Network of the Department of Government Efficiency#Biasini
{{Short description|none}}
File:Eisenhower_Executive_Office_Building_26.jpg.{{Cite web |date=2025-01-28 |title=Where will Elon Musk's DOGE team work? Not in the Oval Office, Trump says |url=https://www.business-standard.com/world-news/elon-musk-office-clarified-white-house-doge-mission-trump-2-0-125012801114_1.html |access-date=2025-03-07 |website=Business Standard}}]]
The network of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) consists of personnel, allies, and Elon Musk associates appointed during the second presidency of Donald Trump to implement his government efficiency initiative. DOGE's leadership is ambiguous: while Amy Gleason was named Acting Administrator{{Cite news |last=Kelly |first=Makena |date=2025-02-18 |title=Not Even DOGE Employees Know Who’s Legally Running DOGE |url=https://www.wired.com/story/doge-elon-musk-leadership-administrator/ |access-date=2025-05-04 |work=Wired |language=en-US |issn=1059-1028}} and Steve Davis reportedly manages daily operations,{{Cite web |first1=Christopher |last1=Bing |first2=Avi |last2=Asher-Schapiro |first3=Annie |last3=Waldman |date=2025-03-14 |title=Who’s Running the DOGE Wrecking Machine: The World's Richest Man or a Little-Known Bureaucrat? |url=https://www.propublica.org/article/doge-leadership-elon-musk-amy-gleason-trump-ethics-conflict-of-interest |access-date=2025-05-04 |website=ProPublica |language=en}} Elon Musk (officially a special government employee with limited formal authority) has been described by Trump as being "in charge", and the court has declared him the "DOGE leader".{{cite news |last1=Lee |first1=Ella |title=Judge finds Elon Musk likely acted unconstitutionally in shuttering USAID |url=https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5201430-judge-elon-musk-usaid/ |access-date=March 18, 2025 |work=The Hill |date=March 18, 2025|quote=It marks the first time a judge has ruled that Musk is likely exercising enough independent authority to require him to be confirmed by the Senate under the Appointments Clause. "The record of his activities to date establishes that his role has been and will continue to be as the leader of DOGE, with the same duties and degree of continuity as if he was formally in that position,'" wrote Chuang, an appointee of former President Obama. Chuang rejected the Trump administration's argument that Musk is not the DOGE administrator and is instead merely a senior adviser to the president who has no independent authority.}}{{Cite news| last = Tanis| first = Fatma| title = A federal judge says the USAID shutdown likely violated the Constitution| work = NPR| access-date = 2025-04-28| date = 2025-03-18| url = https://www.npr.org/2025/03/18/nx-s1-5332274/judge-ruling-usaid-shutdown |quote=In a 68-page opinion Tuesday, U.S. District Court Judge Theodore Chuang, an Obama appointee, wrote that "the Court finds that Defendants' actions taken to shut down USAID on an accelerated basis, including its apparent decision to permanently close USAID headquarters without the approval of a duly appointed USAID Officer, likely violated the United States Constitution in multiple ways, and that these actions harmed not only Plaintiffs, but also the public interest, because they deprived the public's elected representatives in Congress of their constitutional authority to decide whether, when, and how to close down an agency created by Congress."}} Musk said in March 2025 that there are around 100 employees and that he planned to double the staff.{{Cite web |date=2025-03-10 |title=Musk says DOGE is in almost every federal agency and plans to double staff |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/doge/musk-says-doge-almost-every-federal-agency-plans-double-staff-rcna195735 |access-date=2025-05-04 |website=NBC News |language=en}}
Many of the employees, informally called "DOGE kids", are software engineers aged between 19 and 24 and without prior government experience. The broader network also includes allies from Silicon Valley, the Trump administration and conservative legal circles. DOGE's structure has not officially been published, and the identity of DOGE members was revealed by investigative journalists, which Musk described as doxxing. DOGE's workforce is controversial, with concerns over its transparency, potential conflicts of interest,{{Cite web |date=2025-04-30 |title=What is Doge and why is Musk stepping back? |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c23vkd57471o |access-date=2025-05-04 |website=BBC |language=en-GB}}{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2025-02-11 |title=Musk touts DOGE transparency but downplays his own potential conflicts of interest |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2025/02/11/politics/musk-trump-conflicts-of-interest/index.html |access-date=2025-05-04 |website=CNN |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=May 7, 2025 |last=Pearson |first=Jake |title=DOGE Aide Who Helped Gut CFPB Was Warned About Potential Conflicts of Interest |url=https://www.propublica.org/article/cfpb-gavin-kliger-doge-conflict-of-interest-consumer-financial-protection-bureau |publisher=ProPublica}} information security,{{Cite web |last=Chow |first=Andrew R. |date=2025-03-19 |title=Cybersecurity Experts Are Sounding the Alarm on DOGE |url=https://time.com/7268032/doge-cybersecurity-elon-musk/ |access-date=2025-05-04 |website=TIME |language=en}} and members' past conduct or affiliations.{{Cite news |title=Who is part of Elon Musk's DOGE, and what are they doing? |url=https://www.npr.org/2025/02/07/nx-s1-5288988/doge-elon-musk-staff-trump |access-date=2025-05-04 |work=NPR |language=en}}
