The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)^[b] is an initiative of the second Trump administration to reduce federal spending waste, fraud and abuse.^[8] It emerged from discussions between Donald Trump and Elon Musk, and was established by executive order on January 20, 2025. Its actions include accessing government data systems; organizing mass layoffs; and cutting climate change initiatives, scientific research, and DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) programs. DOGE has targeted federal agencies such as the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), and the Social Security Administration(SSA).

Musk's role within DOGE is unclear. The White House has denied, in media and in courts, that Musk is running DOGE^[9] and that he is making government decisions;^[10] it asserted that he was only senior advisor to the president.^[11][12] Trump insists that Musk is the head of DOGE,^[13] and courts have declared that he must be its de facto leader.^[2]Formerly known as the U.S. Digital Service, "USDS" now abbreviates U.S. DOGE Service and comprises the U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization (USDSTO), scheduled to be dissolved on July 4, 2026, the country's 250th anniversary.^[14] The acting administrator of USDS and USDSTO has been named by the White House to be Amy Gleason, not Musk.^[1]

DOGE has been met with opposition and lawsuits.^[15] A federal judge found that Musk's role likely violates the Appointments Clause,^[2][16] and legal experts have warned of a constitutional crisis.^[17][18] Democratic Party members challenged DOGE's authority, with some calling its actions a "coup".^[19] Musk did not divest from companies^[20] that are receiving billions in government contracts^[21] and are clashing with federal regulators^[22] DOGE is trying to slash^[23], creating potential conflicts of interest. Musk has promised transparency^[24] while Trump has tried to exempt DOGE from public disclosure rules.^[25] The White House has said that DOGE complies with federal law,^[26]and that Musk would "excuse himself" if DOGE activities conflicted with his business interests.^[27]

Musk has stated a goal of cutting $1 trillion, or about 15% of the federal budget. As of March 24, 2025, DOGE has claimed to have saved $130 billion.^[28] Independent analysis has found that DOGE's reports misaccounted tens of billions of dollars,^[29] with more than a third of canceled contracts already obligated or yielding no savings.^[30] Musk, DOGE, and the Trump administration have made multiple claims of having discovered significant fraud, none of which have held up under scrutiny.^[31][32] According to watchdogs, DOGE is redefining fraud to target federal employees and programs to build political support for their cuts;^[33] former Republican budget experts said DOGE cuts were driven by political ideology more than frugality.^[34] Despite widespread criticism, Trump has reiterated his support for Musk and DOGE.^[35]

Starting in 2023,^[36][37] Musk gave Trump and Republicans US$290 million for the 2024 election cycle,^[38] becoming the largest individual donor.^[39] In September 2024, Musk has described deregulation as the only path to his Mars colonization program.^[40] In his November 2024 Tucker Carlson interview, he admitted: "If Trump loses, I'm fucked".^[41]

On September, 5, 2024, Trump promised to the Economic Club of New York: "at the suggestion of Elon Musk [...] I will create a Government Efficiency Commission tasked with conducting a complete financial and performance audit of the entire federal government and making recommendations for drastic reforms."^[42][43] Javier Milei revealed that, prior to the public declaration, Musk had called Federico Sturzenegger to discuss emulating his ministry's deregulation model in the United States.^[44]

The New York Times compared the project to Theodore Roosevelt's Keep Commission, Ronald Reagan's Grace Commission, and vice president Al Gore's National Partnership for Reinventing Government.^[45]

The project emerged from a discussion in the summer of 2024 between Musk and Trump, where Musk floated the idea of a "government efficiency commission".^[46][47][48] In an August 18 interview to Reuters after a campaign event, Trump said that, if elected, he would be open to giving Musk an advisory role.^[49] The next day, an X user suggested "Department of Government Efficiency"; Musk replied "That is the perfect name",^[50] and posted "I am willing to serve" with an AI-created image of him in front of a lectern marked "D.O.G.E."^[51] The DOGE acronym refers to an internet meme,^[52] and to Dogecoin, a meme coin that Musk promotes.^[53][54]

On October 27, at a Trump campaign rally in Madison Square Garden, Musk said he thought DOGE could reduce federal spending by "at least" $2 trillion.^[55][56] That figure appears higher than the whole 2023 discretionary spending.^[57][58] On November 1, Musk mentioned that 89 years old Ron Paul could work with DOGE; Paul vowed to join; they agreed on cutting military spendings; this led nowhere.^[59]

Days after the election, a small group, including Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy, Howard Lutnick, and Brad Smith, started meeting at Mar-a-Lago.^[50] On November 12, Trump announced that Musk and Ramaswamy would lead DOGE and analogized it to the Manhattan Project.^[60][61] During an interview with Tucker Carlson on the same day, Musk proposed consolidating the 400 federal agencies: "99 [...] is more than enough".^[62][63] On November 17, Ramaswamy stated that DOGE may eliminate entire agencies and reduce the federal workforce by 75%.^[64]

On January 2, 2025, Musk posited that DOGE had a good shot at cutting $1 trillion, but that $2 trillion was the best-case scenario.^[65]At the first cabinet meeting of the second Trump administration in February, Musk remained optimist to cut $1 trillion–15% of the budget.^[66][67]

On November 19, 2024, Rep. Aaron Bean (R-FL) and Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX) launched the congressional Delivering Outstanding Government Efficiency Caucus (DOGE Caucus) to reduce waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal government.^[68]House Oversight Committee chairman James Comer (R-KY) announced plans two days later for a new subcommittee,^[69] called Delivering on Government Efficiency Subcommittee, and chaired by Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA).^[70][71][72] On November 22, Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) was appointed to lead the corresponding Senate DOGE Caucus.^[73][74]

Several Democrats have expressed willingness to work with the Congressional Caucus, including Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL),^[75]Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY),^[75] and Rep. Val Hoyle (D-OR).^[76] Others offered ideas: Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) on agency redundancies, online tax forms, fossil fuel subsidies, and IT systems; Rep. Greg Landsman (D-OH) on government form size; Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) on permit processes; Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME) on sending federal agencies back to states.^[75] Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) has sent a letter to Musk with 30 ways to save $2 trillion in the federal budget: stopping waste at the Department of Defense, curbing Medicare insurers abuse, lowering prescription drug costs, cutting into the Federal charter school program, closing tax loopholes for the rich, etc.^[77] Her recommendations have been ignored.^[78]

On December 17, the Congressional Caucus held its first meeting, with over 60 attendees,^[79] including Democrats Steven Horsford(D-NV), Hoyle, and Moskowitz.^[79] Lawmakers described it as largely organizational, with discussions about "low-hanging fruit", such as cutting remote work.^[79] The next day, Ernst proposed a "Drain the Swamp Act" bill, requiring agencies to relocate 30 percent of Washington, D.C., employees outside the metro area while restricting the ability to telework.^[80][81] Moskowitz proposed days later to make the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Secret Service independent from the Department of Homeland Security.^[75] By February 5, the only Democrat to have joined the DOGE Caucus was unsure to stay, seeing no purpose;^[82] a week later he has exclaimed: 'Elon's been doing it all himself'  ^[83]

On December 2, 2024, Ramaswamy posted that "Most government projects should come with a clear expiry date";^[84] Musk replied that the final step of DOGE was "to delete itself".^[85] Trump stated that the entity's work will "conclude" no later than July 4, 2026.^[86]This termination will coincide with a "Great American Fair" that Trump has proposed on the 250th anniversary of the United States.^[87]Trump called the promised results "the perfect gift to America".^[88]

Trump's January 20 order on DOGE (E.O. 14158) created and divided DOGE into a permanent part and a temporary part.^[89] What exactly the temporary part consists of has yet to be determined. Trump's February 26 DOGE executive order (E.O. 14222) does not stipulate any termination date.^[90]

On January 19, 2025, CBS News reported that Ramaswamy would step away from DOGE and instead run for Ohio governorship; it also reports internal friction between Ramaswamy and Musk, with Musk's supporters "privately undercutting" Ramaswamy for his perceived lack of engagement.^[91] A Republican strategist has confided that Ramaswamy was wanted out of D.C. after his post on how Americans "venerated mediocrity over excellence".^[92] On January 20, following the second presidential inauguration of Trump, the White House confirmed that Ramaswamy would not join DOGE.^[93] On January 27, Ramaswamy denied being ousted and announced his resignation, contrasting his focus on "constitutional law, legislative-based approach" and Musk's "technology approach, which is the future approach".^[94]

In his November 12, 2024, announcement, Trump stated that DOGE will work with the Office of Management and Budget to address what he called "massive waste and fraud" in government spending.^[60] Less than a week into his presidency, Trump fired 17 inspectors general, whose job is to audit federal agencies.^[32][95]

In their February 11, 2025, joint Oval Office appearance, Trump and Musk used the word "fraud" or "fraudster" about a dozen times.^[96] Trump said DOGE discovered "billions and billions of dollars in waste, fraud and abuse"^[97] while Musk suggested that 20 million people received Social Security past age 100, which he later called "the biggest fraud in history".^[98] That claim has since been refuted; it rests on a misunderstanding of the database.^[99] Karoline Leavitt asserted the day after that the DOGE Subcommittee discovered $2.7 trillion in improper Medicaid and Medicare payments to people overseas. Musk shared the claim on his social. Since then the claim has been refuted.^[100] Two judges had rebuked the Trump administration a few days later for alleging fraud without evidence.^[101][102]

In his speech to Congress on March 4, Trump repeated Musk's claim about people of implausible ages receiving social security benefits.^[103] In a March 27 interview on Fox News with Brett Baier, Musk suggested that those who criticize DOGE are fraudsters.^[104]

On January 20, 2025, Donald Trump established  by executive order the "Department of Government Efficiency" for what is usually referred to as DOGE. In it he renamed the U.S. Digital Service (USDS) the U.S. DOGE Service,^[105] and created a temporary entity within USDS that retrofits the project laid out by Trump and Musk during the electoral campaign. The executive order introduced the concept of "DOGE team", and called for the implementation of an unspecified DOGE agenda.^[106][107] Other executive orders also referred to DOGE, mostly to ask agencies to cooperate with it.

