Department of Government Efficiency facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Department of Government Efficiency
United States DOGE Service

Logo as of January 2025
Predecessor	United States Digital Service
Formation	January 20, 2025; 6 months ago (2025-01-20)
Type	Cross-departmental temporary organization
Headquarters	Eisenhower Executive Office Building, Washington, D.C., U.S.
Administrator	Amy Gleason (acting)
Parent organization	Executive Office of the President
Budget	c. $40 million

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is a new project started by the second Trump administration in the federal government of the United States. Its main goals are to make government technology better, improve how much work gets done, and reduce rules and spending. The idea for DOGE came from talks between Donald Trump and Elon Musk in 2024. It was officially created by a special order on January 20, 2025.

People working for DOGE have taken important jobs in government groups. This gave them control over computer systems. They used this power to cancel contracts, especially those with small businesses. DOGE has also helped with large job cuts and closing down some government groups. It has also helped with immigration actions and copied private information from government computers.

DOGE's exact role is not always clear. It used to be called the U.S. Digital Service. Now, "USDS" stands for "United States DOGE Service." This part of DOGE is set to end on July 4, 2026. Elon Musk has said DOGE is open about its actions. However, the Supreme Court has said DOGE does not have to share all its information. DOGE's actions have led to disagreements and lawsuits. Some people worry about a constitutional crisis, while others compare DOGE's actions to a coup. The White House says DOGE's actions are legal.

Musk's role with DOGE is also not fully clear. The White House said he was a senior advisor and not making decisions. They named Amy Gleason as the acting leader. But Trump said Musk was in charge of DOGE. A judge, Theodore D. Chuang, called Musk the de facto (actual) leader. This might mean he needed approval from the Senate. In May 2025, Musk said he would step back from DOGE. He had been working remotely after making federal workers return to their offices. Musk left Washington on May 30, after his time with DOGE ended. Other top advisors also left with him. Trump continued to support Musk until they had a disagreement on June 5. The administration still promised to support DOGE's goals.

As of June 29, 2025, DOGE has claimed to have saved $190 billion. But an independent study estimated that DOGE's savings will actually cost $135 billion. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) predicted a loss of over $500 billion in tax money because of DOGE's cuts. Journalists also found billions of dollars were miscounted. Critics say DOGE changed how it defined fraud to target federal workers and programs. They believe this was done to gain political support. Budget experts said DOGE's cuts were more about political ideas than saving money. Musk, DOGE, and the Trump administration have made many claims about finding fraud. Many of these claims have not been proven true.

How DOGE Started

Elon Musk and Donald Trump on a plane

Elon Musk became a big supporter of Republican Party politicians, including Donald Trump, starting in 2023. He gave over $290 million to campaigns in the 2024 election. In September 2024, Musk said that reducing government rules was the only way for his Mars colonization program to succeed. In October, he appeared on stage with Trump wearing an "Occupy Mars" t-shirt.

On September 5, 2024, Trump told the Economic Club of New York that he would create a "Government Efficiency Commission." He said this was suggested by Elon Musk. The commission would check all government spending and suggest big changes. Before this public announcement, Musk had talked to Javier Milei about using a similar plan to Argentina's deregulation.

In November 2024, The New York Times compared this project to similar efforts in the past. These included Theodore Roosevelt's Keep Commission and Ronald Reagan's Grace Commission.

The Idea for DOGE

The idea for DOGE came from a talk between Musk and Trump in the summer of 2024. Musk suggested a "government efficiency commission." In August, Trump said he would be open to Musk having an advisory role. The next day, someone on X (formerly Twitter) suggested "Department of Government Efficiency." Musk replied, "That is the perfect name," and posted a picture of himself in front of a podium marked "D.O.G.E." The name "DOGE" is a backronym. It refers to an internet meme of a Shiba Inu dog and to Dogecoin, a digital currency Musk supports.

A few days after the election, a small group, including Musk, started meeting. On November 12, Trump announced that Musk would lead DOGE. He compared it to the Manhattan Project, a huge science project from World War II. Musk suggested combining the 400 federal agencies into about 99. Musk also wrote an article arguing that the government needed to be smaller.

At a rally in October 2024, Musk said DOGE could cut federal spending by "at least" $2 trillion. This was more than the entire budget for some government activities in 2023. In February 2025, Musk still believed $1 trillion could be cut. In April 2025, Musk said $150 billion had been cut. However, fact-checkers questioned this number.