Elon Musk's role
In a February 17 affidavit, Office of Administration director Joshua Fischer told Judge Tanya Chutkan that Musk was not the administrator or an employee of DOGE but (like much of DOGE's workforce) a special employee with no "authority to make government decisions". Special government employees have 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.{{Cite web |last=Picchi |first=Aimee |date=2025-02-18 |title=Musk is not an employee of DOGE and "has no actual or formal authority," White House says |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/elon-musk-doge-not-employee-no-authority-white-house-says/ |access-date=2025-03-07 |website=CBS News}}{{Cite magazine |last=Knibbs |first=Kate |title=Some DOGE Staffers Are Drawing Six-Figure Government Salaries |url=https://www.wired.com/story/doge-government-salaries-elon-musk/ |access-date=2025-03-14 |magazine=Wired |issn=1059-1028}} Nevertheless, Trump declared two days later to have put "Musk in charge" of DOGE.{{cite news |last1=Shalal |first1=Andrea |last2=Bose |first2=Nandita |date=February 20, 2025 |title=Trump appears to contradict White House, says Elon Musk in charge of DOGE |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-appears-contradict-white-house-says-elon-musk-charge-doge-2025-02-20/ |access-date=20 February 2025 |work=Reuters}} 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 he ignored Musk's role beyond that of Trump advisor.{{Cite web |last=Stratford |first=Michael |date=2025-02-24 |title=Judge questions constitutionality of DOGE, Musk's role |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2025/02/24/judge-questions-constitutionality-doge-elon-musk-00205866 |access-date=2025-03-07 |work=POLITICO}} On the next day, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Musk is "overseeing DOGE" but refused to identify its administrator after being asked repeatedly.{{Cite web |last=Woodward |first=Alex |date=2025-02-25 |title=White House refuses to reveal the name of the DOGE administrator |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/elon-musk-doge-administrator-karoline-leavitt-b2704577.html |access-date=2025-02-25 |work=The Independent}}{{cite web |date=February 25, 2025 |title=WATCH: White House refuses to 'reveal' DOGE administrator during briefing |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-white-house-refuses-to-reveal-doge-administrator-during-briefing |publisher=PBS News}}
Later the same day, the White House named Amy Gleason as the acting DOGE administrator; Gleason worked from 2018 through 2021 at US Digital Service.{{cite web |last=Bose |first=Nandita |date=February 25, 2025 |title=White House names Amy Gleason the administrator for Musk's DOGE program |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/us/white-house-names-amy-gleason-administrator-musks-doge-program-2025-02-25/ |publisher=Reuters}}{{cite news |last1=Foley |first1=Ryan J. |date=February 25, 2025 |title=Who is Amy Gleason, the person named DOGE's acting leader by the White House? |url=https://apnews.com/article/doge-acting-administrator-amy-gleason-65af638e646fdd5dd6d5fcc5cc04a2e7 |access-date=February 25, 2025 |work=Associated Press |agency=Associated Press}} On February 28, Justice Department lawyer Joshua Gardner told Judge Theodore D. Chuang that he was unable to identify the administrator of DOGE before Gleason.{{Cite web |last=Kalmbacher |first=Colin |date=2025-03-01 |title=Judge upbraids Trump admin lawyer for lack of knowledge about how DOGE operates |url=https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/that-seems-like-a-knowable-fact-doesnt-it-judge-upbraids-trump-admin-lawyer-for-lack-of-knowledge-and-strange-disconnect-about-how-doge-operates/ |access-date=2025-03-01 |work=Law & Crime}} In a filing submitted under seal but partly released in March, the Trump administration recognized that Gleason has been working at Health and Human Services at the same time that she said having worked full-time as an administrator of USDS.{{Cite web |date=2025-03-18 |title=The person the White House says is leading DOGE has also been working at HHS |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2025/03/18/doge-leader-human-services-gleason-00237827 |access-date=2025-03-20 |work=POLITICO}}