Judges and journalists have struggled to define DOGE; members of the Trump administration have given conflicting accounts of its authority, membership, and leadership.^[108] The repurposing of USDS to accomodate the legality of DOGE has been challenged in court.^[109] Trump has tried to exempt DOGE from disclosing its internal documentation. In court, DOGE has argued that it is not a government agency; a federal judge found that needs to abide by the responsibilities of one.^[110] DOGE lawyers sought to shield its members by restricting the meaning of "DOGE employee" to having a formal tie with USDS.

Trump has issued several executive orders involving DOGE:

• On January 20, executive order 14158, "Establishing and Implementing the President's 'Department of Government Efficiency'", established various DOGE entities.^[89]

• On January 20, executive order 14170, "Reforming the Federal Hiring Process and Restoring Merit to Government Service", asks his assistant for domestic policy to produce a hiring plan in consultation with the OMB director, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) director, and the DOGE administrator.^[111]
• On February 11, executive order 14210, "Implementing The President's 'Department of Government Efficiency' Workforce Optimization Initiative", ordered significant reductions in workforce.^[112]
• On February 19, executive order 14219, "Ensuring Lawful Governance and Implementing the President's 'Department of Government Efficiency' Regulatory Initiative", ordered the review of a wide-ranging set of laws with an eye toward rescinding many of them.^[113]
• On February 26, executive order 14222, "Implementing the President's 'Department of Government Efficiency' Cost Efficiency Initiative", issued directives to transform the registration of contracts, grants, and loans.^[90]

The existing United States Digital Service (USDS) was renamed to "United States DOGE Service" and established within the Executive Office of the President.^[89] The move to the Executive Office of the President insulated the group from Freedom of Information Act records requests until at least 2034.^[25]

The executive order also proclaimed that the new USDS would have "full and prompt access to all unclassified agency records, software systems and IT systems" to the "maximum extent consistent with law" (E.O. 14158 Sect. 4b).^[89]

The U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization (USDSTO) was established within the USDS, intended to advance the president's 18-month DOGE agenda (E.O. 14158 Sect. 3b). The temporary organization will terminate on July 4, 2026 (E.O. 14158 Sect. 3b).^[89]

The expression "DOGE agenda" is used three times in the text of the first executive order (E.O. 14158).^[89] The first (Sect. 1) is to state that DOGE is established to "implement the President's DOGE Agenda"; the second (Sect. 3b) to state that the USDSTO "shall be dedicated to advancing the President's 18-month DOGE agenda"; the third (Sect. 3c) to state that DOGE Team leads "coordinate their work with USDS and advise their respective Agency Heads on implementing the President's DOGE Agenda."^[89]

Executive order 14222 does not mention the DOGE agenda, but rather refers to a "cost efficiency initiative".^[90]

There is a USDS administrator who reports to the White House chief of staff. This administrator also heads the USDSTO (E.O. 14158 Sect. 3b). The administrator's work includes heading a government-wide software modernization initiative. Among the foci are working with agency heads both to promote the interoperability of agency systems, and to enable USDS access to unclassified agency records and systems (E.O. 14158 Sect. 4a, b).^[89] The administrator is among those tasked with developing a federal hiring plan for agency heads, and will provide advice on its implementation (E.O. 14170 Sect. 2a, d).^[111] Within 240 days of February 11, 2025, the administrator is to provide the president with a report about the implementation of his workforce optimization initiative, including "a recommendation as to whether any of its provisions should be extended, modified, or terminated" (E.O. 14210, Sect. 3f).^[112]

"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 team lead, one engineer, one human resources specialist, and one attorney. The members of each team will be determined by the agency head in consultation with the USDS administrator (E.O. 14158 Sect. 3c).^[89]

New career appointments at each federal agency are to be made in consultation with the agency's DOGE team lead, who also plays a role in determining whether career appointment vacancies will be filled. The team lead provides the USDS administrator with a monthly hiring report (E.O. 14210, 3b).^[112]

Executive order 14222 Sect. 3a tasks DOGE teams with assisting agencies in the elaboration of "a centralized technological system" to record payment issued by the agency, along with justification by the employee who approved it; this system shall also give agency heads a kill switch to override decisions.^[90]

On November 2, 2024, Musk reiterated on social media a statement he repeatedly made while campaigning with Trump: "There should be no need for FOIA [Freedom of Information Act] requests. All government data should be default public for maximum transparency."^[114]

By repurposing DOGE as a temporary organization, Trump has apparently sidestepped FOIA transparency laws that apply to congressional-funded agencies such as its predecessor, the USDS, when the USDS was under the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).^[115] Special Assistant to the President and Principal Deputy Press Secretary Harrison Fields asserted that DOGE "falls under the Presidential Records Act",^[25] which would exempt USDS from disclosing its documents, communications and records to the public and in most judicial actions until at least 2034.^[115] Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) contested this move and filed a complaint against USDS on February, 20, 2025.^[116] CREW argues that "The American people have a right to know how USDS is managing their tax dollars and their data, how it is exercising its authority to influence government operations and the extent to which it is operating outside of its slim legal mandate."^[117] On March 10, Judge Christopher R. Cooper ruled that the unprecedented authority, the unusual secrecy, and the rapid pace of DOGE justified the release of its internal documents.^[118] On March 17, 2025, two representatives from the House Judiciary and House Oversight committees filed a FOIA request questioning whether DOGE is operating outside the bounds of federal law and stated "the Administration and Mr. Musk have hidden behind a veil of secrecy as they systematically dismantle the federal government of the United States".^[119]

John Yoo has commented that the ambiguity as to who leads DOGE serves as legal insulation so that "Musk cannot be sued for DOGE activities."^[120] Judge Theodore D. Chuang still declared that Musk has "played a leading role" in actions taken by DOGE at USAID, by tweeting on February 2 and 3 about events for which there is a trace in the proper chain of command days later.^[121]

The concept of DOGE membership has been contested. GSA head Stephen Ehikian stated "there is no DOGE team at GSA"^[122]even though Steve Davis has taken up offices at GSA; the equivocation rests on the concept of "DOGE team", which is not implied by what is usually accepted by the concept of DOGE membership.^[123] In a legal case involving the Department of Labor, DOGE lawyers objected to the plaintiffs' meanings of "DOGE employee", "sensitive systems", "access", "records", and "authority", which they deemed "vague and ambiguous"; they restricted the concept of DOGE employee to "individuals who have a formal relationship" with USDS.^[124][125]

At the time of its announcement, DOGE budget was unknown, and several of the employees were expected to be unpaid volunteers.^[126] Little from its budget has been disclosed so far.

