DOGE Was Supposed to Be Dead. Its Remnants Are Still Everywhere Across the US Government
By Saqib S. Qureshi I SCN NEWS
Trusted • Credible • Global
WASHINGTON — The Department of Government Efficiency, the cost-cutting initiative closely associated with billionaire Elon Musk, was supposed to have reached the end of its mission. But months after Musk stepped away from his prominent government role, the influence of DOGE can still be found across the Trump administration.
Former DOGE-linked personnel remain in government positions, while federal agencies continue to deal with the effects of workforce reductions, cancelled programs and structural changes introduced during the initiative's aggressive campaign to reshape Washington.
DOGE may no longer command the daily headlines it once did, but its legacy has become embedded across parts of the federal government.
The initiative was created after President Donald Trump's return to the White House with a mandate to identify waste, reduce federal spending and shrink the government workforce. Musk became the public face of the effort, promising dramatic savings and bringing a Silicon Valley-style approach to government operations.
DOGE teams moved into federal agencies, reviewed contracts and programs and pushed for widespread spending and staffing cuts. The initiative quickly became one of the most controversial elements of Trump's second administration.
Supporters praised the effort as a long-overdue attempt to confront government waste and bureaucracy. Critics questioned its transparency, disputed some of its savings claims and warned that rapid cuts could damage essential government services.
Now, even as DOGE's original operation has faded from public view, some of the people and ideas associated with it remain active inside government.
According to The Washington Post, nearly two dozen people hired or vetted through DOGE were still working in the federal government after the initiative's expected expiration. The exact number is difficult to establish because the administration never released a comprehensive list of DOGE personnel.
Gavin Kliger, who was associated with the initiative, became chief data officer at the Pentagon. Jeremy Lewin, who played a role in the administration's restructuring of the US Agency for International Development, later became a senior adviser to Secretary of State Marco Rubio with responsibilities involving foreign assistance.
Other former DOGE personnel have also become involved in government technology and modernization projects.
The continued presence of DOGE veterans suggests that the initiative's influence may now operate differently. Instead of functioning as a highly visible centralized organization, its former personnel are working from within individual departments and agencies.
One initiative attracting attention is the National Design Studio, led by former DOGE figure Joe Gebbia. The project includes other people previously associated with Musk's government-efficiency operation and has been described by some involved as carrying forward elements of DOGE's approach to technology and government.
At the same time, questions remain over DOGE's central promise: saving taxpayers enormous amounts of money.
Musk initially promoted ambitious targets for reducing federal expenditure, but those goals were later revised. DOGE subsequently published claims of substantial savings through cancelled contracts, grants, leases and other government spending.
Some of those figures, however, faced scrutiny over how the savings were calculated.
Lawmakers have continued asking the Trump administration to demonstrate where DOGE's claimed savings appear in federal spending figures.
The debate highlights the difficulty of measuring the initiative's true financial impact. Eliminating jobs and cancelling contracts can produce immediate savings, but restructuring government can also generate additional expenses through severance payments, legal disputes, rehiring and the restoration of programs later considered necessary.
The Partnership for Public Service has estimated that DOGE and related federal workforce reductions generated significant broader costs. Supporters of the administration's approach dispute criticism of the cuts and argue that reducing bureaucracy can create longer-term efficiencies.
The consequences for the federal workforce have been substantial.
Large numbers of federal employees left government during the Trump administration's downsizing campaign, while several agencies underwent major reorganizations. Some departments have since faced the challenge of maintaining services with fewer employees or rebuilding capacity in areas affected by earlier reductions.
The political debate surrounding DOGE has also changed since Musk stepped away from his high-profile government role.
During its peak, DOGE was closely identified with Musk personally. His involvement generated intense attention as teams associated with the initiative gained access to agencies and government systems.
But the continued presence of former DOGE personnel shows that the project's legacy does not necessarily depend on Musk remaining in Washington.
Its influence can instead be seen through officials who stayed behind, programs created during its operation and changes made to the structure of federal agencies.
For the Trump administration, DOGE's supporters argue that the initiative helped challenge a government bureaucracy that had become too large and inefficient.
Critics, however, say the true cost of the experiment may take years to determine, particularly if agencies eventually have to reverse cuts or rebuild parts of the federal workforce.
The central question surrounding DOGE has therefore shifted.
The debate is no longer simply about whether the initiative still formally exists.
It is about how much of the federal government it permanently changed.
DOGE may have disappeared as one of Washington's most visible political brands, and Elon Musk may no longer be leading its daily campaign.
But across the US government, its personnel, policies and consequences remain — suggesting that DOGE could ultimately prove far more durable than the temporary organization it was originally supposed to be.