In his March 4 joint address to Congress, Trump repeated that DOGE "is headed by Elon Musk".{{cite news |last1=Lebowitz |first1=Megan |date=March 5, 2025 |title=Lawyer submits 'new evidence' in case against DOGE, using Trump's own words |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/doge/lawyer-submits-new-evidence-case-doge-using-trumps-words-rcna194840 |access-date=March 5, 2025 |work=NBC News}}{{Cite magazine |date=2025-03-05 |title=Read Full Transcript of Trump's 2025 Speech to Congress |url=https://time.com/7264688/trump-speech-congress-2025-transcript/ |access-date=2025-03-05 |magazine=TIME}} After being quoted in lawsuits days later, 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."{{cite web |last=Egwuonwu |first=Nnamdi |date=March 6, 2025 |title=Trump puts new limits on Elon Musk's authority amid backlash to DOGE cuts |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/doge/trump-cabinet-meeting-new-limits-elon-musk-backlash-doge-cuts-rcna195259 |publisher=NBC News}} On March 18, the court determined that Musk was "the leader of DOGE" and that his actions in dismantling USAID violated the Appointments Clause.{{cite news |last1=Lee |first1=Ella |date=March 18, 2025 |title=Judge finds Elon Musk likely acted unconstitutionally in shuttering USAID |url=https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5201430-judge-elon-musk-usaid/ |access-date=March 18, 2025 |work=The Hill |quote=It marks the first time a judge has ruled that Musk is likely exercising enough independent authority to require him to be confirmed by the Senate under the Constitution's Appointments Clause. "The record of his activities to date establishes that his role has been and will continue to be as the leader of DOGE, with the same duties and degree of continuity as if he was formally in that position,'" wrote Chuang, an appointee of former President Obama. Chuang rejected the Trump administration's argument that Musk is not the DOGE administrator and is instead merely a senior adviser to the president who has no independent authority.}} In a separate lawsuit involving Musk's company X, his own lawyers stated that he is "in charge of" DOGE.{{Cite web |last=Sneed |first=Tierney |date=2025-03-30 |title=Is DOGE actually an agency? The answer could have major ramifications |url=https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/30/politics/doge-lawsuits-elon-musk-role/index.html |access-date=2025-04-06 |website=CNN |language=en |quote=The group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics (CREW), noted in its Thursday discovery request that lawyers for Musk told a judge last week, in a case concerning his company X, that he was too busy to sit for a deposition because the White House had put him "in charge of Establishing and implementing" DOGE.}} In late April, Musk told his investors that he planned to reduce his government work, but that he will "likely" continue for the remainder of Trump's term.{{Cite news |author=Grace Eliza Goodwin |author2=John L. Dorman |title=Elon Musk is stepping back, but DOGE's work is far from over |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-stepping-back-doge-whats-next-2025-4 |access-date=2025-04-25 |work=Business Insider}}
In April, Elon Musk ceased basing his DOGE work from the White House, instead opting to work remotely.{{Cite web |last1=Nelson |first1=Steven |last2=Glebova |first2=Diana |date=2025-04-29 |title=Elon Musk no longer working from White House: 'Talking to him on the phone' |url=https://nypost.com/2025/04/29/us-news/elon-musk-no-longer-working-from-white-house-talking-to-him-on-the-phone/ |access-date=2025-05-01 |language=en-US}} During Tesla's earnings call on April 22, 2025, Musk said: "Starting early next month, in May, my time allocation to DOGE will drop significantly [...] I will be allocating far more of my time to Tesla."{{Cite news |last=Subramanian |first=Pras |date=2025-04-23 |title=Tesla stock rises after Musk says time at DOGE will drop 'significantly' |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/tesla-stock-rises-after-musk-says-time-at-doge-will-drop-significantly-124551548.html |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250428205109/https://finance.yahoo.com/news/tesla-stock-rises-after-musk-says-time-at-doge-will-drop-significantly-124551548.html |archive-date=2025-04-28 |access-date=2025-05-01 |work=Yahoo Finance |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |first1=Grace Eliza |last1=Goodwin |first2=Brent D. |last2=Griffiths |first3=Ana |last3=Altchek |date=April 22, 2025 |title=Elon Musk says he's stepping back from DOGE |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-stepping-back-doge-tesla-2025-4 |access-date=2025-05-01 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}} This has been widely interpreted as a response to drops in Tesla's stock and sales resulting from Musk's work with DOGE;{{Cite web |date=2025-04-22 |title=As Tesla's sales and profit tumble, investors ask Elon Musk to ditch DOGE and return to automaker - CBS News |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tesla-earnings-call-today-elon-musk-doge/ |access-date=2025-04-28 |website=www.cbsnews.com |language=en-US}} David Sacks attributed the pivot to Musk’s modus operandi and usual shifts in focus.