To cover for DOGE costs until January 29, 2025, $6.75 million had been apportioned to DOGE from the Information Technology Oversight and Reform (ITOR) account that funded the legacy USDS.^[127] Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) observed that this was "nearly twice the annual salaries and expenses budget of the White House". DOGE also has a Treasury account, separate from ITOR.^[128]From January 30 to February 8, DOGE's budget had more than doubled to $14.4 million; filings show that latest $7.7 million is reserved "for anticipated reimbursements from agencies in support of Software Modernization Initiative".^[129]

After reviewing Office of Management and Budget records, ProPublica discovered that, by February 20, DOGE budget neared $40 million. DOGE's funding has come from other federal agencies, in the form of transfer payments allowed by the Economy Act. This form of payment implies that DOGE has been treated like a federal agency by the Trump administration.^[6] John Lewis & Daniel Jacobson underlines the dilemma: "The Trump administration's view is untenable. USDS is either an agency or it is not. And if USDS, as seems apparent, is doing more than advising the President and is instead wielding independent authority, then it faces a more fundamental challenge to its existence: no statute created USDS or vested it with the power it now appears to wield".^[130]

DOGE has asked the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to pay for 20 full-time DOGE employees at the highest federal pay grade to modernize its information systems; the terms stipulate that OPM must pay each month in advance, and give DOGE access to its data and systems, as well as provide "operational and technical support". At the current employment rates, this would mean $4.1 million for the work between January 20 and July 4, 2026.^[131]

Public disclosures forms indicate that at least three DOGE employees are drawing salaries from the General Service Administration (GSA): Jeremy Lewin ($167,000), Kyle Schutt ($195,200), and Nate Cavanaugh ($120,500). According to DOGE's website, the average employee has worked at the GSA for 13 years and makes $128,565.^[132]

Court documents filed on March 31 revealed that Nate Cavanaugh, a DOGE member who acts as the Institute for Peace (USIP) surrogate president, was instructed to transfer USIP's assets—including its real estate—to the GSA. In a letter to Stephen Ehikian of the GSA, Cavanaugh is seeking an exemption from having to reimburse the value of the building, estimated at $500 million, which would entail the GSA receiving the building for free.^[133]

DOGE has outlined a plan to purge federal agencies of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)^[134]that aligns with Trump's order to put DEI workers on leave, and to terminate DEI offices.^[135][136] It also includes removal of any employee deemed DEI-adjacent, and large-scale firing.^[134] While executing its plan, DOGE has gained pervasive access to government data.^[137] Its takeover of federal infrastructure is such that it holds information about American citizens, public properties, scientific datasets, official websites, financial records, classified material, and federal contracts; it gained the capacity to terminate programs, destroy data, and contact every federal employee, including judges.^[138] DOGE has broadcast its actions through their website and their accounts on Musk's social; this online presence is complemented by Musk's media appearances, especially on Fox News where he presents talking points about their next targets.^[139] DOGE's plan maps onto Project 2025 goals.^[140]

An internal DOGE report obtained by the Washington Post on February 15, 2025, outlined a three phase process by which it would lead a DEI purge within the federal government:^[141]

• In phase one, on his first day, Trump would rescind all DEI-related executive orders and initiatives, dissolve offices at federal organizations with a DEI role and terminate their employees, ask federal websites to remove all DEI material, and terminate all DEI contracts.
• In phase two, from January 21 to February 19, the government would purge employees without any DEI role but who had been "corrupted" by it. For instance, DOGE has been searching NOAA databases to find employees associated with DEI initiatives.^[142]
• In phase three, from February 20 to July 19, DOGE would commit mass-scale firings of any employee in any part of the government who did not take part in any DEI initiative, but was nonetheless determined through unknown criteria to be "DEI-related".

Records show that those who were workshopping the plan include: Stephanie Holmes, former Jones Day lawyer, Anthony Armstrong, who helped Musk acquire Twitter, Brian Bjelde, longtime SpaceX employee, Noah Peters, involved in Project 2025, and Adam Ramada, a venture capitalist turned DOGE Team lead.^[143]

The New York Times's investigative team recalls a story Musk told at a private party: when he took over Twitter, the key was gaining access to the company's servers; he mused about having access to the federal government's computers: with passwords, he would trim the government. The investigative team said: "What started as musings at a dinner party evolved into a radical takeover of the federal bureaucracy."^[144] Three weeks into the second Trump presidency, TechCrunch observed that DOGE had "gained unprecedented access to a swath of U.S. government departments—including agencies responsible for managing data on millions of federal employees and a system that handles $6 trillion in payments to Americans.^[145] As of March 2025, DOGE has secured access to at least seven sensitive federal databases,^[146] and it has inserted itself into more than 20 agencies.^[144]

On February 4, acting OPM director Charles Ezell sent a memo to agencies recommending that the role of chief information officer (CIO) be redesignated as "general" rather than "career reserved", which allows political appointees and DOGE members to control any decision related to information policy.^[147][148] The following CIOs are either connected to Musk or Peter Thiel: OMB has Gregory Barbaccia, from Palantir; OPM has Greg Hogan, from SpaceX; DOE has Ryan Riedel, from SpaceX.^[149] SSA has Michael Russo, a DOGE member with Musk ties.^[150] Before that memo, Thomas Shedd, from Tesla, became the head of GSA's Technology Transformation Services ^[151] after Steven Reilly resigned over Shedd's requests for administrative access to more than 20 government systems.^[152]

On January 30, DOGE revoked database access to OPM senior staff.^[153][154] According to a document leaked to Wired, DOGE attempted to use White House security credentials to access to GSA's infrastructure, read emails, listen to meetings, and remotely connect into laptops; this led an employee to exclaim: "They are acting like this is a takeover of a tech company".^[155] At the SSA, DOGE demanded access to databases with information about any holder of a Social Security number; Michael Russo, along with Steve Davis, pressured top officials to give Akash Bobba access to "everything, including source code".^[156] The principal deputy assistant secretary for operations at HHS, Gary Rice, declared in a February 13 sworn statement 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.^[157] DOGE has been granted the use of a transfer and remote access freeware at the Labor Department.^[158]

DOGE installed a Starlink user terminal at the White House complex which raised conflict of interest concerns. In response the White House said that the terminal was donated by Starlink and approved by legal counsel and the United States Secret Service.^[159][160]GSA has subscribed to Musk's internet service for its Washington offices in mid-February.^[161]

On March 31, Wired reported that, for weeks, DOGE operatives Tyler Hassen, Stephanie Holmes, and Katrine Trampe have been seeking "full" access to DOI's payroll, human resources, and credentialing systems, like the Federal Personnel and Payroll System (FPPS); they also sought permission to create, pause, and delete email accounts. The chief information and information security officers and the associate solicitor at DOI were placed on leave on March 28, and told they were being investigated for workplace behavior.^[162]

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.^[163] Doge.gov went live the next day: the main page displayed its Twitter feed, a "Follow on X" button, and a few tabs; the About page linked to the first executive order.^[164] On the same day, the alternative DOGE website Waste.gov was password protected after it was revealed that its landing page showcased the generic theme of a fictional architecture firm featuring the word "diverse", in violation of Trump's executive orders.^[165][166] A few days later, unauthorized people posted messages on Doge.gov, reading "this is a joke of a .gov site" and "THESE 'EXPERTS' LEFT THEIR DATABASE OPEN -roro."^[167][168]

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."^[169]

DOGE promised "receipts" on Valentine's Day; they appeared on the 17th, as search results from the FPDS showing contract terminations. How DOGE calculates savings is left unsubstantiated.^[170] Analyses found significant discrepancies in its reporting: roughly one third of canceled contracts did not yield any actual savings or were already obligated;^[30][171] in one case it miscounted the value of a $8 million contract it had canceled as $8 billion;^[172] $46.5 billion of its purported $55 billion savings were not linked to any specific items.^[30][173] According to watchdogs, DOGE is redefining fraud to target federal employees and programs to build political support for their cuts;^[174] former Republican budget experts said DOGE cuts were driven by political ideology more than frugality.^[34] Professional auditors have been asked by Wired to evaluate DOGE's audit, and one of them said: "In no uncertain terms is this an audit [...] It's a heist, stealing a vast amount of government data."^[175]

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.^[176] Intelligence community leaders and members were critical of the publication and sharing of this information, calling it a security risk.^[177] 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".^[178]

On March 13, journalists discovered that DOGE removed federal identification numbers from the publicly available source code, making their receipts hard to verify. A White House official invoked security to justify this lack of transparency.^[179]

Vice President JD Vance commented that "The most important thing that [DOGE is] going to do [is not] the cost savings [but] making the bureaucracy responsive to the elected president".^[180] Vance has a longstanding collaboration with Kevin Roberts, an architect of Project 2025.^[181] Trump disavowed that project during the election, finding some of its ideas "ridiculous and abysmal"^[182] and denying any implication.^[183]

Russell Vought, who founded the Center for Renewing America (CRA), was on Project 2025's advisory board and has also been described as a key architect of the project.^[184] No later than the summer of 2024, the CRA had started drafting executive orders, regulations, and memos consistent with Project 2025's agenda.^[185] Vought also developed a 180-day playbook,^[186] a set of actions to take in the Trump administration's first six months, which the project described as "a comprehensive concrete transition plan for each agency."^[187]

For Rep. John Rose, only Project 2025 explains the flow of executive orders.^[188] CNN analyzed the first 53 and found that 36 followed it;^[189] Politico outlined 37 cases where the orders align with it, some nearly verbatim.^[190] Nine of the fifteen agencies DOGE first targeted had been identified by Project 2025 for elimination or downsizing; Bill Hoagland, former Republican staffer and director of the Senate Budget Committee for more than 20 years, considers that the DOGE playbook "has not been for the dollar savings, but more for the philosophical and ideological differences conservatives have with the work these agencies do".^[34] The BBC suggests that, by unifying decision chains so that Trump controls independent agencies, DOGE implements the unitary executive theoryadvocated in Project 2025.^[191]

