- DOGE is one of the most ambitious efforts to reform the federal government in decades.
- Elon Musk is working closely with President Trump to slash spending across the government.
- Lawsuits have been filed to block some of DOGE’s biggest efforts to reshape the federal workforce.
The Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, was created by an executive order by President Donald Trump and is one of the most ambitious efforts to slash spending at the federal level in decades.
Headed by Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, DOGE’s mission is to make government leaner and more effective. As a temporary organization, DOGE is set to complete its work on July 4, 2026.
Musk in January told the political strategist Mark Penn that he’d like to cut at least $1 trillion from the federal budget and said $2 trillion in spending cuts was the “best-case outcome” for DOGE.
Almost immediately, DOGE attracted lawsuits from an array of Democrats and union groups concerned over Musk’s team gaining access to sensitive information within several federal agencies.
Here’s a look at how DOGE is aiming to upend US government in Washington.
Where did the idea of DOGE come from?
For decades, Republicans have railed against what they’ve decried as excessive government spending that they feel has only been encouraged by layers of bureaucracy in the nation’s capital.
In his three presidential runs, Trump made tackling the federal deficit and cutting the size of government important themes of his campaign. However, the issue took on added resonance in 2024 as many Americans remained weary of inflation and federal spending.
Last July, Musk during a conversation on X floated that Trump could establish a presidential commission on “government efficiency” and select him to lead it. Trump liked the idea and confirmed in August that he was considering Musk for an advisory role.
Musk then took to X, where he said “I am willing to serve,” with an image of him standing in front of a “Department of Government Efficiency” lectern.
In the final weeks of the campaign, Musk was a fixture on the trail, particularly in swing-state Pennsylvania, where he stumped hard for Trump.
After Trump defeated then-Vice President Kamala Harris last November, he announced that DOGE would be co-led by Musk and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy. Musk later that month said on X that DOGE jobs would have “zero” compensation. However, in January it was announced that DOGE would be hiring some salaried employees.
The Department of Government Efficiency has the acronym of one of Musk’s favorite memes, which features the image of a Shiba Inu dog and also inspired the cryptocurrency Dogecoin.
What has DOGE accomplished so far?
As Trump was enjoying his inaugural festivities, reports emerged that Ramaswamy would be leaving DOGE to launch a gubernatorial bid in Ohio, making Musk the face of the conservative president’s task force.
From the start, DOGE has sought to analyze federal contracts and spending at agencies across the government, and Musk has called out expenditures on issues like foreign aid and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
However, the quick pace of DOGE’s work to remold government in the vision of Trump and Musk has left many in Washington — and across the country and world — stunned.
During a joint appearance in the Oval Office on Feb. 11, Trump announced that DOGE in its first few weeks had uncovered “billions and billions of dollars in waste, fraud and abuse.” Trump said a final number could potentially reach “close to a trillion dollars,” but neither he nor Musk gave many specifics regarding the figures. That same day, Trump signed an executive order that directs agency heads to work with DOGE to identify “large-scale reductions in force.”
DOGE is looking to prune the federal workforce, and offered buyouts to employees, who were given a deadline to accept an offer to be paid through Sept. 30. Trump administration officials announced that more than 65,000 federal workers had opted to take the buyout. (As of Feb. 11, the buyouts remained on hold, pending further review by a federal judge.)
One of the biggest targets for both Trump and Musk so far has been the US Agency for International Development, or USAID, which distributes foreign aid. Trump wants to shut down the independent government agency, which provides funding on everything from HIV/AIDS treatment to investments in water and sanitation access.
The push is part of Musk’s desire to “delete” agencies that he feels are wasteful or have outlived their usefulness.
Another target is the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which Republicans have criticized since its creation under President Barack Obama in 2011. And DOGE has already cut hundreds of millions of dollars from the Department of Education’s research office, with the task force announcing that they’d “terminated” contracts.
How will Congress work with DOGE?
Republicans, who retained control of the House and retook the Senate in the 2024 elections, are overwhelmingly supportive of both Trump and DOGE.
The GOP-led House Oversight Committee last November announced the formation of the Delivering on Government Efficiency (DOGE) subcommittee, which is chaired by Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, with Democratic Rep. Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico serving as the ranking member.
Both parties have expressed a desire to eliminate wasteful spending and boost transparency. However, Stansbury said Democrats would seek accountability for DOGE.
“We will not sit silently by and watch the Administration recklessly and lawlessly dismantle our federal agencies, fire and harass federal employees, withhold federal funds, and hack our private and sensitive data,” she said in a statement.
Then there’s the GOP-led House DOGE caucus, which is co-chaired by Reps. Aaron Bean of Florida, Blake Moore of Utah, and Pete Sessions of Texas. There are some Democrats who are currently a part of the caucus, namely Reps. Jared Moskowitz of Florida and Steven Horsford of Nevada. Democratic Rep. Val Hoyle of Oregon left the caucus in February after accusing Musk of trying to “line his own pockets and rip off Americans.”
The Senate DOGE caucus is led by Republican Joni Ernst of Iowa.
Republicans are overwhelmingly in alignment with Trump’s agenda, and with the threat of potential Musk-funded primary challengers in 2026, GOP lawmakers will likely be eager to support the DOGE task force’s work.
Still, Congress controls federal spending. And DOGE’s efforts to dramatically reshape additional agencies may potentially encounter bipartisan resistance.
What criticism has DOGE faced?
Even when it was still being conceived, questions arose regarding whether DOGE could truly make a dent in federal spending.
With a bulk of federal spending going toward Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and the defense budget, it is unclear how deeply DOGE will be able to make its desired cuts. (Trump has repeatedly pledged not to touch Medicare and Social Security.)
DOGE was also granted access to a Treasury Department payment system that contains sensitive information about millions of Americans, ramping up concerns about privacy.
There has also been some scrutiny regarding DOGE staffing hires.
Marko Elez — a 25-year-old who previously worked at SpaceX and X and was a member of Musk’s team — in February resigned from the Treasury Department after The Wall Street Journal brought to light racist social media posts. (Vice President JD Vance called for Elez to be rehired.)
Business Insider obtained the records of roughly 30 individuals who are now employed by the White House’s DOGE office, with backgrounds ranging from software engineer to former law clark for Associate Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
Where do the lawsuits against DOGE stand?
An array of lawsuits have been filed by critics challenging DOGE’s actions.
In February, 19 Democratic state attorneys general filed a lawsuit against Trump and the Treasury Department alleging that there was a violation of federal law in granting DOGE staffers access to the personal financial data of Americans.
White House deputy press secretary Harrison Fields said in a statement that the lawsuits were “akin to children throwing pasta at the wall to see if it will stick.”
“Grandstanding government efficiency speaks volumes about those who’d rather delay much-needed change with legal shenanigans than work with the Trump Administration of ridding the government of waste, fraud, and abuse,” he added.
Another lawsuit was filed against the Trump administration by several nongovernmental organizations that obtain US foreign aid over DOGE’s attempts to shutter USAID. The plaintiffs argue that the administration “violated the separation of powers.”
And the National Treasury Employees Union in February filed two lawsuits over the stoppage of the CFPB’s work and the ability of Musk and DOGE aides to see the personal information of the agency’s staffers.
Business Insider has reached out to a DOGE spokesperson for comment.
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