The Trump administration has disbanded the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the controversial federal cost-cutting team previously led by Elon Musk, even though the department still had months left in its term.
Reuters first reported over the weekend that DOGE was disbanded, ending a months-long effort by Musk and his associates, many of whom were recruited from various private companies, to curtail allegations of fraud, waste and reduce workforces across the federal government. DOGE was created by an executive order signed by President Trump in January. The effort was expected to last nearly two years.
As of early November, DOGE “doesn't exist,” said Scott Cooper, director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, the federal government's human resources arm.
In a tweet Sunday, Coupol said that while DOGE may no longer have “centralized leadership” under the U.S. Digital Agency, “DOGE's principles of deregulation, eliminating fraud, waste, and abuse, reorganizing the federal workforce, and making efficiency a first-class citizen are still alive and well.”
Amy Gleason, who was named DOGE's “official” acting administrator earlier this year, posted on LinkedIn shortly after Kupol's remarks, featuring a Doge meme that included the words “I'm alive.”
During its operations, DOGE claimed to have saved the federal government billions of dollars in wasted taxpayer money. But critics, including members of Congress, argue that DOGE dismantled federal programs and departments and produced little in terms of quantitative savings.
DOGE cuts have also been blamed for countless deaths around the world, following the closure of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which provided humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. DOGE was also accused of security flaws that accessed federal databases containing sensitive personal information belonging to millions of Americans and put that data at risk from malicious adversaries.
Musk left DOGE earlier this year after falling out with President Trump and the public.
According to Politico, several DOGE officials are said to be concerned that without protection for Musk, he could face future federal charges, and Musk could have been able to obtain a presidential pardon if necessary.
Several DOGE employees now work for other U.S. federal government departments, while other prominent DOGE employees say they no longer work for the government, Reuters reported. Edward Coristine, whose nickname “Big Balls” went viral, said in a post on X in June that he had “officially left” DOGE.