When DOGE Will End

On December 2, 2024, a person named Ramaswamy said that most government projects should have a clear end date. Musk replied that the final step for DOGE was to "delete itself." Trump said DOGE's work would "conclude" by July 4, 2026. This date is the 250th anniversary of the United States. Trump called the expected results "the perfect gift to America."

Trump's order on January 20 created DOGE with two parts: a permanent part and a temporary part. What the temporary part will do is still being decided.

Ramaswamy Leaves DOGE

After Trump's second inauguration on January 20, the White House said Ramaswamy would not join DOGE. This news came after reports of disagreements between Ramaswamy and DOGE staff. Sources close to Ramaswamy said he left to focus on his campaign for governor of Ohio.

Early Claims of Fraud

On November 12, 2024, Trump said DOGE would work to find "massive waste and fraud" in government spending. Less than a week into his presidency, Trump fired 17 inspectors general. These officials were supposed to check federal agencies. Some of them were investigating Elon Musk's companies.

Trump said DOGE found "billions and billions of dollars in waste, fraud and abuse." Musk suggested that 20 million people over 100 years old were getting Social Security. He called this "the biggest fraud in history." But this claim was based on a misunderstanding of the information. Another claim about $2.7 trillion in improper payments was also proven false. Two judges later criticized the Trump administration for claiming fraud without proof.

In a speech on March 4, 2025, Trump repeated Musk's claim about very old people getting Social Security. In March 2025, Musk suggested that people who criticize DOGE are involved in fraud.

How DOGE Is Organized

On January 20, 2025, Trump officially created the "U.S. Department of Government Efficiency." He set up DOGE with three main parts:

• The U.S. Digital Service (USDS) was renamed the "U.S. DOGE Service."
• The "U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization" was created within USDS. It is meant to end on July 4, 2026.
• "DOGE teams" were formed to work with other government groups.

The new USDS is supposed to have "full and quick access" to all government records and computer systems. Trump has issued many other orders that mention DOGE.

DOGE Teams

The first order introduced "DOGE teams." These teams usually have at least four employees. They often include a team leader, an engineer, a human resources expert, and a lawyer. DOGE team members work inside all federal agencies. They help decide if job openings will be filled. The team leader also sends a monthly hiring report.

DOGE teams also help agencies create a "centralized technological system." This system records every payment made by the agency. It also shows who approved the payment. This system also gives agency leaders a "kill switch" to stop decisions.

USDS Administrator

The USDS administrator is currently Amy Gleason. This person reports to the White House Chief of Staff. The administrator also leads the temporary DOGE organization. Their job includes making government software more modern. They work with agency leaders to make sure computer systems can work together. They also help USDS get access to agency records. The administrator also helps create a hiring plan for federal agencies. Within 240 days of February 11, 2025, the administrator must give the president a report. This report will suggest if any parts of the workforce plan should continue or change.

Related Orders

Trump has issued several executive orders about DOGE. These orders either created DOGE, set its goals, or asked agencies to work with DOGE members. For example:

• On January 20, order 14158 created different DOGE groups.
• On February 11, order 14210 ordered big reductions in the number of government workers.
• On February 19, order 14219 told agency leaders to review all laws they oversee. The goal was to reduce rules.
• On February 26, order 14222 gave instructions to change how contracts, grants, and loans are recorded.

Working Conditions

On February 2, 2025, Elon Musk said that DOGE workers were working 120 hours a week. This was questioned because it leaves very little time for sleep. In May 2025, a DOGE worker said that people at DOGE work until 2 AM, Monday through Sunday. They said DOGE does not recognize weekends.

Some DOGE workers seem to live at the office part-time. At the headquarters of the General Services Administration (GSA), DOGE changed some offices into sleeping areas. Some GSA staff said that at least one DOGE staffer's family was living on the sixth floor. Musk told many people he had slept at GSA. Photos were obtained showing Starlink equipment on the top floor of the headquarters.

Budget and Funding

When DOGE was first announced, its budget was not known. Many employees were expected to be volunteers. By February 20, 2025, DOGE's budget was almost $40 million. DOGE gets its money from other federal agencies. This means the Trump administration has treated DOGE like a federal agency. Experts say this creates a problem. If DOGE is acting like an agency, it should have been created by law.