On his very first day, Trump restored Schedule F to speed up firing;^[192] earlier he nominated its champion, Russ Vought, to lead OMB.^[193] In multiple speeches, Vought swore to put career civil servants "in trauma".^[194] In Chapter 2 of the Project 2025's manifesto, Vought writes that OMB director's role is to "bring the bureaucracy in line with all budgetary, regulatory, and management decisions", a task he would not fulfill if "he lacks knowledge of what the agencies are doing", and so must acquire "sufficient visibility into the deep caverns of agency decision-making".^[195] As Jill Flipovic notes, "the mass firings, the power grabs, and the agency shutterings are not just Musk's doing. They were planned and proposed well before Trump was even elected, right there for everyone to see, in Project 2025."^[196]

Ed Kilgore described Vought as the glue that ties Musk and Republicans: "OMB can exchange intel with DOGE on potential targets in the bureaucracy, while OMB will definitely guide congressional Republicans as they put together massive budget-reconciliation and appropriations bills".^[197] Wired and The New York Times report that Vought helped Musk find his way into the bureaucracy.^[198][199]Paul Winfree, Trump's director of budget policy during his first administration, characterized the relationship between Musk and Vought: "When Elon Musk says something, everybody responds to it. The government is not like that [...] You need people like Russ and, quite frankly, the people who Russ has been bringing into OMB as well, who are staffers who do know how to, in fact, push changes through government institutions."^[200]

In his March 10 interview on Fox News, Musk told Larry Kudlow that DOGE had around 100 employees and that he planned to double his staff. He also confirmed that DOGE was present in almost every agency.^[201] In a sworn declaration on March 19, Amy Gleason stated that 79 people were employed by DOGE, and another 10 people were detailed to it from elsewhere in the government. She added that there is no formal organizational chart, that "every member of an agency's DOGE Team is an employee of the agency or a detailee to the agency", and that no DOGE Team members report to anyone at USDS.^[202]

About 20 DOGE employees work at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.^[203] At least 10 DOGE members have been active at the SSA, of whom 7 have been granted data access.^[204]

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; the response, from an OPM email address, was: "Good luck with that they just got rid of the entire privacy team". Sources told CNN that employees from the communications staff and those who handle FOIA requests were also dismissed.^[205]

Some DOGE team members, including Musk, are designated as "special government employees", an advisory role limited to a 130-day work period that can be paid or unpaid. Those who earn a substantial salary have to disclose it. Unlike federal workers, special employees are allowed to keep outside salaries and may not need to disclose conflicts of interest.^[132] On February 2, 2025, Musk said on X that the DOGE workforce was putting in 120 hours a week.^[206] This was questioned for leaving dangerously little time to sleep.^[207]

The DOGE administrator officially reports to the White House chief of staff.^[208] Except for Amy Gleason, the acting DOGE administrator, the leadership structure of DOGE has not been published.^[209] Sources have reported that Gleason is only the nominal leader of DOGE, and in practice Steve Davis is effectively the leader of DOGE and leads the day-to-day work.^[210]

In a court filing submitted under seal until its public release was ordered, the Trump administration admitted that Gleason has been working at the Health Department and HHS since February; this contrasts with the testimony Gleason made in the prior week, in which she stated being "full-time" administrator of USDS without revealing her work at HHS.^[211]

On 19 March 2025, Musk's own private lawyers stated: "Musk is [...] a high-ranking government official. The White House has designated Musk a 'special government employee' in charge of Establishing and Implementing the President's Department of Government Efficiency ("DOGE")."^[212]

In a February 17 affidavit, Office of Administration director Joshua Fischer told Judge Tanya Chutkan that Musk was not the DOGE administrator or a DOGE employee but a special government employee with no "authority to make government decisions."^[213] At a February 24 hearing, Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly questioned the constitutionality of USDS and asked the government attorney, Bradley Humphreys, about its structure. He said that it ignored Musk's role beyond that of Trump advisor.^[214]

On February 25, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Musk is "overseeing DOGE" but refused to identify its administrator after being asked repeatedly.^[215][216] Later that day, the White House named Amy Gleason as the acting DOGE administrator; Gleason worked from 2018 through 2021 at US Digital Service.^{[217][1][218]} On February 28, in a case before Judge Theodore D. Chuang where Musk is accused of violating the Appointments Clause, Justice Department lawyer Joshua Gardner was unable to identify the administrator of DOGE before Gleason.^[219]

Nevertheless, Trump declared on February 19 to have put "Musk in charge" of DOGE.^[220] In his March 4 joint address to Congress, he repeated that DOGE "is headed by Elon Musk".^[221][222] Two days later, after that statement had been cited in lawsuits, Trump reportedly told members of his Cabinet that they rather than Musk and DOGE were to make staffing decisions for their departments, but a few hours later remonstrated "If they don't cut, then Elon will do the cutting."^[223]

On March 18, 2025, the United States District Court for the District of Maryland determined that Elon Musk was "the leader of DOGE" and was exercising the authority of its lawful administrator on a de facto basis, and that his actions shuttering USAID were unconstitutional and violated the Appointments Clause.^[224]

On February 2, 2025, Wired reported that DOGE hired software engineers aged 19–24 with no experience in government, including Akash Bobba, Edward Coristine, Luke Farritor, Marko Elez, Gautier Killian, Gavin Kliger, and Ethan Shaotran.^[225] There are reports of 15-minute video interviews DOGE members conducted without identifying themselves, with queries such as "whom they would choose to fire from their teams if they had to pick one person",^[226] and surprise code reviews, silently supervised by "extremely young men".^[227] The team has been called "Doge Kids" by officials, reporters, and social media users.^{[228][229][230]}

According to Brian Krebs, Coristine's past deeds pose security risks:^[231] The 19-year-old son of the LesserEvil owner^[232] leaked information from the data-security company where he was interning,^[233] mingled with 'The Com', a cybercriminal network,^[234] and owns web domains registered in Russia.^[235] His online footprint also makes security clearance tough, according to security experts interviewed by Wired.^[235] As of February 19, Coristine is a staff member at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.^[236] On March 27, documents resurfaced showing that Coristine has provided tech support to EGodly, a cybercrime group.^[237]

Amplification of extremism also raises questions: Kliger, 25, has an edgelord past,^[238] crediting Ron Unz for his political awakening^[239] and reposting the likes of Nick Fuentes and Andrew Tate, along with white supremacist memes.^[240][241] Elez has shared similar viewpoints, with posts such as "You could not pay me to marry outside of my ethnicity" or "Normalize Indian hate".^[242]

On February 24, the Washington Post reported that Farritor and Kliger manually blocked multiple times payments for life critical programs that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had approved by decree.^{[243][244][245]} Court documents filed on March 14 have revealed that DOGE staffer Marko Elez violated U.S. Treasury Department policy by mishandling personal information.^[246]

After the February 2 Wired article, names of DOGE members started to circulate; Musk accused those who did so on his social of committing a crime.^[247] The next day, interim United States attorney for the District of Columbia Ed Martin released a statement on Musk's social saying that certain individuals and/or groups have committed acts that appear to violate the law in targeting DOGE employees.^[248] Musk quoted that statement, adding "Don't mess with DOGE".^[249] On February 7, Martin sent Musk and his deputy Steve Davis a letter (also posted on his social) announcing that he had opened an investigation into government employees Musk accused of stealing property and making threats.^[250][251] According to New York Times reporter Ken Bensinger, Musk was attempting to describe traditional journalism as "doxxing" in order to invalidate the role of the media in government accountability.^[252]

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.^[253]

On February 11, Musk reshared a post by Laura Loomer with screenshots that identified Judge John J. McConnell Jr.'s daughter, along with her financial disclosure forms from the department.^[254] This reshare followed McConnell's order to unfreeze federal grants.^[255] On February 12, Rep. Andrew Clyde announced that he was drafting "articles" of impeachment against McConnell, echoing Musk's claim that there "needs to be an immediate wave of judicial impeachments, not just one".^[256]

TechCrunch categorizes DOGE members as inner circle, senior figures, worker bees, or aides.^[257] The New York Times divides them into leadership, staffers, and allies.^[258] Wired maps three network sources: conservative law, the Trump administrations, and Silicon Valley.^[259] DOGE leadership is dominated by venture capitalists and startup founders.^[260] Staff roles follow the DOGE teamsmentioned in the first executive order: "at least four employees" with one "Team Lead, one engineer, one human resources specialist, and one attorney".^[89]

The organization extends beyond federal employees: Musk himself isn't one, and neither are his allies. Many DOGE members have joined or already belonged to other government units.^[202] Few have a known contractual status; some tried to keep their role secret.^[261] The question of whether a DOGE employee belongs to the permanent unit (USDS) or the temporary one (USDSTTO) remains unclear.

