Department of Government Efficiency
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), officially the U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization, is a temporary organization under the United States DOGE Service, formerly known as the United States Digital Service. Despite the name, DOGE is not a budgeted part of United States government, which requires approval of the United States Congress.
DOGE's stated purpose is to reduce wasteful and fraudulent federal spending, and eliminate excessive regulations. According to the executive order that established it, its formal purpose is to "modernize federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity". The organization was announced by then president-elect Donald Trump in November 2024 for his second term. Initially, Vivek Ramaswamy was to co-lead with Elon Musk, but he left before the project began. Musk's official role is not clear. The organization was created by executive order on January 20, 2025. DOGE claims it is scheduled to end on July 4, 2026. DOGE has an office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building and has about 20 employees there, with other teams embedded in federal agencies.
DOGE employees have entered US federal buildings in Washington, D.C. The events have been described as "takeover", "freeze", or "coup" by members of the Democratic Party and media, who state that DOGE does not have the authority to carry out these activities. Trump and Republicans claim Musk is implementing campaign promises of government efficiency, and that Musk's powers are limited.
In February 2025 a news article on the American Broadcasting Company website stated:
"Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency group has made swift work of the billionaire's goal to scale back or dismantle much of the federal government, end diversity policies and otherwise further President Donald Trump's agenda."[1][2]
As of 8 February 2025 evidence that much of the United States federal government has been scaled back or dismantled is lacking.
Commentary
As of February 2025 Evidence that much of the United States federal government has been dismantled is lacking.