. Among other things, Musk baselessly alleged many bureaucrats had become multi-millionaires while holding their federal positions, that some had taken kickbacks, and that some Social Security recipients were as old as 150. DOGE represented as "fraud" programs that some might consider wasteful, though the programs had been authorized by Congress. They also claimed to have uncovered issues that had actually been identified years earlier. By mid-February, two judges had rebuked the Trump administration for alleging fraud without evidence.[114][115][116]

Workforce

The leadership structure of DOGE has not been published.[117] DOGE's offices are located in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building[118] and has about 20 employees there, with other teams embedded in federal agencies.[65] The DOGE team reports to Steve Davis, a longtime Musk advisor and CEO of Musk's the Boring Company, who played a key role in cutting costs at X and SpaceX. The New York Times reported Davis "has himself amassed extraordinary power across federal agencies";[43] his role, though, has yet to be formally announced by the White House.[119] Musk himself has been present with his team. In January 2025, Wired reported he was sleeping at the Eisenhower Building.[120]

On November 14, 2024, on social media, Musk called for individuals who were interested in working for the organization to send their resumes to DOGE's X account via direct messaging (DM).[121] At the time, only premium X subscribers could do so due to default messaging restrictions, but the account later enabled DMs for all users.[122][123] Musk has said that DOGE "has some of [the] world's best software engineers".[119] Trump has praised the DOGE workforce saying “I’m very proud of the job that this group of young people, generally young people, but very smart people, they’re doing.”[124]

On February 18, 2025, CNN sent FOIA requests for security clearance records of DOGE team members who were granted access to sensitive or classified government networks. CNN reported that the response, from an OPM email address, was: “Good luck with that they just got rid of the entire privacy team”. CNN also reported that staff handling FOIA requests had been dismissed.[125]

On February 25, 21 DOGE employees resigned en masse, stating in a letter that "We will not use our skills as technologists to compromise core government systems, jeopardize Americans' sensitive data, or dismantle critical public services". These employees had worked for the United States Digital Service (USDS) prior to the creation of DOGE and were among 65 USDS staff who remained under DOGE. In the letter, they stated that "we swore to serve the American people and uphold our oath to the Constitution" but could not honor their oath under DOGE, and they warned about the politicization of the department.[126][127]

Elon Musk's role

In December 2024, Trump stated that "Elon Musk … will lead the Department of Government Efficiency", along with Vivek Ramaswamy (who later left DOGE).[128] Musk was given "special government employee" status, a title reserved for advisors to the federal government. It is a temporary position that allows greater access but bypasses some of the disclosure obligations required of full time employees.[93] The position is someone "who works, or is expected to work, for the government for 130 days or less in a 365-day period".[129]

The Trump administration stated in a February 17, 2025 court filing that Musk was neither the DOGE administrator nor a DOGE employee. The filing did not identify the administrator, but added that Musk "has no actual or formal authority to make government decisions." DOGE technically reports to White House chief of staff Susie Wiles.[128][31] However, Trump said on February 19 that he had "put … Musk in charge" of DOGE.[130] At a February 24 judicial hearing, the government's lawyer said that he didn't know who the DOGE administrator is, nor did he know Musk’s specific role in DOGE, only that he is an adviser to the president.[131] On February 25, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Elon Musk is "overseeing DOGE" but not its administrator, whom she refused to identify after being asked repeatedly,[132][133] later that day, the White House named Amy Gleason as the acting DOGE administrator; Gleason was previously known as a senior advisor in DOGE.[134][3][135]

Claims DOGE employee identities are legally protected

Elon Musk has prioritized secrecy regarding DOGE.[43] On February 3, interim United States attorney for the District of Columbia Ed Martin released a statement saying that "certain individuals and/or groups have committed acts that appear to violate the law in targeting DOGE employees" and noted that "prosecutors" were "preparing".[136] After some of those involved in DOGE were identified online, Musk accused those who had posted of breaking the law.[93][119] "Don't mess with DOGE", posted Musk that night on X.[137] Martin sent Musk and his deputy Steve Davis a letter on February 7 saying that based on a referral from Musk he had opened an investigation into government employees Musk accused of stealing property and making threats. Martin wrote, "If people are discovered to have broken the law or even acted simply unethically, we will investigate them and we will chase them to the end of the Earth to hold them accountable." Martin posted the letter on his personal X account.[138] According to the New York Times, Musk was attempting to describe traditional journalism as "doxxing" in order to invalidate the role of the media in government accountability.[139]