By the end of January, DOGE had installed Musk acolytes at the top of agencies controlling critical parts of the government:^[317] the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the United States Digital Service (USDS), and the General Services Administration (GSA).^[155] As it was forcing its way into federal headquarters, many heads with whom they clashed have been replaced by DOGE members.^[318] Access to information systems across the bureaucracy allowed DOGE to trace money flows and determine how to choke it off:^[50] it had coordinated with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to dismantle government units, such as Agency for International Development (USAID), the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), and the Department of Education (ED). Their bigger targets remain the Treasury (USDT), the Social Security Administration (SSA), and Health and Human Services (HHS): spendings by HHS amount to 31%, by SSA to 16%, and by USDT to 15% of the federal budget^[319]—almost two thirds of all government expenses.^[320] In a lawsuit featuring DOGE's culture of secrecy, Judge Christopher R. Cooper found that it has "obtained unprecedented access to sensitive personal and classified data and payment systems across federal agencies", and that it "appears to have the power [...] to drastically reshape and even eliminate them wholesale" without congressional input.^{[321][322][323]}

Before Trump's first day in office, Musk acolyte Amanda Scales was already chief of staff at OPM, which handles human resources.^[324] On the evening of January 20, the acting administrator of OPM, Charles Ezell, has sent a memo to federal agencies reminding them that new hires can be terminated while bypassing Merit System Protection Board rights, and giving them the work week to send Scales a list of all probationary employees.^[325][324] Ezell will be replaced by Scott Kupor, tied to Musk ally Marc Andreessen.^[326]OPM manages more than $1 trillion in assets, retirement funds, health and life insurance benefits for federal employees and their spouses.^[147] It provides custody to service records of 2.1 million workers and citizens who have applied for federal jobs; it also maintains an email list of nearly every federal employee.^[327]

Around the time Trump has been sworn, Musk lieutenant Steve Davis and his family have been sleeping at the GSA headquarters.^[155][328] The agency holds data about federal real estate, procurement, and information infrastructure; according to a former director, it holds "incredible amounts of sensitive or proprietary business information that [businesses] had to share with the government in order to get a contract or take some action".^[138] It manages the SmartPay system, the largest government charge card and commercial payment program in the world.^[329] It also oversees the Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS), which details every contract action over $3,000; DOGE has had the power to modify its records before February 14, the day they promised "receipts".^[164]

On January 21, David Lebryk denied DOGE access to USDT systems. Newly confirmed Treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, overruled that decision later that day, and Lebryk resigned.^[317][330] He was replaced by Tom Krause, a DOGE member^[331] who kept his role of CEO at the Cloud Software Group.^[332] On February 13, DOGE entered the Internal Revenue Service (IRS),^[333] and two days later DOGE was seeking access to the Integrated Data Retrieval System.^[334] USDT (through IRS) has names, addresses, social security numbers from tax payers, their income and net worth, bank information for direct deposits, itemization detail such as charitable donations, bankruptcy history or identity theft.^[335]

On February 18, Michelle King either stepped down from her role at the SSA^[336] or was fired,^[337] to be replaced by Leland Dudek,^[230] a move Musk celebrated on his social; after a belligerent LinkedIn post in which he has bragged about having "bullied agency executives" to facilitate DOGE's work, Dudek has been signing off DOGE's decisions.^[338] Chief of staff Tiffany Flick has also retired, after having "witnessed a disregard for critical processes—like providing the 'least privileged' access based on a 'need to know'—and lack of interest in understanding our systems and programs", and accusing DOGE member Michael Russo of supporting Musk's fantastical claims about dead people receiving benefits.^[339][280] Its systems contain: records of lifetime wages and earnings; social security and bank account numbers, the type and amount of benefits individuals received; citizenship status; disability and medical information.^[335][340]

Allison Stanger argues that an AI company (like xAI or Cognition AI) that accesses government data without public accountability could pose a threat.^[146] Training on large and longitudinal real data treatments, outcomes and costs across diverse population could topple the medical or the insurance industry and influence health care policy. An AI company with access to USDT data that tracks real-time transactions and money flows could help develop economic and financial forecasting models that would give an investment edge. "A private company with exclusive access to infrastructure data", Stranger contends, "could allow the company to develop "smart city" systems that city governments would become dependent on, effectively privatizing aspects of urban governance".

Tapping into OPM systems allowed DOGE to create the hr@opm.gov address, get a list of federal employees, and contact them.^[341]On January 28, the OPM offered workers a "deferred resignation" program, stating that those who resigned by February 6 would receive salary and benefits until September 30.^[342] Echoing the playbook Musk used against Twitter employees,^[343][344] the same subject line has been emailed: "Fork in the road"^[345] By the deadline, roughly 75,000 employees had taken the offer.^[346] Randolph Daniel Moss, overseeing a lawsuit aimed at blocking such offer, received it, even if federal judges have life tenure.^[347]

On February 22, Musk posted on X ordering federal workers to summarize their weekly accomplishments, warning that noncompliance would be seen as resignation.^[348][349] Shortly after, OPM emailed employees requesting five bullet point summaries.^[348] The Department of Defense ordered staff and the United States Armed Forces to ignore Musk's request;^[350] the FBI and State Department told their employees not to respond;^[351] NASA employees were advised to delay their response;^[352] HHS explicitly warned employees not to participate in the email request, due to the fact that replies might be "read by malign foreign actors."^[353]Two days later, 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".^[354] The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) vowed to challenge any terminations, arguing OPM lacked the authority to send these emails.^[348]

On January 20, Trump issued a memorandum simply called Hiring Freeze, in which he asked the director of OMB to submit a plan to reduce the size of the federal workforce, in consultation with the director of OPM and "the Administrator of the United States DOGE Service".^[355] On January 21, Ezell sent agencies directives to close "DEI offices by 5 PM EST on Wednesday, January 22".^[356] and also asked employees to report those who would hide programs "by using coded or imprecise language".^[357] On January 27, a memo was sent instructing OPM employees to work on-site full-time.^[358] Investigative journalist Molly White found that metadata on some of these memos indicate that they were ghoswritten by Noah Peters and Thomas Shenk, both with Project 2025 ties; Peters is also a DOGE member.^[359] On January 31, Brian Bjelde, senior advisor and DOGE member, has told career supervisors that the target was to cut 70% of OPM workforce.^[327]

On January 21, DOGE representatives conducted interviews with USDS employees about their work and asked which colleagues could be fired.^[360] On February 25, 21 USDS employees resigned en masse.^[361] They were among the 65 US Digital Service employees who continued to work with the service when US Digital Service became the US DOGE Service. In a letter, they stated that could not honor their oath under DOGE, warned about the politicization of the department, and declared: "We will not use our skills as technologists to compromise core government systems, jeopardize Americans' sensitive data, or dismantle critical public services".^[362] One of the 21 USDS technologists who resigned in protest on February 25 stated that DOGE's actions created "a high risk of the American people's data being exposed or being utilized for nefarious means", including the potential for foreign actors to access that data, and she viewed these actions are "completely across the line both legally and ethically".^[363][361]

On February 13, OPM advised agencies to terminate most of an estimated 200,000 probationary workers (federal workers who have under one year in their current position).^[364][365] 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).^[364][366] 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.^[367][368] Riccardo Biasini has been modifying autorif in OPM's code repository; as the name suggests, the program is intended to automatize the RIF process.^[369]

On February 24, GSA acting administrator and DOGE member Stephen Ehikian warned that he would apply RIF measures to the agency.^[370] On March 7, DOGE has deployed its proprietary AI chatbot, intended to help workers with daily tasks, to 1,500 workers at GSA.^[371] The deployment comes after Thomas Shedd fired around 90 technologists and announced that the GSA branch he supervises would shrink by 50 percent.^[372] Among them was the 18F team, which Shedd deemed "non-essential".^[373]

On February 28, SSA announced its intention to cut its workforce by 12%, from 57,000 to 50,000 employees.^[374]

On February 1, members of DOGE gained access to classified information of USAID without sufficient security clearances.^[375] DOGE personnel asked to be let into USAID headquarters and threatened to call the US Marshals,^[376] which by law receive their direction from the attorney general and the director of the United States Marshals Service.^[377][378] 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.^[375] On March 18, Jeremy Lewin was appointed as a deputy administrator in USAID;^[379] Lewin wrote a memo on March 28 to discontinue USAID's mission, after a judge explicitly ordered that he and DOGE should be barred from making further cuts at the agency.^[301][380]

On February 6, CFPB staff were told by email that DOGE members (including Nikhil Rajpal, Gavin Kliger, and Chris Young) entered the agency building and would require access to CFPB data, systems, and equipment.^[381] The next evening, Russ Vought nominated himself head of it, DOGE deleted its X account, and Musk tweeted "CFPB RIP".^[382]

DOGE entered ED in early February^[383] and got access to internal databases with student information shortly after.^[384] One week later, after having fed the department's financial data (including sensitive one) into a cloud-based AI,^[385] DOGE announced that it slashed $900 million from the Institute of Education Sciences.^[386] By that time, DOGE members had been pushing high ranking ED officials out of their offices and had set up white noise machines to muffle their voices; according to employees, they had been competing with one another to make the biggest budget cuts headlines while making arbitrary demands, such as cutting 80% of the funding for student loan applications websites and services.^[387] On the next day, mass firings began; Linda McMahon, wrestling mogul turned secretary of education, said she would like ED "to be closed immediately" because it "is a big con job".^[388] By March 11, almost half of the ED workforce had been fired.^[389]