DOGE asked the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to pay for 20 full-time DOGE employees. These employees would be paid at the highest federal pay level to update OPM's computer systems. OPM had to pay each month in advance and give DOGE access to its data. This would cost $4.1 million for the work until July 4, 2026.

At least three DOGE employees are paid by the General Services Administration (GSA). Their salaries range from $120,500 to $195,200. According to DOGE's website, the average GSA employee has worked there for 13 years and makes $128,565.

An agreement between the Department of Labor (DOL) and USDS would pay $1.3 million for the work of four DOGE members. This is about 10% more per employee than the top salary for a career civil servant.

To cover DOGE's costs in its first week, $6.75 million was given to DOGE. This money came from an account that used to fund the old US Digital Service. This amount was almost twice the yearly budget for the White House. DOGE also has its own account at the Treasury. By February 8, DOGE's budget had more than doubled to $14.4 million.

Politico reported that the U.S. DOGE Service (USDS) had 89 employees in 2025. They planned to increase staff to 150 in 2026. Official papers showed that USDS had a budget of $20 million for 2025. They asked for $45 million for 2026.

What DOGE Aims To Do

Musk swings the "Chainsaw for Bureaucracy" at CPAC 2025.

People who support DOGE say it is meant to make the government smaller and more efficient. They want to cut government spending and reduce the number of federal workers. Critics say DOGE is trying to make the federal government follow the Trump administration's political ideas. DOGE has a plan to remove programs related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) from federal agencies. This plan includes firing many employees.

While doing this, DOGE has gained wide access to government information. It has taken control of government computer systems. This means it has information about American citizens, public property, scientific data, official websites, financial records, and government contracts. It also gained the power to stop programs, delete data, and contact every federal employee. DOGE's plans are similar to the goals of Project 2025.

Controlling Government Digital Systems

DOGE has tried to control, and sometimes succeeded, in taking over U.S. government digital systems. Three weeks into the second Trump presidency, TechCrunch noted that DOGE had "unprecedented access" to many U.S. government departments. This included agencies that manage data for millions of federal employees and a system that handles $6 trillion in payments.

Chief Information Officers

The role of chief information officers (CIO) has changed over time. CIOs are in charge of technology. On February 4, 2025, OPM suggested that CIOs should be chosen for political reasons. Some new CIOs are connected to Elon Musk or Peter Thiel. For example, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has Gregory Barbaccia from Palantir. OPM has Greg Hogan from SpaceX.

Office of Personnel Management (OPM)

On Trump's first day in office, DOGE member Amanda Scales became chief of staff at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). OPM manages over $1 trillion in retirement funds and benefits for federal employees. It also keeps records for 2.1 million workers and people who have applied for federal jobs. OPM also has an email list of almost every federal employee. DOGE took away database access from senior OPM staff on January 30, 2025.

General Services Administration (GSA)

Musk's assistant, Steve Davis, and other DOGE team members have been working at the GSA headquarters since February 2. The GSA is important because it handles many things for all agencies. It has data about federal buildings, purchasing, and computer systems. It also manages the SmartPay system, which is the largest government payment program. The GSA also oversees the Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS), which lists every contract over $3,000. DOGE has had the power to change these records since before February 14.

On February 18, 2025, Steven Reilly resigned from leading the engineering of notify.gov. This happened after the new GSA director, Thomas Shedd, asked for special access to this service and 20 other GSA systems.

Department of Treasury (USDT)

On January 21, David Lebryk refused DOGE access to USDT systems. But the new Treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, changed that decision later that day. Lebryk then resigned. He was replaced by Tom Krause, a DOGE member.

On February 13, DOGE entered the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), which is part of the Treasury Department. Two days later, DOGE was trying to get access to the Integrated Data Retrieval System. The Treasury (through the IRS) has names, addresses, social security numbers, income, and bank information for taxpayers.

Social Security Administration (SSA)

On February 18, Michelle King left her role as SSA acting commissioner. She was replaced by Leland Dudek, an SSA employee who had recently written about being put on leave for talking to DOGE. Another top official also retired. She said she saw a "disregard for critical processes." She also accused DOGE member Michael Russo of supporting DOGE's false claims about dead people getting benefits. SSA's systems have records of wages, social security numbers, bank accounts, and medical information.