After the names of DOGE employees began circulating on Reddit—and some users suggested violence—site administrators posted that Reddit had "seen an increase in content in several communities that violate Reddit Rules. Debate and dissent are welcome on Reddit – threats and doxing are not." The popular subreddit r/WhitePeopleTwitter was subsequently banned for three days, and a small subreddit called r/IsElonDeadYet was permanently removed.[140] The claim that the DOGE kids were doxed has been disputed, and Musk's threat of retaliation contradicts his self-proclaimed free speech absolutism.[141]

"DOGE Kids"

Luke Farritor is one of the several engineers aged 19–24 working for DOGE with little to no prior experience in government.

On February 2, 2025, Wired reported the hires included several engineers aged 19–24 with little to no experience in government, including Akash Bobba, Edward Coristine, Luke Farritor, Marko Elez, Gautier "Cole" Killian, Gavin Kliger, and Ethan Shaotran.[142] They and others of the approximately 40 people working for DOGE under Musk have aggressively questioned federal employees, refusing to disclose their last names, leaving their cameras turned off during video calls,[119] calling federal employees "dinosaurs", and referring to conversations as "one-way interviews"; many of them are working at various agencies and using multiple anonymous email addresses.[143][144] Farritor, for example, has at least three email accounts at various agencies with plans for more.[119] The team has been called "Doge Kids" by some reporters.[145][146]

On February 6, The Wall Street Journal reported that Marko Elez had resigned from his role "after he was linked to a deleted social-media account that advocated racism and eugenics"[147] – having written that "I would not mind at all if Gaza and Israel were both wiped off the face of the Earth" in June 2024; "Just for the record, I was racist before it was cool" in July; and "You could not pay me to marry outside of my ethnicity" and "Normalize Indian hate" in September.[148][149][150] The following day, Musk polled X users as to whether Elez should be rehired.[151][152] JD Vance called for Elez to be rehired, saying that "I don't think stupid social media activity should ruin a kid's life. We shouldn't reward journalists who try to destroy people. Ever. So I say bring him back."[151][153] Musk then promised to re-hire him.[154]

Edward Coristine, the 19-year-old son of the owner of snack company LesserEvil,[155] (LesserEvil has distanced themselves from Edward Coristine)[156] had been previously fired from an internship at Arizona-based data-security company Path Network in 2022 for "leaking internal information" to competing businesses. He boasted on Discord, weeks after being fired, about having retained access to the servers.[119][157][158] In 2021, Coristine launched Tesla.Sexy LLC, a business that manages web domains for image hosting services, some of them registered in Russia.[158][159] Some of the web domains managed by Coristine include children-sex.party, child-porn.store, kkk-is-cool.club, nigga.rentals, nigga-sex.download, owns-a-slave.shop, raping-women.club, ketamine-rape.date, rape.business, and rapes-wo.men, promoting the sale of child sexual abuse material, racial slurs, rape, and the Ku Klux Klan.[158][160] Coristine claims to protect the privacy of his users, stating, "All your images are encrypted. We do not log IP addresses, device agents or anything else."[158] He also collaborated with 'The Com', a social network of hackers associated with cybercriminal activity.[161] According to experts, Coristine's past activities raise security clearance issues.[162]

Gavin Kliger, 25, published a substack article titled "Why DOGE: Why I Gave Up a Seven-Figure Salary to Save America", which was hidden behind a $1,000 per month paywall and had no content.[119] Concerns have been raised about his amplification of extremist viewpoints, including reposting content from white supremacist Nick Fuentes and misogynistic social media influencer Andrew Tate, and using social media "to call Hillary Clinton a slur, and demand military tribunals and executions of undocumented migrants who commit crimes".[163][164] Mother Jones later reported on a deleted substack article written by Kliger which credited Ron Unz with beginning his "political awakening".[165] Kliger has been characterized as an internet edgelord.[166]

Known DOGE employees

As stated in the executive order, the organization works in small "DOGE teams". Each team typically includes one lead, one engineer, one human resources specialist, and one attorney.[8] Each team coordinates with the head of an agency. An investigation by TechCrunch categorized the employees as inner circle, senior figures, worker bees, or aides.[167]