On March 17, Inter-Con security allowed DOGE to enter the Institute for Peace (USIP); Inter-Con Vice President Derrick Hanna informed USIP that DOGE had contacted them and "threatened all of their federal contracts if they did not permit entry for DOGE".^[390]USIP has filed a lawsuit against DOGE, claiming that they "have plundered the offices in an effort to access and gain control of the Institute's infrastructure, including sensitive computer systems"; the filing showed photos of financial documents placed in a bin labeled "shred", and an USIP logo ripped down from the wall.^[391]

On February 26, Trump issued an executive order that includes the immediate disposal of surplus federal property and reduce non-essential travel.^[392] The first agencies to be targeted are international organizations or overseas and educational institutions.^[392]DOGE has put a $1 spending limit to the SmartPay cards of GSA, OPM, CFPB, and USAID employees, with plans to extend the limits to other administrations.^[329] On March 4, the GSA published a list of 443 properties to be sold, including headquarters and courthouses.^[393] That list was edited the same day to remove about 120 properties and then taken off the GSA website the next day.^[394] Wired subsequently reported that the list included a previously undisclosed "highly sensitive federal complex in Springfield, Virginia" where the CIA conducts clandestine operations.^[395]

GSA listed 47 SSA office closures, 26 planned for 2025. The announcement has come at the same time that SSA declared its intention to shutdown phone authentication.^[396] This policy would make services less accessible to children, people without a driver's license, disabled persons, and the elderly.^[397] In response to a court decision that prevented DOGE to access SSA systems, SSA top official, Leland Dudek, a DOGE member, has been threatening to shut down the agency: “Really, I want to turn it off and let the courts figure out how they want to run a federal agency”.^[398]

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.^{[399][citation needed]} USDT cuts involve the closure of many IRS Taxpayer Assistance Centers.^[400]

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.^[401] Only 300 of these have been formally terminated.^[402]

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.^[403] 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.^[171]

Below is a dynamic list of documents released by DOGE.

DOGE is the subject of intense litigation. There are multiple lawsuits concerning its downsizing of USAID,^[421][422] privacy and security concerns related to its accessing of computer systems and records across the government, its refusal to make its own records public, and Musk's authority.

The establishment of the DOGE has garnered attention for its goals of reducing government spending and bureaucracy. While supporters advocate for increased efficiency and fiscal responsibility, critics express skepticism regarding the feasibility of achieving significant budget cuts without affecting essential services. Concerns have also been raised about potential conflicts of interest, given the private sector backgrounds of key figures involved in DOGE.^[423][424]

As of December 2024, most Republicans had shown support for DOGE.^[425][426] On the contrary, federal workers and supporters have stated during protests that DOGE is conducting a "corporate coup" and a "hostile takeover" of the government.^[427] Protestors across the United States have demonstrated against Musk, DOGE, Tesla, and the Office of Personnel Management.^{[428][429][430]}

Government organization and management experts noted that the DOGE effort "appears to go beyond IT and HR initiatives to include areas such as procurement, real property, and substantive agency operations".^[127] Some experts warn that the actions could negatively impact the economy and markets and may be "leaving taxpayers with an enormous bill and federal agencies in operational disarray".^[431][432]

On March 25, there were reports that services at the Social Security Administration (SSA) were already breaking down: multiple website crashes, call waiting time two times longer than last year, a 24% answer rate, and scams increase; the attrition rate of employees at some places has been "off the chart".^[433]

Treasury Department and IRS officials have predicted a decrease of more than 10 percent in tax receipts by the April 15 deadline—more than $500 billion in lost federal revenue, and noted that "DOGE-driven workforce reductions" were a factor.^[434]

As of March 30, Dr. Brooke Nichols' Impact Counter estimates that there have been more than 150,000 deaths associated with the freeze on foreign aid.^[435]

This article is part of  a series about Elon Musk
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• United States Senate Committee on Appropriations – Standing committee of the United States Senate
• United States House Committee on Appropriations – Standing committee of the United States House of Representatives

In 2025, Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency teams gained access to large parts of the United States federal government. Thousands of United States federal government employees were laid off as a result, and many public records were modified or removed from federal websites and databases. Attempts have been made to shut down or terminate entire departments and agencies of the government. These actions have fostered controversy and resistance from some members of government, civil society, and the public.

Former and current employees of Musk's companies have been appointed to head and seize control of parts of the United States government. Other surrogates act as a part of the Department of Government Efficiency, a temporary organization informally led by Musk.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) administers civilian foreign aid and development assistance.

On February 1, members of DOGE gained access to classified information of USAID without sufficient security clearances.^[1] On February 2, Wired reported that DOGE personnel attempted to improperly access classified information and security systems at the USAID, but were thwarted by USAID security officials;^[2] those officials were subsequently put on leave.^[3] The group moved to dismantle USAID by taking the USAID website and X account offline, firing staff, and stopping overseas work.^[4] Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared himself acting administrator of the agency, although it has been an independent body for sixty years.^[5]

On February 3, Musk said of USAID: "We're shutting it down", with Musk saying Trump "agreed"; an email from special adviser Gavin Kliger to USAID staff instructed staff to keep away from USAID headquarters while hundreds of staff lost access to USAID computer systems.^[5][6][7] As an ex-USAID worker describes that "In a matter of hours DOGE shut down our websites, took over email handles, and summarily removed the system access of hundreds of gainfully employed public servants."^[8]

On February 5, Musk falsely alleged USAID had given Politico and the Associated Press millions of dollars. The figures given were actually for common subscriptions across the entire government; the actual amount USAID alone had spent on Politico subscriptions was $44K.^[9] White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, "The DOGE team is working on canceling those payments now."^[10]

On February 14, Judge Amir Ali ordered the Trump administration to unfreeze foreign assistance payments to USAID and State Department grantees.^[11] Peter Marocco told a federal judge in a court filing that the agency he leads will not comply with the court's order.^[12]

Musk and DOGE have "sent RIF notices to nearly all of it's 2,000 U.S.-based employees."^[13]

The independent federal agency Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is responsible for consumer protection in the financial sector.

On November 27, 2024, Musk proposed eliminating the CFPB.^[14][15] On February 1, 2025, Trump agents fired CFPB Director Rohit Chopra.^[16] Chopra was replaced by Trump insider and Project 2025 advocate Russell Vought, who attempted to shutter and close the CFPB.^[16] Musk tweeted "CFPB RIP" on February 7.^[16] Concurrently, data and websites related to the CFPB were removed from the internet.^[16]

On February 14, 2025, U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson commanded Donald Trump, Elon Musk and DOGE stand down on any attempts to reduce staffing, remove funding, delete any data, or otherwise interfere with operations of the CFPB.^[16] Berman Jackson's order specified that they "shall not delete, destroy, remove, or impair any data or other CFPB records" and "It is further ordered that Defendants shall not terminate any CFPB employee, except for cause."^[16] Multiple unions, groups and individuals filed a variety of lawsuits challenging any attacks on the CFPB, whose existence is governed and established in federal law by the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, and can only be removed by changes in federal law.^[16]

The U.S. Department of Agriculture aims to meet the needs of commercial farming and livestock food production, promotes agricultural trade and production, works to assure food safety, protects natural resources, fosters rural communities, and works to end hunger in the United States and internationally.

Newly confirmed USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins revealed that DOGE has been at the agency for "a few weeks", welcomed their efforts, and expected full compliance from USDA teams, while farmers and policymakers raised concerns about the funding freeze.^[17] A few farmers expressed their anger on TikTok, one of them worrying about losing his farm.^[18]

DOGE actions at the USDA have impacted the United States national response to the 2020–2025 H5N1 outbreak, after staff working on the crisis were summarily fired.^[19]

The Department of Defense coordinates and supervises the five U.S. armed services, to protect the security of the country.^[20]

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth confirmed that DOGE had begun the process of staff and spending cuts to impact the Department of Defense and United States Armed Forces.^[21] As of March 6th, 2025, the cuts in staff is expected to impact up to 8% of its civilian workforce, or 61,000 employees.^[13]

The Department of Education provides money to public schools and manages college financial aid and federal student loans. ED also enforces civil rights laws in schools and support programs to help students with disabilities.^[22]

On January 31, about 100 ED employees who had taken required diversity training during Trump's first term were placed on paid administrative leave.^[23][24][25]

By February, DOGE had access to data on federal student aid, including the personal financial information on the more than 42 million people who receive student loans from the government.^[24][26] In early Feb, DOGE staff fed sensitive data from ED into an AI through Microsoft Azure to cut any spending, including contracts, that is "not essential to operations or required by law."^[24]

On February 10, ED researchers and contractors were told to stop work on 169 contracts funded by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES). The funding totaled $881 million, including contracts involving student resources that were in-progress. The IES funds research to examine the effectiveness of current education policies and systems. Many contractors involved in maintaining the research database were also terminated. The institute is "all but shut down."^[27][28][29]

On February 17, a federal judge allowed DOGE to maintain access to ED data while a privacy lawsuit, filed by representatives of college students, went through the courts.^[30] It was reported in the court filing that least one DOGE employee with access to ED's internal systems had not yet completed required ethics and security training.^[31]

On February 26, ED stopped accepting and processing all income-driven repayment plans and consolidation applications for at least 3 months. Such plans are designed to keep payments affordable for student borrowers, and provide a path to student loan forgiveness.^[32][33]

On March 11, it was reported that ED would lay off "about 50%" of its workforce, about 2,200 workers.^[34]

DOGE is planning to replace ED contractors with an AI chatbot to answer questions from students and parents, with future plans to cut support website and call center funding by 80%.^[35] ED has claimed that reducing call center funding by 38% could result in a "severe degradation" in services for "students, borrowers, and schools."^[36]

DOGE staff now at the Department of Education include a former CEO at an education technology venture capital firm, as well as the former head of engineering at a company that sells ketamine.^[36]

United States Department of Energy (DOE) oversees U.S. national energy policy and energy production, research and development of nuclear power, the military's nuclear weapons program, nuclear reactor production for the United States Navy, energy-related research, and energy conservation.