Removing DEI Programs

In December 2024, Elon Musk tweeted: "DEI must DIE." DEI stands for diversity, equity, and inclusion. An internal DOGE report, seen by the Washington Post on February 15, 2025, showed a three-step plan to remove DEI from the federal government:

• Phase one: On his first day, Trump would cancel all DEI-related orders. He would close offices with DEI roles and fire their employees. Federal websites would remove DEI material, and all DEI contracts would end.
• Phase two: From January 21 to February 19, the government would remove employees who were "corrupted" by DEI, even if their job wasn't DEI-focused. For example, DOGE searched NOAA databases for employees linked to DEI.
• Phase three: From February 20 to July 19, DOGE would fire many employees. This would include anyone in government who was "DEI-related," even if they didn't work on DEI. The exact rules for this were not known.

People involved in this plan included lawyers and long-time SpaceX employees.

Sharing DOGE's Mission

At a press conference on February 11, 2025, Elon Musk promised to make DOGE's actions "maximally transparent." He said they would publish everything on a government website. Doge.gov went live the next day. It showed DOGE's tweets and a few tabs. Another website, waste.gov, was made private after DOGE used a blog theme with the word "diverse," which went against Trump's policy. Days later, hackers posted funny messages on Doge.gov.

DOGE promised to show "receipts" (proof of savings) by Valentine's Day. They appeared on February 17. These were search results from the FPDS showing canceled contracts. By the end of February, doge.gov did not provide names or contact information for its staff. It also didn't have an organization chart or a calendar of activities.

DOGE has also used social media to promote its work. After its first official action, DOGE's X account showed they took down a DEI website and said: "Progress." Musk retweeted this and said: "It begins." Musk and DOGE promoted many false ideas about fraud and federal employees. They claimed Democrats were giving money to undocumented immigrants. They also claimed many federal employees did not exist. DOGE has supported anti-DEI policies.

On May 21, Musk repeated that DOGE was transparent. He said it published "any action that is a function of DOGE" on its website or social media. On the same day, the Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to make DOGE exempt from the Freedom of Information Act.

Similarities to Project 2025

In an article about the DOGE plan, Musk promised to work closely with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). He called decisions by "unelected bureaucrats" "antidemocratic." On his first day, Trump brought back a rule to make firing easier. He also nominated Russell Vought to lead OMB. Vought had helped create Project 2025, a plan for a future conservative presidency.

Many people have noticed that DOGE's goals and actions are very similar to the policies in Project 2025. Nine of the fifteen agencies DOGE first targeted were also marked for removal or reduction in Project 2025. Experts believe DOGE's actions are more about political ideas than saving money.

What DOGE Has Done in Government

By the end of January, DOGE had put its chosen officials in charge of important government agencies. These included the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the United States Digital Service (USDS), and the General Services Administration (GSA). Many leaders of these groups resigned or were fired after disagreeing with DOGE. They were replaced by DOGE members.

DOGE's access to computer systems across the government allowed it to track and sometimes stop money flows. DOGE worked with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to dismantle the Agency for International Development (USAID). Their bigger targets are the Treasury (USDT), the Social Security Administration (SSA), and Health and Human Services (HHS). These three agencies spend almost two-thirds of all government money. A judge found that DOGE has "unprecedented access to sensitive personal and classified data." The judge also said DOGE "appears to have the power... to drastically reshape and even eliminate them" without Congress's approval. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has been checking DOGE since March because of how it handles data. One auditor called it "a heist, stealing a vast amount of government data."

Managing Federal Databases

At the SSA, DOGE demanded access to databases with information about everyone with a Social Security number. DOGE members pressured top officials to give them access to "everything, including source code." In March, Wired reported that DOGE was putting together a team to change the SSA's computer code to a more modern language. Experts say this should take years to do safely, but DOGE aimed to do it in months.

The Washington Post reported that DOGE and the Homeland Security Department were behind the SSA falsely listing over 6,000 living immigrants as dead. This happened after DOGE tried to use SSA information against immigrants. Two days later, guards escorted out a senior SSA executive who disagreed with DOGE. In response to a court decision that stopped DOGE from accessing SSA systems, a top SSA official and DOGE member threatened to shut down the agency.

At HHS, a DOGE member was made administrator of grants.gov. A week later, federal officials could no longer post grants. They were told to send grant notices to a DOGE-managed email address. Employees at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) were told that DOGE would review and approve funding opportunities.

At the Department of Interior (DOI), Wired reported that DOGE members were seeking full access to DOI's payroll, human resources, and email systems. They also wanted permission to create, pause, and delete email accounts. The chief information officers at the DOI were put on leave in March.