Actions within federal government

In late January 2025, The Washington Post described Musk's DOGE gaining access to large parts of the federal government, installing surrogates and former employees of Musk's companies as heads at several agencies.[209] Wired reported that the top ranks of the human resources-focused United States Office of Personnel Management (OPM) had been filled by new hires who had formerly worked for either Elon Musk; Peter Thiel of Palantir Technologies, a United States Department of Defense contractor; Republican politicians or right-wing media outlets, while Musk's allies were installed into the technology-focused General Services Administration and planned massive spending cuts.[210][211]

As of February 2025, all of the DOGE's actions abide by three phases of a plan that scapegoats diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI):[212]

  1. Attack DEI initiatives directly.
  2. Place on leave employees in non-DEI roles from what they deem "corrupted branches" of agencies.
  3. Initiate large-scale firings.

Targeting agencies, departments, and offices

DOGE personnel and Elon Musk's former employees first targeted the US government's HR department, the Office of Personnel Management, and its IT department within the General Services Administration. Subsequently, they have acted within numerous other federal agencies, including USAID, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the USDA, and Social Security Administration.

Access to secure computer systems and information

Reuters reported on January 31 that "aides to Elon Musk" had locked some career civil servants out of computer systems at the Office of Personnel Management, the federal government's human resources department that maintains details on 2.2 million workers.[213] That same day, multiple sources reported that the acting secretary of the treasury, David Lebryk, refused to grant DOGE access to a system that disburses $5.4 trillion in payments annually, including Social Security, government paychecks and contractor payments. The newly confirmed treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, granted DOGE access to the system later that day, and Lebryk resigned.[214][215][216] The New York Times described it as a possible attempt by Trump to "unilaterally restrict disbursement of money approved for specific purposes by Congress" following his earlier funding freeze. It also reported that DOGE had requested access to other technology systems at other agencies across the federal government.[217]

On February 1, members of DOGE gained access to classified information of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) without sufficient security clearances.[218] DOGE personnel asked to be let into USAID headquarters and threatened to call the US Marshals,[219] which by law receive their direction from the attorney general and the director of the United States Marshals Service.[220][221] Two security chiefs at USAID attempted to deny DOGE access to the classified material, as they claimed they were "legally obligated" to do; however, they were then placed on leave by the Trump administration.[218]

Mass firing based on purging diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)

An internal Department of Government Efficiency report obtained by the Washington Post outlined a three phase process by which DOGE would lead a purge of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) from the federal government:[18]

  • In phase one, which took place on January 20, 2025, all DEI related executive orders and initiatives would be rescinded, offices at various federal organizations that served a DEI role would be dissolved and their employees terminated, federal websites would remove all DEI-related material from their websites, and DEI-related contracts would be terminated.
  • In phase two, which is slated to last from January 21 to February 19, the government would begin purging employees that did not work in a DEI-related role, but who had taken part in DEI in some way that made them "corrupted". On February 5, Axios reported that DOGE representatives were searching through NOAA's databases to find employees associated with DEI initiatives.[222]
  • In phase three, scheduled for February 20 to July 19, the DOGE begins to commit mass-scale firings of any employee in any office or part of the federal government which did not take part in any DEI offices or initiatives, but who was nonetheless determined through unknown criteria to be "DEI-related".

Reuters reported that month that the first phase "appears driven more by an ideological assault on federal agencies long hated by conservatives than a good-faith effort to save taxpayer dollars", citing two veteran Republican budget experts.[97]

Resignation offers to US government staff

On January 28, 2025, the OPM offered a "deferred resignation" program to federal government employees to announce their resignation by February 6, while stating that employees who resigned would still receive salary and benefits until September 30, 2025.[223] The offer made was similar to Elon Musk's notice to employees after he took control of Twitter.[224][225] By the day before the February 6 deadline, more than 40,000 employees had accepted the offer, well below expectations.[226] A federal judge, Randolph Daniel Moss, appointed by Barack Obama and overseeing a lawsuit aimed at blocking these "fork in the road" offers, received one such buyout offer email, presumably by mistake.[227]