The DOE secretary Chris Wright, against guidance of the DOE's General Counsel and chief information officers, allowed Luke Farritor of DOGE to access DOE computer networks.^[37] CNN quoted DOE staff in the general counsel and chief information offices as calling Farritor's access a "bad idea", and that "He's not cleared to be in DOE, on our systems."^[37]

Luke Farritor of DOGE was given access to computer systems of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), the department responsible for the security and protection of American nuclear technologies and nuclear weapons, by United States Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Chris Wright, against guidance of the DOE's general counsel and chief information offices.^[37] On February 13, hundreds of NNSA employees were abruptly fired; the agency sought to rehire the workers the next day. An Energy Department spokesperson said fewer than 50 were fired.^[38][39]

The Department of Health and Human Services was created to protect the health of the U.S. people and provide essential human services.

DOGE gained access to financial systems at HHS as well as extremely restricted medical data related to most Americans in heavily access-controlled systems such as the Healthcare Integrated General Ledger Accounting System (HIGLAS).^[40] HIGLAS is described by the Washington Post as "a vast database that touches nearly every corner of American health care", and that restricted staff with access undergo mandatory specialized training for privacy protections under the federal law Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).^[40] The Washington Post noted it was unknown if DOGE operatives were HIPAA compliant under federal law.^[40]

On March 3, 2025, HHS employees were told they could apply for early retirement over the next ten days. They were also instructed to comply with DOGE's emailed request to list their accomplishments from the past week, but to do so without revealing sensitive information.^[41]

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's main goal is the protection of public health and safety through the control and prevention of disease, injury, and disability in the US and worldwide

The Washington Post reported on February 5 that DOGE had sought access to data at the CDC,^[40] and that DOGE had gained access to key payment and contracting systems at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).^[42] CMS officials as of February 6 declined to reveal to what medical and financial records of Americans that Musk had gained access.^[43]

The Food and Drug Administration is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food safety, tobacco products, dietary supplements, pharmaceutical drugs (medications), vaccines, animal foods & feed, veterinary products, and similar products.

DOGE agents fired staff from the FDA involved in ongoing clinical trials of the safety of Elon Musk's Neuralink company, which creates implantable brain–computer interfaces (BCIs) as commercial products.^[44]

The Department of Housing and Urban Development administers federal housing and urban development laws.

On February 26, ProPublica reports that DOGE gained access to a HUD system that contains confidential information about alleged victims of housing discrimination, including victims of domestic violence.^[45] Information includes medical records, financial files, documents that may list Social Security numbers and other private information. Records in this database are generally not anonymized.

The Federal Housing Administration within HUD provides insurance for mortgages originated by private lenders for various types of properties, including single-family homes, multifamily rental properties, hospitals, and residential care facilities. FHA mortgage insurance serves to safeguard these private lenders from financial losses.

On February 18, 2025, it was revealed DOGE began to eliminate 50% of the staff of the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), beginning with jobs related to FHA insured loans, that overwhelmingly benefit lower-income Americans.^[46][47]

On May 18th, all employees at the General Schedule 13-level and below in the Office of Field Policy and Management, the office which supports HUD goals and operational capacity across its regional field offices, will be terminated.^[13]

In late January 2025, employees of the Department of Government Efficiency flew to California to order the release of water from the Jones Pumping Plant near Sacramento, but they were not successful.^[48] The Jones Pumping Plant is part of the United States Bureau of Reclamation, which is a bureau of the Department of the Interior. This is likely related to the 2025 California wildfires and the 2025 water release from Lake Kaweah and Lake Success publicity stunt.

The Treasury Department collects all federal taxes through the Internal Revenue Service; manages U.S. government debt instruments; licenses and supervises banks and thrift institutions; and advises the legislative and executive branches on matters of fiscal policy

On January 31, multiple sources reported that David Lebryk, a top Treasury Department career civil servant, was pushed out after he refused to grant DOGE access to a system that disburses over $5 trillion in payments annually, including Social Security, government paychecks and contractor payments. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent granted DOGE access to the system later that day.^[49][50][51] 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.^[52][53]

The Financial Times reported on February 2 that Musk responded to an X post by former Trump national security advisor Michael Flynn, who posted a spreadsheet image purportedly showing federal grant payments to Global Refuge, a faith-based charity that provides services to legal migrants. Without citing evidence, Flynn asserted there was a money laundering operation involved, and that there were many other organizations "cashing in on our hard-earned money".^[54] Musk replied that DOGE "is rapidly shutting down these illegal payments".^[55] He later asserted that "career Treasury officials are breaking the law every hour of every day by approving payments that are fraudulent or do not match the funding laws passed by Congress".^[56]

On February 4, a Treasury Department official wrote to federal lawmakers that a DOGE agent, Tom Krause (who is also CEO of Citrix Systems) was restricted to "read-only" access to the Treasury payments system, preventing "payments for obligations such as Social Security and Medicare to be delayed or re-routed", though Wired reported that another member of Musk's team, Marko Elez, had acquired unrestricted access to some Treasury systems, and had been making "extensive changes" to the codebase of the payments system, with limited supervision. Democratic senator Ron Wyden, ranking member of the finance committee to whom the letter was sent, said it "reeks of a cover-up".^{[57][58][59][60]} Senior Treasury officials stated in February 11 federal court filings that the department had "mistakenly" and "briefly" granted Elez "read-write" access enabling him to alter the system;^[61] the Trump administration said in its court filings that an internal investigation had showed Elez did not take unauthorized actions despite being able.^[62]

Radio France Internationale wrote about DOGE's group entry into the federal government:

"One of them now has direct access to the US Treasury computer system responsible for virtually all government payments. That is, taxpayers' tax returns, civil servants' salaries. That's billions of dollars that this young engineer can now manage, under the sole supervision of Elon Musk."^[63]

On February 5, NBC News reported that attorneys for the Justice Department had agreed to temporarily restrict staffers associated with DOGE from accessing information with the Treasury Department. This change came after a lawsuit was filed by a group of union members and retirees against the Treasury Department.^[64] This left Elez and Krause in place, but with a restriction not to disclose information to anyone outside the Treasury. Elez resigned on February 6 after The Wall Street Journal reported on deleted social media posts where he explicitly identified himself as a racist and advocated for eugenics and against inter-ethnic marriage.^[65]

A coalition of nineteen states, mostly Democratic-led, filed suit in a Manhattan federal court on February 7 seeking to stop DOGE from accessing the payments system.^[66] Hours later, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction prohibiting DOGE from accessing data on the payment system and ordered any data downloaded by unauthorized people since January 20 to be destroyed. The judge scheduled a hearing for February 14.^[67] The judge in that hearing extended the injunction pending a later decision and a final ruling, which might take months.^[68]

DOGE said in February that it had discovered a tracking code was often missing in Treasury payments, rendering about $4.7 trillion in payments nearly impossible to trace. That figure would represent nearly 70% of total 2024 federal spending.^[69] Musk said he was told that over $100 billion in entitlements payments a year were being made without a Social Security number or a temporary identification number, and he was told that about $50 billion was "unequivocal and obvious fraud."^[70]

DOGE began efforts to gain physical access to the United States Bullion Depository at Fort Knox.^[71] As of 31 July 2020, Fort Knox holds 147.34 million troy ounces (4,583 metric tons) of gold reserves with a market value of US $290.9 billion, representing 56.35% of the gold reserves of the United States.^{[72][73][needs update]} Musk reportedly insisted on a "live video walkthrough" of the secure United States Army facility.^[71] Non-authorized personnel have only been given access to the gold depository three times in history, in 1943 for Franklin D. Roosevelt, in 1974 for members of Congress, and in 2017 for then-Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and another Congressional delegation.^[71]

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is responsible for collecting U.S. federal taxes and administering the Internal Revenue Code. Their duties include providing tax assistance to taxpayers; pursuing and resolving instances of erroneous or fraudulent tax filings; and overseeing various benefits programs, including the Affordable Care Act.

