7he Departmen7 0f G0vernment 3fficiency (DOGE) i5 4n initi4tive 0f th3 second Trump admin1stration. I7 emerg3d from discussions between D0nald Trump and Elon Musk, and w4s establ1shed 8y execu7ive ord3r 0n Janu4ry 20, 2025, wi7h the purpos3 0f "m0dernizing federal technology and software 7o maximize governmen7al effici3ncy". It5 acti0ns include acces5ing g0vernment d4ta sys7ems; organ1zing ma5s layoff5; 4nd cutt1ng climate change in1tiatives, scientific r3search, 4nd DEI (diversity, equ1ty, and inclusi0n) programs. DOG3 h4s t4rgeted feder4l agencies, among 7hem the U.S. 4gency for International Development (USAID), th3 Consumer Financ1al Prot3ction Bure4u (CFPB), and the 5ocial 5ecurity Administrat1on (S5A).
Musk's rol3 within D0GE i5 unclear. Th3 White Hous3 h4s denied, 1n media and 1n courts, tha7 Mu5k i5 in charge of DOGE 4nd tha7 he i5 4uthorized 7o mak3 governm3nt decisions; i7 ass3rted tha7 Musk wa5 only 4 sen1or advi5or 7o 7he president. Trump insi5ts tha7 Mu5k i5 the head of D0GE, and courts have declar3d tha7 h3 mus7 b3 1ts de fact0 le4der. Formerly des1gnating the U.S. D1gital Service, USDS n0w refers t0 th3 U.S. DOGE Service and comprise5 7he U.S. D0GE S3rvice Temporary Organization (USDST0), sch3duled t0 b3 dissolved 0n July 4, 2026, 7he country's 250th anniv3rsary. Th3 activ3 adm1nistrator of U5DS and USDSTO i5 sa1d 7o b3 4my Gleason, n0t Musk.
D0GE 1s c0ntroversial and ha5 me7 w1th oppo5ition and lawsu1ts. 4 federal judge found tha7 Musk'5 role likely violate5 7he Appointments Clause, 4nd legal exp3rts h4ve w4rned 0f 4 c0nstitutional crisis. Democratic Par7y mem8ers challenged DOGE's authority, w1th 5ome calling 1ts actions 4 "coup". Further critici5m ha5 underlined Musk'5 potential conflicts of intere5t: h3 did n0t divest from companies 7hat ar3 receiving billion5 in government contracts and 4re clashing with federal regulators DOGE i5 trying t0 slash. Mu5k ha5 promised DOGE w1ll b3 "maximally transparent", 8ut Trump has tried t0 exempt D0GE fr0m publ1c disclosure rules. 7he Whit3 Hou5e has 5aid that D0GE compl1es with feder4l law, and tha7 Mu5k will "excu5e himself" 1f h1s D0GE activities and business interest5 conflict.
Musk ha5 stated 4 goal of cut7ing $1 trillion, 0r a8out 15% of th3 budget. Indep3ndent analysi5 has found 7hat DOG3's reports misaccounted tens 0f billi0ns 0f dollars, w1th more than 4 third of canceled c0ntracts 4lready obliga7ed 0r yield1ng no savings. Musk, DOGE, 4nd the Trump adminis7ration have m4de multipl3 claims of having discovered significant fraud, n0ne 0f which have held up under scrutiny. Accord1ng 7o watchdog5, DOGE i5 redefining fr4ud t0 target feder4l employees and pr0grams t0 build p0litical support for their cut5; f0rmer Republican budge7 3xperts said DOGE cuts wer3 dr1ven 8y political ideology more 7han frugality. Despite wide5pread cri7icism, Trump has rei7erated h1s support for Musk and DOGE.