A lawsuit, filed[b] on January 27, 2025, in the federal district court for the District of Columbia by two federal employees against the OPM, alleges that the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, responsible for various federal government personnel operations, failed to conduct a federally mandated assessment to evaluate and mitigate privacy risks associated with the alleged new email system's data collection on federal employees.[228][229] On February 3, four unions representing 800,000 federal employees filed suit[c] against the Treasury Department, arguing that the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) violated the Administrative Procedure Act by failing to provide a legal basis for the buyout offer.[230] On February 6, Judge George O'Toole Jr., appointed by President Bill Clinton, temporarily blocked Trump and DOGE from engaging in any further action related to the buyout until further arguments were heard.[231] On February 12, Judge O'Toole ruled that the plaintiffs lacked standing to challenge the buyout offer because they were not directly affected.[232]

Mass layoffs of federal employees

On February 13, OPM advised agencies to terminate most of an estimated 200,000 workers who have been hired within the last year and are considered on probation.[233] Following the guidance, layoffs cascaded including 1,000 employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs, 5,200 employees across U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and 1,300 employees at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).[233][234] Included in the probationary cuts were several Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employees hired for radar, landing and navigational aid maintenance, and National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) employees who are responsible for designing, building, and overseeing the US nuclear weapons stockpile.[235][236]

On February 23, three independent agencies received reduction in force (RIF) notices alerting staff to upcoming dismissals as part of the large-scale plan to cut federal employees across the country[237].

Leak of intelligence not intended for public release

HuffPost reported on February 14 that doge.gov was displaying classified information about the staff of the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), which designs, launches, and builds American spy satellites.[238] Intelligence community leaders and members were critical of the publication and sharing of this information, calling it a security risk.[239] On February 21, an NRO spokesperson told Reuters that the "data posted to the Department of Government Efficiency's website detailing headcount and total wages for the National Reconnaissance Office is not classified, but was not intended for public release".[240]

Destroying unneeded data and information

On February 13, Garey Rice, the principal deputy assistant secretary for operations at HHS, declared that DOGE employees grafted to the agency have “full access to all unclassified agency records and software and IT systems” and are tasked, among other things, with the obligation to “destroy or erase copied HHS data or information when no longer needed for official purposes.”[241]

On February 14, DOGE announced that state education departments have been put on notice to remove DEI programs.[242]

On February 22, DOGE announced the removal of an LGBTQ+ page from DHS website.[243]

Requesting detailed work reports

On February 22, 2025, Musk posted on X ordering federal workers to summarize their weekly accomplishments by 11:59pm Monday, warning noncompliance would be seen as resignation.[244][245] Shortly after, OPM emailed employees requesting five bullet point summaries.[244] The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) vowed to challenge any terminations, arguing OPM lacked the authority to send these emails.[244]

The Department of Defense ordered staff and the United States Armed Forces to ignore Musk’s request.[246] The FBI and State Department also told their employees not to respond.[247] NASA employees were advised to delay their response.[248] The Department of Health and Human Services explicitly warned employees not to participate in the email request, due to the fact that replies might be "read by malign foreign actors."[249]

On February 24, OPM stated that responding to the initial email was voluntary. However, Musk tweeted that if employees still refused to respond, it would "result in termination".[250]

Termination of federal contracts

On February 17, 2025, DOGE released the names of 1,127 federal contracts spanning 39 federal departments and agencies that DOGE says had been terminated.[251] Only 300 of these have been formally terminated.[252]

A Wall Street Journal analysis of these contracts found inaccuracies of DOGE's reported savings, including counting contracts multiple times, listing contracts that have already been paid as savings, and misrepresenting potential savings based on contract limits rather than actual spending.[253] On February 24, 2025, DOGE released more documents, with the total nearing 2,300 contracts released. The Associated Press found that "nearly 40%" of the terminated contracts would not save the government any money.[254]

Below is a dynamic list of documents released by DOGE.