{{Cite news |date=2025-04-27 |title='This is how Elon operates': David Sacks on Musk gradually stepping away from DOGE |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/this-is-how-elon-operates-david-sacks-on-musk-gradually-stepping-away-from-doge/articleshow/120669540.cms |access-date=2025-04-28 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}} Musk clarified that he was not planning to step away from DOGE entirely, saying that he would “spend a day or two per week on government matters for as long as the president would like me to do so”.{{Cite news |last=Domonoske |first=Camila |date=April 22, 2025 |title=As Tesla profits plunge 71%, Elon Musk says he'll spend less time on DOGE |url=https://www.npr.org/2025/04/22/nx-s1-5371552/tesla-earnings-april-2025-elon-musk-doge |access-date=2025-04-29 |work=NPR |language=en}}
"DOGE Kids"
File:Luke_Farritor_(AI_Tinkerers_SF,_October_2023)_-2.jpg
DOGE hired software engineers aged 19{{endash}}24 with no experience in government, including Akash Bobba, Edward Coristine, Luke Farritor, Marko Elez, Gautier Killian, Gavin Kliger, and Ethan Shaotran.{{Cite magazine |last=Elliott |first=Vittoria |title=The Young, Inexperienced Engineers Aiding Elon Musk's Government Takeover |url=https://www.wired.com/story/elon-musk-government-young-engineers/ |access-date=2025-02-17 |magazine=Wired |language=en-US |issn=1059-1028}} Reportedly, DOGE members conducted 15-minute video interviews with federal workers without identifying themselves, with queries such as "whom they would choose to fire from their teams if they had to pick one person",{{cite news |last1=Schleifer |first1=Theodore |last2=Nehamas |first2=Nicholas |last3=Conger |first3=Kate |last4=Mac |first4=Ryan |date=February 7, 2025 |title=Young Aides Emerge as Enforcers in Musk's Broadside Against Government |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/07/us/politics/musk-doge-aides.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250215070546/https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/07/us/politics/musk-doge-aides.html |archive-date=February 15, 2025 |access-date=March 7, 2025 |work=The New York Times}} and surprise code reviews, silently supervised by "extremely young men".{{cite news |last1=Zakrzewski |first1=Cat |last2=Siddiqui |first2=Faiz |date=2025-02-05 |title=How Elon Musk's deputies took over the government's most basic functions |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/02/05/elon-musk-federal-technology-takeover/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250206144811/https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/02/05/elon-musk-federal-technology-takeover/ |archive-date=February 6, 2025 |access-date=5 February 2025 |newspaper=The Washington Post}} The team has been called "Doge Kids" by officials, reporters, and social media users.{{Cite news |last1=Leloup |first1=Damien |last2=Szadkowski |first2=Michaël |date=2025-02-07 |title=Who are Elon Musk's 'DOGE kids,' tasked with 'hacking' the US federal government? |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/en/pixels/article/2025/02/07/who-are-the-doge-kids-the-disciples-of-elon-musk-tasked-with-hacking-the-us-federal-government_6737883_13.html |access-date=2025-02-07 |work=Le Monde}}{{Cite web |last=Tangermann |first=Victor |date=2025-02-06 |title=One of Elon Musk's DOGE Kids Just Had an Explosive Screaming Tantrum |url=https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-doge-kid-screaming-tantrum |access-date=2025-02-07 |website=Futurism}}{{Cite web |last=Hager |first=Eli |date=2025-03-12 |title="The President Wanted It and I Did It": Recording Reveals Head of Social Security's Thoughts on DOGE and Trump |url=https://www.propublica.org/article/recording-reveals-leland-dudek-thoughts-trump-doge-social-security |access-date=2025-03-12 |work=ProPublica |quote="[T]he full recording reveals that [Leland Dudek] went much further, citing not only the actions being taken at the agency by the people he repeatedly called "the DOGE kids ""}}
According to Brian Krebs, Edward Coristine's past poses security risks:{{cite web |last=Krebs |first=Brian |date=2025-02-07 |title=Teen on Musk's DOGE Team Graduated from 'The Com' |url=https://krebsonsecurity.com/2025/02/teen-on-musks-doge-team-graduated-from-the-com/ |access-date=2025-02-07 |website=Krebs on Security |quote=Experts say it is extremely difficult for former members of violent street gangs to gain a security clearance needed to view sensitive or classified information held by the U.S. government [...] The Com is the English-language cybercriminal hacking equivalent of a violent street gang.