Reuters first reported this past Sunday that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) had “disbanded” eight months ahead of schedule. DOGE was created by an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in January, which restructured the United States Digital Service (USDS), a preexisting federal agency, as the U.S. DOGE Service and placed it under the authority of the executive branch.
The White House has since stated that DOGE is no longer operating as a “centralized” organization, but that its “principles” will continue.
Mission Accomplished?
DOGE was initially led by tech billionaire Elon Musk, whom the Trump administration charged with shrinking the government’s role. The move was supported by conservatives but criticized by many Democrats for being too hasty and wasteful in its cuts.
Before the 2024 election, Musk claimed he could cut $2 trillion, or roughly one-third of the federal budget, only to walk it back in January, when he said that figure was the “best-case outcome.”
Musk began the effort with zeal but left DOGE in May.
By that point, more than 200,000 federal workers had been laid off, and roughly 75,000 others had accepted buyouts. DOGE claimed the cuts saved billions of dollars, but critics have countered that it is impossible to verify the figures due to a lack of public accounting.
Since then, DOGE has continued to lead its “large-scale structural reform” through July 24, 2026.
However, there were reports that the department no longer existed after Musk’s exit. Politico reported in June that many of the staffers who had been living at DOGE’s headquarters had packed up and left. Moreover, many of the agency’s key officials moved to other roles in the government. Among those was Amy Gleason, the acting administrator, who became an adviser to the health and human services secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., in March.
Zachary Terrell, who was another key member of the team, has since taken the job of chief technology officer at the Department of Health and Human Services, and Rachel Riley is now chief of the Office of Naval Research. Joe Gebbia, the co-founder of Airbnb, is now being charged by Trump with beautifying government websites.
DOGE Tries to Shut Down ‘Shut Down’ Reports
Even as the White House has not confirmed whether DOGE has officially shut down, much has been said this week.
“The truth is: DOGE may not have centralized leadership under @USDS. But, the principles of DOGE remain alive and well: deregulation; eliminating fraud, waste, and abuse; re-shaping the federal workforce; making efficiency a first-class citizen; etc.,” Scott Kupor, director of the Office of Personnel Management, posted on X Sunday. “DOGE catalyzed these changes; the agencies, along with @USOPM and @WHOMB, will institutionalize them!”
The USDS website remains active, and Gleason is still its acting administrator, while also serving as a strategic adviser to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
“USDS is still partnering with agencies to modernize federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity,” the department said in a post shared by Gleason on LinkedIn.