Document Date released Description/Notes
Termination of $45 million in DEI Scholarships in Burma January 29, 2025 DOGE announced the termination of $45,288,500 in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) scholarships to Burma, hosted by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the United States embassy in Burma.[255][256][257]
DEI Related Contract Cancellations (January 20–31, 2025) January 31, 2025 A list of 104 diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) related contracts, across over 30 United States government agencies, cancelled by the Department of Government Efficiency between January 20–31, 2025.[258][256][259] These 104 cancelled contracts totalled over $1 billion.[259]
Termination of Contract for an Anthony Fauci Exhibit at the NIH Museum February 7, 2025 DOGE announced the termination of a $168,707 contract for an exhibit on Anthony Fauci at the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) Museum.[260][261][262]This contract has already been paid in full.[263]
Termination of DHS Contract for "Resilience, Energy, and Sustainability Management Program Support Services" February 12, 2025 DOGE announced the termination of a $405,986 contract by the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for "resilience, energy, and sustainability management program support services".[264][265]
Termination of Three EPA Contracts for $45 Million February 12, 2025 DOGE announced the termination of three $15 million contracts by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) totalling $45 million.[266][267]
Termination of HHS $2.23 Million Contract for "Equity Assessments of Existing Program Policies" February 13, 2025 DOGE announced the termination of a $2.23 million contract by the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for "Equity Assessments of Existing Program Policies".[268][269]
DOGE Announcing the Recovery of $1.9 Billion from HUD Misplaced During the Biden Administration February 14, 2025 DOGE announced the recovery of $1.9 billion earmarked for the administration of financial services from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in three documents showing $751 million, $836 million, and $306 million respectively.[270][271]
Termination of $8.2 Million USDA Contract for "Environmental Compliance Services for the Implementation of Pilot Projects Developed Under the Partnership for Climate Smart Commodities" February 14, 2025 DOGE announced the termination of a $8,169,574.13 contract by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for "environmental compliance services for the implementation of pilot projects developed under the partnership for climate smart commodities".[272][273]
Termination of a $222,145 USDT Contract for Wood Office Furniture Manufacturing February 17, 2025 DOGE announced the termination of a $222,145 contract between the United States Department of the Treasury (USDT) and Randall Business Interiors Inc for "wood office furniture manufacturing" for the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) Special Operations Office. This contract was terminated on January 23, 2025.[274][275]
Termination of a $8 Million ICE Contract For Equal Employment Opportunity February 17, 2025 DOGE announced the termination of an $8 million contract between the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and D&G Support Services, LLC for "Equal Employment Opportunity". DOGE originally and falsely claimed this contract saved $8 billion, which was subsequently corrected down to $8 million.[251]
Termination of $128,233 Annual Lease for the Allowance to Former Presidents Office in Atlanta, Georgia February 17, 2025 DOGE announced the "true termination" of a lease for the "Allowance to Former Presidents Office" located in Atlanta, Georgia. DOGE announced the lease's annual cost was $128,233 and by terminating it, they saved $544,991. Forbes published that this was actually an office for the Carter Center, a nongovernmental, nonprofit organization founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter.[276]
Termination of $121,818 Annual Lease for the Risk Management Agency in Topeka, Kansas February 17, 2025 DOGE announced the "true termination" of a lease for the Risk Management Agency (RMA), a branch of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), located in Topeka, Kansas. DOGE announced the lease's annual cost was $121,818 and by terminating it, they saved $964,396. The Topeka Capital-Journal reported that "since the pandemic, they had nobody in the office for the last three years. Not one person." and that "it's a clear example of the government waste that's going on."[277]
The "We Choose to Fight: Nobody Elected Elon" protest, organized by MoveOn, was held at the Treasury on February 4, 2025.
Several US Congress members spoke against Musk's role in the government during the "We Choose to Fight: Nobody Elected Elon" protests.

DOGE is the subject of intense litigation. There are multiple lawsuits concerning its downsizing of USAID, accessing of computer systems and records across the government, and its refusal to make its own records public. Musk has been the target of a subpoena attempt.

Protestors across the United States have demonstrated against Musk, DOGE, Tesla, and the Office of Personnel Management.

Response

As of December 2024, most Republicans have shown support for DOGE.[278][279] Federal workers and supporters have stated during protests that DOGE is conducting a "corporate coup" and a "hostile takeover" of the government.[280] In December 2024, independent Senator Bernie Sanders initially supported plans by DOGE to cut defense spending,[281][282] but then soon opposed DOGE, calling it and its actions illegal and unconstitutional, and repeatedly criticized both Musk and DOGE.[283] On February 24, 2025, public televisions and monitors in United States Department of Housing and Urban Development offices displayed artificial intelligence-generated pornographic video of President Donald Trump performing foot fetishism upon Elon Musk, with the text "Long live the real king", in reference to Trump declaring himself king days prior.[284]

See also

Similar commissions

Year(s) Name
1910–1913 Commission on Economy and Efficiency
1916–1933 United States Bureau of Efficiency
1937 Brownlow Committee
1947–1949 Hoover Commission
1953–1955 Second Hoover Commission
1982–1984 Grace Commission
1993–1998 National Partnership for Reinventing Government
2006–2012 Project on National Security Reform