}} The 19-year-old son of the LesserEvil owner{{Cite web |last1=Sauer |first1=Megan |last2=Shamo |first2=Lauren |date=2024-09-07 |title=52-year-old quit his job, bought a failing snack company for $250,000—now it brings in $103 million a year |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2024/09/07/lesserevil-ceo-why-i-left-wall-street-for-a-failing-snack-company.html |access-date=2025-02-11 |work=CNBC}} leaked information from the data-security company where he was interning,{{cite news |last1=Leopold |first1=Jason |last2=Murphy |first2=Margi |last3=Alexander |first3=Sophie |last4=Bleiberg |first4=Jake |last5=Cormier |first5=Anthony |date=7 February 2025 |title=DOGE Teen Was Fired by Cyber Firm for Leaking Company Secrets |url=https://news.bloomberglaw.com/ip-law/doge-teen-was-fired-by-cyber-firm-for-leaking-company-secrets |access-date=7 February 2025 |work=Bloomberg Law}} mingled with 'The Com', a cybercriminal network,{{cite web |last1=Otto |first1=Greg |last2=Winter |first2=Jana |date=2024-12-04 |title=Feds are probing 764, The Com's use of cybercriminal tactics to carry out violent crimes |url=https://cyberscoop.com/the-com-764-cybercrime-violent-crime-fbi-intellignce-report/ |access-date=2025-02-07 |website=Cyberscoop}} and owns web domains registered in Russia.{{Cite magazine |last=Greenberg |first=Andy |title=DOGE Teen Owns 'Tesla.Sexy LLC' and Worked at Startup That Has Hired Convicted Hackers |url=https://www.wired.com/story/edward-coristine-tesla-sexy-path-networks-doge/ |access-date=2025-03-23 |magazine=Wired |issn=1059-1028 |quote="Davi Ottenheimer, a longtime security operations and compliance manager, says many factors about Coristine's employment history and online footprint could raise questions about his ability to obtain security clearance."}} His online footprint also makes security clearance tough, according to some security experts. As of February 19, Coristine is a staff member at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.{{Cite magazine |last=Zetter |first=Kim |title=DOGE Now Has Access to the Top US Cybersecurity Agency |url=https://www.wired.com/story/doge-cisa-coristine-cybersecurity/ |access-date=2025-03-25 |magazine=Wired |issn=1059-1028}} On March 27, documents resurfaced showing that Coristine has provided tech support to EGodly, a cybercrime group.{{Cite news |last1=Satter |first1=Raphael |date=2025-03-26 |title=OGE staffer 'Big Balls' provided tech support to cybercrime ring, records show |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/us/doge-staffer-big-balls-provided-tech-support-cybercrime-ring-records-show-2025-03-26/ |access-date=2025-03-28 |work=Reuters}} Coristine has gone by the name "Big Balls" on the internet, a nickname that has been widely used.{{Cite magazine |last=Greenberg |first=Andy |title=DOGE Teen Owns 'Tesla.Sexy LLC' and Worked at Startup That Has Hired Convicted Hackers |url=https://www.wired.com/story/edward-coristine-tesla-sexy-path-networks-doge/ |access-date=2025-04-23 |magazine=Wired |language=en-US |issn=1059-1028}}{{Cite web |date=2025-02-07 |title=Who is 'Big Balls'? Teen DOGE engineer Edward Coristine |url=https://www.newsweek.com/who-big-balls-teen-doge-engineer-edward-coristine-2027698 |access-date=2025-04-23 |website=Newsweek |language=en}}
Some members have been accused of previously amplifying extremist views. Gavin Kliger, 25, has an edgelord past,{{cite web |last1=Fiallo |first1=Josh |date=February 18, 2025 |title=Meet the Gen-Z DOGE Minion Set to Access Taxpayers' Secrets |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/meet-the-gen-z-doge-goon-gavin-kliger-who-is-set-to-access-taxpayers-secrets/ |access-date=2025-02-18 |website=The Daily Beast |publisher=}} crediting Ron Unz for his political awakening{{cite web |last1=McShane |first1=Julianne |last2=Rosenberg |first2=Jacob |date=February 16, 2025 |title=DOGE Worker Says He Was Radicalized by Reading Writer Who Later Denied Holocaust |url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/02/doge-elon-musk-ron-unz-holocaust-substack-post-sailer-vdare-trump/ |access-date=16 February 2025 |website=Mother Jones |publisher=}} and reposting internet personalities like Nick Fuentes and Andrew Tate, along with white supremacist memes.{{cite web |last1=Alper |first1=Alexandra |last2=Satter |first2=Raphael |title=Staffer with Elon Musk's DOGE amplified white supremacists online |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/us/staffer-with-elon-musks-doge-amplified-white-supremacists-online-2025-02-07/ |access-date=7 February 2025 |website=reuters.com |publisher=Reuters}}{{Cite magazine |last=Klee |first=Miles |date=2025-02-06 |title=What We Know So Far About the Young Techies Working for DOGE |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/musk-doge-techies-young-what-we-know-1235256687/ |access-date=2025-02-17 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}} Elez has shared similar viewpoints, with posts such as "You could not pay me to marry outside of my ethnicity" or "Normalize Indian hate."{{Cite news |last=Allyn |first=Bobby |date=2025-02-07 |title=Member of Elon Musk's DOGE team resigns after racist posts resurface |url=https://www.npr.org/2025/02/06/nx-s1-5289337/elon-musk-doge-treasury |access-date=2025-03-25 |work=NPR}}