On February 13, Sen. Ron Wyden announced that DOGE was at the IRS; an email was sent to the agency beforehand, asking officers to identify all "non-essential" contracts for termination.^[74] CNN reports that Gavin Kliger visited the agency and made a series of requests.^[75] Sources say that they included enforcement, personnel footprint, and extensive system access.^[76] Earlier, Musk claimed to have "deleted" the group behind the Direct File pilot, whereas the page to file tax returns is still online and operational.^[77]

By February 16, DOGE was seeking access to a highly sensitive and tightly controlled IRS system containing taxpayer information. Kliger would be named a senior advisor to the acting IRS commissioner.^[78][79][80]

6,700 probationary employees have been fired from the IRS, per order by Trump and DOGE.^[81]

The Department of Veterans Affairs provides lifelong healthcare services to eligible military veterans. Other VA benefits include disability compensation, vocational rehabilitation, education assistance, home loans, and life insurance.

On February 5, 2025, it was disclosed the DOGE operatives had accessed computer databases and medical records at the Department of Veterans Affairs, with internal VA reports that DOGE was "data mining" disability compensation and benefits of United States Armed Forces military veterans.^[82]

On February 12, Grist reported that the Trump administration started to shrink the Environment Protection Agency (EPA);^[83] nearly 170 employees at the EPA's Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights were placed on paid administrative leave.^[84]

During a cabinet meeting, President Trump said he expected 65% of the EPA workforce, nearly 11,000 employees, would be let go. Subsequently EPA and Whitehouse spokespeople declined to reinforce this statement.^[13] EPA staff members have been directed to submit to DOGE a one-page justification of any expense over $50,000 between 3 and 6 pm Eastern time, in addition to other paperwork normally used for expenses.^[85]

The Federal Aviation Administration regulates civil aviation in the United States and surrounding international waters. They oversee air traffic control, certification of personnel and aircraft, setting standards for airports, and protection of U.S. assets during the launch or re-entry of commercial space vehicles.

In the wake of the 2025 Potomac River mid-air collision, United States secretary of transportation Sean Duffy announced on February 5 that DOGE would intervene with the FAA to "upgrade our aviation system".^[86] Elon Musk directly expanded on this, claiming support of President Trump to "make rapid safety upgrades to the air traffic control system".^[86] Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton was critical of DOGE's FAA safety involvement, noting that many DOGE staff were not old enough to rent a car in the United States.^[86] On February 17, it was confirmed hundreds of FAA safety officials were fired that day by Elon Musk.^[87] David Spero, President of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, was critical of the national safety impacts caused by Musk, saying:^[87]

"Staffing decisions should be based on an individual agency's mission-critical needs. To do otherwise is dangerous when it comes to public safety. And it is especially unconscionable in the aftermath of three deadly aircraft accidents in the past month."^[87]

Musk's SpaceX staff appeared at the FAA's Air Traffic Control System Command Center on February 17, 2025, and Sean Duffy confirmed that per Donald Trump, Musk's staff would be in control of America's air traffic control systems.^[88] The Independent made note of ongoing fines, conflicts and litigation between Musk and the FAA, creating conflicts of interest for Musk.^[88]

The Federal Emergency Management Agency coordinates the response to disasters that occur on American soil, when local and state resources are overwhelmed.

On February 11, Musk incited Republican outrage by posting on X about Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funding of migrant shelter hotels in New York City. He said DOGE had discovered the funding, and falsely asserted that the funds were intended for disaster relief but had been illegally redirected to house migrants in "luxury hotels". The funds had been appropriated by Congress in 2024 under FEMA's "Shelter and Services Program" created by Congress in 2023, and they are separate from disaster relief funds.^[89][90][91]

Musk's false allegation led the Department of Homeland Security to fire four FEMA employees that day, including the CFO, alleging they were "deep state activists". The next day, homeland security secretary Kristi Noem said she had "clawed back the full payment that FEMA deep state activists unilaterally gave to NYC migrant hotels". The city comptroller confirmed that $80 million had been withdrawn from the city's bank account.^[89][90][91]

The General Services Administration helps manage and support the basic functioning of other federal agencies, including managing federal real estate and technology.

At the end of January, Musk's group took over GSA. Wired magazine reported "an effort to use IT credentials from the Executive Office of the President to access GSA laptops and internal GSA infrastructure".^[92] Workers at GSA's Technology Transformation Services (TTS) were summoned to meetings with young, inexperienced engineers who recently worked at Musk's companies.^[2] In the meetings, the TTS employees were required to present and defend code they had written. Some of the interviewers did not have government email addresses and refused to give their names.^[93] A Musk employee, Thomas Shedd, was appointed to lead TTS. In a TTS all-hands meeting on February 3, Shedd announced that GSA would now operate "like a startup software company", switching to an "AI-first strategy" including writing software with "AI coding agents".^[94][95] Shedd told TTS employees to expect a reduction in staff.^[96] In mid-February, GSA laid off dozens of TTS employees, including technical staff in the Presidential Innovation Fellows and U.S. Digital Corps programs.^[96]

On February 18, ProPublica reported that Stephen Ehikian, the new acting administrator of GSA, has appointed Frank Schuler as senior adviser.^[97] While Schuler has been coordinating with DOGE team member Nate Cavanaugh, his employment status remains unknown.^[97] Schuler has for years been promoting and profiting from "syndicated conservation easements", a tax-shelter scheme that financial authorities tried for years to shut down. ^[98] Two weeks after Stephen Ehikian was appointed to head GSA, his brother Brad Ehikian submitted a bid to buy a 17-acre facility in Silicon Valley from GSA at a large discount. The GSA's inspector general is investigating "allegations of fraud, waste, abuse, and misconduct" in the attempted purchase.^[99]

Also on February 18, a long-time GSA employee resigned rather than be forced to give Thomas Shedd administrator access to Notify.gov, a government text message service that contains sensitive personal data for members of the public.^[100] It could have been a violation of the Federal Information Security Modernization Act to grant Shedd this access without a written justification and an update to the program's security plan; the GSA employee was "instructed to skip that process" by Shedd.^[101]

On March 1, the entire 18F office was eliminated "under direction from the White House",^[102] weeks after Elon Musk claimed the "group was deleted."^[103]

Musk and DOGE have also focused on the Public Building Service (PBS) as they target offices to RIF. 600 employees were laid off on March 3rd and on March 5th, in one of PBS regions, RIF notices were sent to 165 out of 178 employees.^[13]

RIF notices have also been sent to some employees within the Office of Human Resources and the Office of Customer Experience.^[13]

The National Archives and Records Administration is charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It is also tasked with increasing public access to those documents that make up the National Archives.

404 Media reported that, at an all-hands meeting of all NARA employees on February 4, Deputy Director Jay Boskano stated that the agency had not received "any requests" from DOGE, that DOGE is not currently "looking to gain access" to National Archives systems, and stated there may be "unique opportunities to work with DOGE" to benefit the National Archives in the future.^[104]

The National Endowment for Democracy is a quasi-autonomous non-governmental organization in the United States founded in 1983 with the stated aim of advancing democracy worldwide and counter communist influence abroad,

On February 12, DOGE cut funding to NED by blocking disbursement from the Department of Treasury, causing significant disruptions to the organization.^{[105][106][107]} The same day, the NED informed the organizations it funds that it would suspend payments immediately. Additionally, organizations supported by NED started laying off staff and cutting expenditures.^[105][107] The Free Press believes that dismantling the NED would symbolise a momentous change in US foreign policy, undermining the idea that democratic ideals foster US global strength and influence, and that the Trump administration therefore no longer believes that promoting democracy in the world is in the national interest.^[108]

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is charged with forecasting weather, monitoring oceanic and atmospheric conditions, charting the seas, conducting deep-sea exploration, and managing fishing and protection of marine mammals and endangered species in the US exclusive economic zone.

ABC News reported on February 6 that DOGE operatives had gained access to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) computer systems. Staff from the NOAA Information Technology group and the Department of Commerce attempted to keep the operatives from the systems according to security protocols, but the operatives defied authorized security staff and forcefully entered the facilities.^[109] Two Democratic Congress members characterized DOGE's presence in NOAA systems as "hackers". NOAA staff noted that the actions of the operatives could directly cause risk to human life by hindering NOAA and National Weather Service operations.^[110][109] ABC also reported that operatives were also looking for anything connected to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) on bulletin boards and were inspecting bathroom signs to ensure compliance with Trump's executive orders.^[110]

On February 17, 2025, DOGE released 1,127 federal contracts spanning 39 federal departments and agencies, which included several NOAA contracts.^[111] DOGE announced the "deobligation" of $1,073,496 from the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research's (OAR) Uncrewed Systems Research Transition Office (UxSRTO) that was for "scientific, engineering, and technical support".^[112]