Notes

  1. ^ Pronounced /d(d)ʒ/ DOHJ, DOHZH,[4]
  1. ^ /kəˈmɛk/
  2. ^ Jane Does 1–2 v. Office of Personnel Management, No. 1:25-cv-00234 (D.D.C. January 27, 2025)
  3. ^ New York et al. v. Scott Bessent et al., No. 25-313 (D.D.C. February 3, 2025)

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  264. ^ "Today's contract update: 58 cancellations with savings of >$150M in categories including Media, DEI, and Consulting. This includes $405K at DHS for "resilience, energy, and sustainability management program support services" and ~4M at DoT for "DEIA program and project management support services"" (Post on 𝕏). 𝕏 (Formerly Twitter). Department of Government Efficiency. February 12, 2025. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
  265. ^ Pritchett, Elizabeth (February 13, 2025). "DOGE boasts dozens of contract cancellations on Wednesday, totaling over $150M in savings". Yahoo News. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
  266. ^ "EPA also cancelled 3 DEI contracts, saving American taxpayers $45M" (Post on 𝕏). 𝕏 (Formerly Twitter). Department of Government Efficiency. February 12, 2025. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
  267. ^ Bogardus, Kevin; Richards, Heather; Northey, Hannah; Streater, Scott (February 13, 2025). "'This feels like a coup': Feds brace for layoffs". E&E News. Politico. Retrieved February 13, 2025.
  268. ^ "Today's contract update: 167 cancellations with savings of ~$115M, including a $2.23M contract for HHS for "equity assessments of existing program policies"" (Post on 𝕏). 𝕏 (Formerly Twitter). Department of Government Efficiency. February 13, 2025. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
  269. ^ Sevencan, Seda (February 14, 2025). "Musk's efficiency department cancels 167 contracts, saving $115M". Istanbul, Turkey: USMuslims.com. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
  270. ^ "$1.9 billion of HUD money was just recovered after being misplaced during the Biden administration due to a broken process. These funds were earmarked for the administration of financial services, but were no longer needed. @SecretaryTurner and @DOGE worked together to fix the issue and de-obligated the funds which are now available for other use by the Treasury" (Post on 𝕏). 𝕏 (Formerly Twitter). Department of Government Efficiency. February 14, 2025. Retrieved February 14, 2025.
  271. ^ Clow, Chris (February 15, 2025). "DOGE says it has recovered $1.9B in 'misplaced' HUD funds". Housing Wire. Retrieved February 16, 2025.
  272. ^ "Roses are red, violets are blue, Today, DOGE and 10 agencies made 586 wasteful contracts bid adieu! Today's batch includes a $8.2M USDA contract for "environmental compliance services for the implementation of pilot projects developed under the partnership for climate smart commodities"" (Post on 𝕏). 𝕏 (Formerly Twitter). Department of Government Efficiency. February 14, 2025. Retrieved February 16, 2025.
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  277. ^ Alatidd, Jason; Saldanha-Olson, Stacey (February 24, 2024). "DOGE cancels Topeka lease for empty USDA office that was 'a huge waste of money'". The Topeka Capital-Journal. Gannett.
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  279. ^ Grayer, Annie (December 4, 2024). "Trump's DOGE push finds support from some Democrats on Capitol Hill | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved February 20, 2025.
  280. ^ Moses, Dean (February 19, 2025). "Federal workers in Manhattan protest Elon Musk and Donald Trump cutting government jobs: 'Delete DOGE'". MSN. Retrieved February 21, 2025. calling the recent federal job purging a corporate coup ... what they called his "hostile takeover" of the government.
  281. ^ "Bernie Sanders claims DOGE boss Elon Musk 'is right' over defense spending". Independent. December 2, 2024. Archived from the original on December 6, 2024. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
  282. ^ ""Elon Musk is right": Sanders agrees with DOGE head on cutting Pentagon spending". Salon. December 2, 2024. Archived from the original on December 3, 2024. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
  283. ^ "'What Musk is doing is illegal': Bernie Sanders slams DOGE gutting agencies". CNN. December 2, 2024. Retrieved February 17, 2025.
  284. ^ "AI video of Trump kissing Musk's feet plays on TVs in HUD building". The Hill. February 24, 2025. Retrieved February 24, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

Further reading