At the Customs and Border Protection (CBP), DOGE created trumpcard.gov. A "Trump card visa" appeared on immigration forms. Wired reported that DOGE members worked on this project.

Collecting Data

According to Wired, by April 2025, DOGE focused on collecting data and moving sensitive information from government agencies to private databases. Whistleblowers said there was an attempt to build a "master database" on American citizens. Democrats worried about possible cybersecurity and privacy law violations. The Privacy Act of 1974 has been mentioned in many lawsuits about DOGE's access to private data. Some lawsuits successfully stopped DOGE temporarily.

At the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), a whistleblower said that security to stop unauthorized mobile devices was temporarily turned off. Temporary superusers moved NLRB data and then erased their tracks. During this process, they left the system open to public entry. The whistleblower noticed that a DOGE member was publicly working on a "backdoor" software before entering NLRB. Login attempts from Russia were made minutes after DOGE took control of the systems.

At the Department of Homeland Security, sources told Wired that DOGE is building a master database. This database connects SSA data, IRS data, biometric data, and voting records. DOGE members were given access to immigration data. This data includes information on refugees, asylum seekers, and naturalized citizens.

On June 25, a judge ruled that DOGE's access to the OPM database was not justified. The Washington Post reported that DOGE has access to more than seven agency databases with sensitive business information. The wide access DOGE has raises concerns about sharing government information with Musk’s companies.

Using Artificial Intelligence (AI)

On February 3, Thomas Shedd announced that GSA would work "like a startup software company." He said they would use an "AI-first strategy," including writing software with "AI coding agents." Shedd planned to use AI to check government contracts. He also wanted to use AI to analyze federal workers' moods and make GSA a model AI agency. In the same week, the Washington Post reported that DOGE used AI at the Department of Education (ED). This AI looked for DEI programs and employee spending.

On March 7, DOGE launched its own AI chatbot for 1,500 GSA workers. This was meant to help with daily tasks. On March 19, a DOGE member showed a demo of the AI to employees. In April, a DOGE member was tasked with rewriting the Department of Housing and Urban Development's rules using AI. Employees were told the AI model would read through federal rules and be improved by the agency.

AI was used to check EPA employee communications for DEI terms or anti-Trump/anti-Musk feelings.

Wired reported that DOGE members used AI to review and classify responses from OPM employees.

Employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) saw attempts by a DOGE member to use an AI tool to write code for the department's systems. An investigation found that this DOGE member had written code with AI that wrongly identified over 2,000 VA contracts as not important. The AI made up some contract values. Experts said the code was flawed. At least two dozen of the flagged contracts had been canceled.

Reducing Federal Workers

Comparison of changes in federal civilian employment starting from the December before each president began their term. X-axis is scaled for relative time in office.

As of May 2, 2025, the number of federal civilian workers has decreased by 26,000 since Trump's second term began. This does not include the U.S. Postal Service. In total, 260,000 federal employees have taken buyouts, retired early, or been fired.

Hiring Freeze and Firings

Trump issued a "Hiring Freeze" order on his first day. This order asked for a plan to reduce the number of federal workers. The next day, the acting administrator of OPM ordered federal agencies to close their DEI programs. He also asked employees to report anyone hiding these programs. On January 27, a memo told OPM employees to work in the office full-time.

The OPM acting administrator also reminded agencies that they could fire new hires without certain protections. He then asked for a list of all probationary employees. On February 13, 2025, OPM advised agencies to fire most of an estimated 200,000 probationary workers. After this, layoffs happened at HHS, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the National Nuclear Security Administration.

"Fork in the Road" Emails

DOGE used OPM systems to email all federal employees. On January 28, OPM offered a "deferred resignation program." Federal employees who resigned by February 6 would receive salary and benefits until September 30. The email had the same subject line, "Fork in the road," that Musk used when he took over Twitter. By the deadline, about 75,000 employees took the offer. The offer stated that workers who accepted would give up their right to take legal action.

On February 22, Musk posted on X, telling federal workers to summarize their weekly accomplishments. He warned that not doing so would be seen as a resignation. Soon after, OPM emailed employees asking for five bullet point summaries. The Department of Defense told its staff to ignore Musk's request. The FBI and State Department also told their employees not to respond. HHS warned employees not to participate because replies might be "read by malign foreign actors." Two days later, OPM said responding was voluntary. However, Musk tweeted that if employees still refused, it would "result in termination."