On February 24, the Washington Post reported that Farritor and Kliger manually blocked payments for critical programs multiple times, programs that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had approved by decree.{{Cite news |author=Bai |first=Matt |date=2025-02-24 |title=The blinding contempt of the DOGE bros |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/02/24/musk-doge-usaid-cuts-dc/ |access-date=2025-03-02 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}{{Cite news |last=Mathis-Lilley |first=Ben |date=2025-02-26 |title=I Think It's Bad That Nazi-Adjacent Youths Might Be Overruling the President and Secretary of State |url=https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2025/02/doge-elon-musk-donald-trump-marco-rubio.html |access-date=2025-03-02 |work=Slate |issn=1091-2339}}{{Cite web |title=Emergency Humanitarian Waiver to Foreign Assistance Pause |url=https://www.state.gov/emergency-humanitarian-waiver-to-foreign-assistance-pause-2/ |access-date=2025-03-02 |work=United States Department of State}} Court documents filed on March 14 have revealed that DOGE staffer Marko Elez violated U.S. Treasury Department policy by mishandling personal information.{{Cite web |last=Davis |first=Wes |date=2025-03-15 |title=A DOGE staffer broke Treasury policy by emailing unencrypted personal data |url=https://www.theverge.com/news/630894/doge-treasury-lawsuit-marko-elez-unencrypted-emails |access-date=2025-03-16 |work=The Verge}} Kliger was accused of yelling at CFPB staff he kept for a 36-hour shift.{{Cite web |date=2025-04-19 |title=DOGE Goon Accused of Screaming at Workers on 36-Hour Shift |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/doge-goon-accused-of-screaming-at-federal-workers-on-36-hour-shift/ |access-date=2025-04-19 |work=The Daily Beast}}
Doxxing accusations
After the February 2 Wired article, names of DOGE members started to circulate; Musk accused those who did so of committing a crime.{{Cite web |title=Musk Slammed for Claiming It's Unlawful to Publicly Identify DOGE Personnel |url=https://www.commondreams.org/news/doge-federal-workers |access-date=2025-03-02}} 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.{{cite news |last1=Hsu |first1=Spencer S. |last2=Marley |first2=Patrick |date=2025-02-03 |title=U.S. attorney hints at prosecutions over 'targeting' of DOGE employees |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2025/02/03/martin-supports-for-musk-doge/ |newspaper=The Washington Post}} Musk quoted that statement, adding "Don't mess with DOGE".{{cite news |last1=Conger |first1=Kate |date=2025-02-04 |title=Elon Musk's X Becomes Weapon in Government Cost Cutting |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/04/technology/elon-musk-x-doge.html |access-date=4 February 2025 |work=The New York Times}} 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.{{cite web |last1=Martin |first1=Edward |date=7 February 2025 |title=Letter dated 7 February 2025 to Elon Musk and Steve Davis |url=https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GjMsCCNXYAQLxbd?format=jpg&name=large |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250212083852/https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GjMsCCNXYAQLxbd?format=jpg&name=large |archive-date=12 February 2025 |access-date=3 March 2025 |website=x.com}}{{cite news |last1=Lynch |first1=Sarah N. |date=February 7, 2025 |title=Top Trump prosecutor in DC opens probe based on referral from Elon Musk |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/us/top-trump-prosecutor-dc-opens-probe-based-referral-elon-musk-2025-02-07/ |publisher=Reuters}} 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.{{cite web |last1=Bensinger |first1=Ken |date=February 12, 2025 |title=How Elon Musk and the Right Are Trying to Recast Reporting as 'Doxxing' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/12/business/media/elon-musk-doxxing-marko-elez.html |access-date=16 February 2025 |website=The New York Times}}
After the names of DOGE employees began circulating on Reddit{{emdash}}and some users suggested violence{{emdash}}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.{{cite news |last1=Gerkin |first1=Tom |date=2025-02-05 |title=Reddit community banned as user spat with Musk intensifies |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czrlep5xpmzo |access-date=5 February 2025 |work=BBC News}}
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.{{Cite web |last=Staff |first=Distractify |date=2025-02-13 |title=Elon Musk Accused of Doxxing After Reposting Judge John McConnell's Daughter's Job on X |url=https://www.distractify.com/p/elon-musk-posts-judge-daughter |access-date=2025-03-02 |work=Distractify}} This reshare followed McConnell's order to unfreeze federal grants.{{Cite web |date=2025-02-10 |title=Trump administration ordered by judge to unfreeze federal spending |url=https://www.newsweek.com/trump-administration-ordered-judge-unfreeze-federal-spending-2028986 |access-date=2025-03-02 |work=Newsweek}} 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".{{Cite web |date=2025-02-13 |title=Judge John McConnell Jr faces impeachment for obstructing Trump |url=https://www.newsweek.com/judge-john-mcconnell-jr-faces-impeachment-obstructing-trump-2030510 |access-date=2025-03-02 |work=Newsweek}}
File:We_Choose_to_Fight-_Nobody_Elected_Elon_Protest_-_54307687491.jpg, was held at the Treasury on February{{nbsp}}4, 2025.]]