A second "Fork on the road" buyout offer was sent to Peace Corps employees.

Mass Layoffs

On January 31, a senior advisor and DOGE member said the goal was to cut 70% of OPM's workforce. The GSA acting administrator and DOGE member warned that he would use "Reduction In Force" (RIF) measures at the agency. On March 7, DOGE launched its AI chatbot for GSA workers. This happened after the GSA director fired about 90 technologists and said his branch would shrink by 50 percent. This included the 18F team, which was deemed "non-essential."

A DOGE member modified a program in OPM's code that is meant to automate the RIF process.

Coordinating to Shut Down Operations

On February 1, DOGE members gained access to some of USAID's classified information. Two security chiefs at USAID tried to stop them because they didn't meet the requirements. But the security chiefs were then put on leave. On February 24, the Washington Post reported that DOGE members manually blocked payments for important programs. On March 18, a DOGE member was appointed as a deputy administrator in USAID. He wrote a memo on March 28 to stop USAID's mission, even after a judge ordered that he and DOGE should not make further cuts.

On February 6, staff at the CFPB were told that DOGE members entered the building. They would need access to CFPB data and systems. The next evening, Russ Vought became the acting head of the bureau. He ordered all work to stop and the Washington DC office to close. A large firing in mid-April tried to cut the bureau's staff by about 86%, but this was stopped in court.

DOGE entered the Department of Education in early February. It accessed internal databases with student information. Its team used AI to check the department's sensitive financial data. It then announced that $900 million worth of contracts were cut. These contracts were mostly for research on education outcomes in public schools. Anonymous sources said DOGE members pushed high-ranking officials out of their offices. They also set up white noise machines to muffle conversations. DOGE's demands were seen as unfair, like cutting 80% of funding for student loan applications. By March 11, almost half of the Department of Education workforce had been fired.

The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) is a non-profit group created by Congress. Trump fired most of USIP's governing board on March 14. On March 17, a security company allowed DOGE to enter the USIP with police. The security company said DOGE threatened all their federal contracts if they didn't allow entry. USIP filed a lawsuit against DOGE. They claimed DOGE "plundered the offices" to get control of the Institute's computer systems. Court documents showed photos of financial documents in a "shred" bin. They also showed a USIP logo ripped from the wall. Documents filed on March 31 showed that a DOGE member was told to transfer USIP's assets, including its real estate, to the GSA.

Government Changes

On February 26, Trump issued an order to immediately get rid of extra federal property and reduce non-essential travel. The first groups targeted were international organizations and educational institutions. Two days later, DOGE put a $1 spending limit on government credit cards for employees at GSA, OPM, CFPB, and USAID. Soon after, the limit was extended to 24,000 cards across 14 agencies. A week later, 146,000 cards across 16 agencies were frozen. Weeks before Trump's order, employees complained about losing Wi-Fi and lacking furniture.

Selling Government Property

On March 4, the GSA published a list of 443 properties to be sold. This included headquarters, courthouses, and 47 SSA offices. The list was edited the same day to remove about 120 properties. Then it was taken off the GSA website the next day. The public list included a secret federal complex in Virginia where the CIA does secret operations.

New Contracts

At the Department of the Treasury (USDT), a DOGE member will lead the creation of an Application Programming Interface (API) for IRS data. This will use Foundry, a platform developed by Palantir. Earlier, Wired said that two DOGE members planned to create an API to connect all IRS databases.

In March, DOGE installed a Starlink internet terminal at the White House. This raised concerns about conflicts of interest because Starlink is owned by Musk's company, SpaceX. The White House said the terminal was donated and approved. GSA also subscribed to Starlink for its Washington offices in mid-February. Musk confirmed that SpaceX had a lease agreement with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Outsourcing

On April 17, ProPublica reported meetings between GSA and a company called Ramp. They discussed outsourcing the SmartPay credit card program. Ramp's supporters include Peter Thiel. Ramp confirmed it was part of a process to gather information.

Privatization

During a conference, Elon Musk said that "we should privatize anything that can reasonably be privatized." He gave USPS and Amtrak as examples.

During a private meeting, a DOGE member suggested outsourcing Social Security customer service. Experts have warned that the SSA is moving towards privatization.

OPM has given a one-year contract to Workday, Inc. to help with processing federal retirement applications.