File:Congressional_speeches_at_the_Department_of_the_Treasury.oga
Membership
The concept of DOGE membership has been contested.{{Cite magazine| issn = 1059-1028| last = Schiffer| first = Zoë| title = 'Who Is Doge?' Has Become a Metaphysical Question| magazine = Wired| access-date = 2025-04-24| url = https://www.wired.com/story/elon-musk-doge-mystery-general-services-administration/}} In a group chat, acting USDS administrator Amy Gleason argued that she has no control over DOGE team members hired by other agencies, nor any responsibility regarding their actions, including firings.{{cite news |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/doge-amy-gleason-group-c-20258581.php |first=Shira |last=Stein |date=April 8, 2025 |work=San Francisco Chronicle |title=DOGE head denies responsibility for mass firings in private group chat message |quote="I currently serve as acting administrator of the U.S. Doge Service (formerly U.S. Digital Service). That's separate from (1) the embedded agency Doge teams — who are hired directly into each agency — and (2) the broader Doge policy agenda that Elon Musk advises the President on"}} General Services Administration (GSA) administrator and DOGE member Stephen Ehikian stated "there is no DOGE team at GSA"{{cite news |last=Heckman |first=Jory |date=2025-03-20 |title=Hiring freeze to extend 'at least' through 2025, GSA tells employees |url=https://federalnewsnetwork.com/workforce/2025/03/gsa-says-agencies-freeze-200000-credit-cards-governmentwide/ |access-date=2025-03-23 |website=federalnewsnetwork.com |language=en-US}} even though Steve Davis has taken up offices at GSA. 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.{{Cite web |last1=Fowler |first1=Stephen |last2=McLaughlin |first2=Jenna |date=March 31, 2025 |title=DOGE staffer who shared Treasury data now has more access to government systems |url=https://www.npr.org/2025/03/31/nx-s1-5345708/doge-data-access-labor-cfpb-hhs |access-date=April 1, 2025 |website=NPR}}{{Cite web |date=March 30, 2025 |title=AFLCIO v Labor DOGE Employee Access Exhibit |url=https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25873564-aflcio-v-labor-doge-employee-access-exhibit/ |access-date=April 1, 2025 |website=DocumentCloud |publisher=United States District Court for the District of Columbia}} In a court case involving the "Fork in the road" mass email, DOGE member Jacob Altik has been presented as a lawyer from the White House Personal Office when trying to shut down USADF along with other DOGE members.{{Cite web| last = Mitchell| first = Billy| title = Lawyer linked to DOGE is defending OPM mass email system lawsuit| work = FedScoop| access-date = 2025-04-03| date = 2025-03-17| url = https://fedscoop.com/doge-lawyer-opm-email-lawsuit-jacob-altik/ |quote=Kel McClanahan, counsel for the plaintiffs, wrote in the Monday notice that with the relevant information about Altik, "it has become apparent that [Department of Justice attorney] Ms. [Elizabeth] Shapiro may have misrepresented — knowingly or unknowingly — his affiliation to the Court on 6 February — perhaps to preserve the illusion that OPM's counsel were ignorant of what OPM was doing with the Government-Wide Email System, or perhaps to obscure the role of DOGE and the White House in this case."}}
Composition and structure
TechCrunch sorts "Musk's universe" as inner circle, senior figures, worker bees, or aides;{{Cite web |last1=Korosec |first1=Kirsten |last2=Whittaker |first2=Zack |last3=Rollet |first3=Charles |last4=O'Kane |first4=Sean |last5=Franceschi-Bicchierai |first5=Lorenzo |date=2025-02-18 |title=Donald Trump picks Elon Musk for US government cost-cutting role |url=https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/18/the-people-in-elon-musk-doge-universe/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250218172050/https://techcrunch.com/2025/02/18/the-people-in-elon-musk-doge-universe/ |archive-date=2025-02-18 |access-date=2025-02-18 |publisher=Techcrunch}} The New York Times associates the "clear mandate" of shrinking and disrupting government" to DOGE leadership, staffers, and allies;{{Cite web |date=2025-02-28 |title=Who Is in DOGE? Tracking Its Staffers and Allies in the Federal Government |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/02/27/us/politics/doge-staff-list.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250228000358/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/02/27/us/politics/doge-staff-list.html |archive-date=February 28, 2025 |access-date=2025-03-02 |work=The New York Times}} Wired maps three types of people "affiliated" with DOGE: conservative lawyers, Trump administrations, and Silicon Valley.{{Cite magazine |last=Elliott |first=Vittoria |title=We Mapped DOGE's Silicon Valley and Corporate Connections |url=https://www.wired.com/story/elon-musk-doge-silicon-valley-corporate-connections/ |access-date=2025-03-30 |magazine=Wired |issn=1059-1028}} DOGE membership extends beyond employee status: many Musk allies are venture capitalists and startup founders.{{Cite web |last1=Rollet |first1=Charles |last2=Bellan |first2=Rebecca |last3=Davis |first3=Dominic-Madori |last4=Bort |first4=Julie |last5=O'Kane |first5=Sean |date=2025-03-26 |title=19 founders and VCs working with Elon Musk's DOGE |url=https://techcrunch.com/2025/03/26/19-founders-and-vcs-working-with-elon-musks-doge/ |access-date=2025-04-03 |work=TechCrunch}} Many DOGE members are embedded in other government units;{{Cite web |last=Grumbach |first=Gary |date=2025-03-20 |title=Acting DOGE head pulls back the curtain on parts of the group's structure in a court filing |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/live-blog/trump-administration-education-department-immigration-live-updates-rcna196782 |access-date=2025-03-20 |website=NBC News |language=en}} there are at least 23 employees hired between Jan. 20 and Feb. 20 that, according to Bloomberg, "have worked for DOGE in some capacity" at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).{{Cite news |date=2025-05-02 |title=Here Are the Job Titles and Salary Ranges of Some DOGE Staffers |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2025-05-02/here-are-the-job-titles-and-salary-ranges-of-some-doge-staffers |access-date=2025-05-02 |work=Bloomberg.com}} Few have a known contractual status; some have tried to conceal their roles; the White House provides little information.{{cite news |last1=Asher-Schapiro |first1=Avi |last2=Bing |first2=Christopher |last3=Waldman |first3=Annie |last4=Murphy |first4=Brett |last5=Kroll |first5=Andy |last6=Elliott |first6=Justin |last7=Berg |first7=Kirsten |last8=Rotella |first8=Sebastian |last9=Mierjeski |first9=Alex |display-authors=3 |date=19 March 2025 |title=Elon Musk's Demolition Crew |url=https://projects.propublica.org/elon-musk-doge-tracker/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250319205328/https://projects.propublica.org/elon-musk-doge-tracker |archive-date=19 March 2025 |access-date=22 March 2025 |work=ProPublica |first10=Pratheek |last10=Rebala |first11=Al |last11=Shaw}}
Staff roles follow the DOGE teams mentioned in the first executive order: "at least four employees" with one "Team Lead, one engineer, one human resources specialist, and one attorney".{{cite journal |author= |date=29 January 2025 |title=Establishing and Implementing the President's "Department of Government Efficiency" |url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2025-01-29/pdf/2025-02005.pdf |url-status=live |journal=Federal Register |publisher=Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration |volume=90 |issue=14 |pages=8441–8442 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250129130442/https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2025-01-29/pdf/2025-02005.pdf |archive-date=January 29, 2025}} On February 2, 2025, Musk said on X that DOGE workers were putting in 120 hours a week.{{Cite web |last=Elon Musk [@elonmusk] |date=2025-02-02 |title=DOGE is working 120 hour a week. Our bureaucratic opponents optimistically work 40 hours a week. That is why they are losing so fast. |url=https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1885966827227861179 |access-date=2025-03-19 |work=Twitter |format=Tweet}} This was questioned for leaving dangerously little time to sleep.{{cite web |last1=Smith |first1=Dave |date=March 17, 2025 |title=Elon Musk says his DOGE team works 120 hours a week. If they used all their remaining time for sleep, they still wouldn't come close to 8 hours a night |url=https://fortune.com/2025/03/17/elon-musk-doge-120-hour-week-sleep-productivity-health/ |access-date=18 March 2025 |website=Fortune |publisher=}}
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.{{Cite web |last1=Cohen |first1=Zachary |last2=Treene |first2=Alayna |last3=Gold |first3=Hadas |date=2025-02-18 |title='Good luck with that.' Trump administration terminates privacy officials at agency overseeing government hiring and firing |url=https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/18/politics/opm-privacy-team-fired/index.html |access-date=2025-02-24 |work=CNN}}
{{sticky header}}{{static-row-numbers}}
List of members
References
Category:Department of Government Efficiency
Category:Political activities of Elon Musk
Category:Second presidency of Donald Trump
{{United States Department of Government Efficiency|state=expanded}}
{{Elon Musk}}
{{Second presidency of Donald Trump}}
{{subject bar|auto=0}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:2025 establishments in the United States
Category:Democratic backsliding in the United States
Category:Second Trump administration controversies
Category:United States presidential commissions