Reducing Regulations

On June 27, staff at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) told the Washington Post that a DOGE team was sent to their agency. Their goal was to change or remove 47 regulations by July 4.

Savings Announcements

DOGE announced the termination of contracts, grants, and leases on its website. Government contracts are often paid over time. To estimate savings, DOGE uses the total possible value of these contracts. Experts say this is an unrealistic overestimate. Former Republican budget experts said the cuts were more about political ideas than saving money. Some announcements included:

• A $168,707 contract for an exhibit at the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) Museum. This contract had already been paid in full.
• Three $15 million contracts by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), totaling $45 million.
• An $8 million contract for "Equal Employment Opportunity." DOGE first falsely claimed this saved $8 billion, then corrected it to $8 million.
• A lease for the "Allowance to Former Presidents Office" for the Carter Center. DOGE said terminating it saved $544,991. However, benefits for former presidents ended when Carter died in December 2024.
• On April 4, DOGE claimed saving about $1 million by replacing magnetic tapes with digital backups. Experts noted there was no cost analysis, and tapes are still the cheapest way to save data.
• A lease for the Risk Management Agency (RMA). DOGE said terminating it saved $964,396.
• A $22 million contract for "research and development" for NOAA. DOGE first added funding to this contract, then later partially ended it.

Many canceled contracts were not shared by DOGE. After two weeks, hundreds of claimed savings were removed from its "wall." An expert doubted the reliability of the wall. On March 13, journalists found that DOGE removed identification numbers from its public code. This made it hard to check their claims. A White House official said this was for security reasons. By May 13, DOGE removed 31 contracts from its Savings tracker. This was a week after the New York Times reported that 43 of the contracts they checked had been restored.

DOGE's initial reported savings were wrong. This was because they counted contracts multiple times. They also listed contracts that were already paid as savings. About a third of the 2,300 contract terminations released on February 24 would not save the government any money. An expert noted that DOGE's "Agency Deregulation Leaderboard" savings did not consider the extra costs that reducing rules in healthcare, finance, and energy would put on citizens.

What DOGE Has Done Outside Government

On April 11, 2025, DOGE contacted the Vera Institute of Justice, which is funded independently. DOGE wanted to place a team inside the organization. DOGE was then told that Vera no longer received federal funding.

On April 17, DOGE members met with leaders of the National Gallery of Art (NGA). They discussed its tax exemption status.

Evidence from an April court case showed that a DOGE member sent orders to the Justice Department. These orders were to end contracts with the Acacia Center for Justice.

On April 29, a DOGE member contacted two members of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) board. He wanted to embed a DOGE team. CPB is a non-profit corporation independent from the federal government.

Impact on People

Experts in government organization said that DOGE's efforts go beyond just technology and human resources. They include purchasing, property, and how agencies work. Some experts warn that these actions could harm the economy and markets. They may also leave taxpayers with a huge bill and government agencies in disarray.

Officials from the Treasury Department and IRS predicted a decrease of over 10 percent in tax money by April 15, 2025. This is more than $500 billion in lost government income. They noted that "DOGE-driven workforce reductions" were a reason for this. A group called Partnership for Public Service estimated in April 2025 that DOGE's efforts will cost taxpayers over $135 billion in 2025. This is due to lost productivity, paid leave, and the costs of firing and rehiring employees. This estimate did not include the costs of lawsuits or lower tax collections.

DOGE canceled at least $100 million worth of affordable housing contracts to non-profit groups in February 2025. This happened after they checked the groups' websites for DEI terms. An former government official said this decision would raise costs for families and hurt the creation of affordable homes.

On March 25, 2025, services at the Social Security Administration (SSA) were reportedly breaking down. There were many website crashes. Call waiting times were twice as long as in previous years. Only 24% of calls were answered. On April 7, Gizmodo reported that SSA servers crashed after DOGE members updated their software without testing it. On June 20, the Washington Post reported that SSA stopped sharing information about how long it takes to process benefits or answer calls.

As of May 30, 2025, the Trump administration's pause and end of foreign aid programs, with DOGE's help, has led to an estimated 300,000 deaths. This is according to a public health professor. A study projected an additional 14 million deaths by 2030, including over 4 million children under age 5.

See also

In Spanish: Departamento de Eficiencia Gubernamental para niños

• United States federal budget
• Expenditures in the United States federal budget

Related Committees

• United States Senate Committee on Appropriations
• United States House Committee on Appropriations
• United States House Oversight Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency

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