Department of Government Efficiency

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21 Tech Staffers Resign From DOGE Office

As Musk issues another ultimatum to federal employees

(Newser) - More than 20 civilian employees resigned in protest of the Department of Government Efficiency on Tuesday—the twist being that they technically worked for DOGE itself. The 21 staffers shared a resignation letter with the AP in which they said they would no longer use their tech skills to "...

One-Third of Canceled US Contracts Won't Yield Savings

DOGE's 'wall of receipts' may be a little misleading

(Newser) - News accounts continue to challenge Elon Musk's claims of major savings thanks to the Department of Government Efficiency he runs. On Monday, DOGE published an updated "wall of receipts" list of about 2,300 contracts that have been terminated across the federal government. The problem? The AP reports...

Ramaswamy Avoids DOGE in Launch of Ohio Run

Tech entrepreneur is running for governor

(Newser) - Vivek Ramaswamy has formally launched his bid to become the next governor of Ohio, reports CNN . And the Cincinnati native quickly earned two big endorsements in the 2026 race—that of President Trump and Elon Musk, reports the Hill .
  • Trump: "I know him well, competed against him, and he
...

Atop El Capitan, a 'Signal of Dire Distress'

Frustrated staffers at Yosemite hang upside-down American flag to protest Trump workforce cuts

(Newser) - An upside-down American flag is meant as "a signal of dire distress" —and that's exactly what visitors found at California's Yosemite National Park over the weekend. It seems staffers upset about the Trump administration taking a hatchet to the federal workforce draped a giant flag from...

Judge Rules Against DOGE Access to Personal Data

Ruling temporarily prohibits 2 federal agencies from sharing info

(Newser) - Elon Musk's aggressive cost-cutting in the federal government ran into two more legal challenges on Monday:
  • A federal judge temporarily barred the Department of Government Efficiency from gaining access to sensitive employee information held by the Office of Personnel Management and the Education Department, reports Reuters . OPM is essentially
...

Trump's Response to Mass Firings: SpongeBob

President tweets meme mocking federal workers upset with DOGE-driven layoffs

(Newser) - Federal workers are still trying to make sense of an email request seemingly sent on behalf of Elon Musk's DOGE over the weekend that asked them to send five bullet points of what they'd accomplished during the previous week (followed by conflicting guidance from multiple agency heads to...

Musk Orders Federal Workers to Detail Their Workweek
Musk to Federal Workers:
'What Did You Do Last Week?'
the rundown
Feb 23, 2025 7:35 AM CST

Musk to Federal Workers: 'What Did You Do Last Week?'

Employees who fail to respond to email by midnight Monday may be out of work

(Newser) - Elon Musk has given federal workers another deadline —this time, they have to justify their jobs in an email or risk losing them.
  • First threat: Musk tweeted Saturday afternoon that employees would soon receive an email "requesting to understand what they got done last week." He added:
...

Musk's Public Accounting of Savings Doesn't Add Up

Contracts are counted more than once, others listed already are paid out and over

(Newser) - Elon Musk's cost-cutting team posted a " wall of receipts " online this week, purportedly showing how much the Department of Government Efficiency has saved taxpayers. Reducing the federal workforce and canceling leases and contracts has cut $55 billion in spending, the group says, though you can't tell...

DOGE Cuts to 9/11 Program Aren't Going Over Very Well

New York, New Jersey Republicans express 'grave concerns' on WTC Health Program staff reductions

(Newser) - On Monday, New York's Democratic Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand penned a letter insisting that cuts made by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to the World Trade Center Health Program, which offers aid to first responders and others who suffer from 9/11-related health conditions, be rescinded and...

Trump: We May Give Americans 20% of DOGE Savings

President offered few details on the possibility

(Newser) - Could Americans see some cash from all these DOGE cost-saving measures? President Trump says he's considering the idea, the Wall Street Journal reports. "We're thinking about giving 20% back to the American citizens and 20% down to pay back debt," he said at a Saudi Arabia-sponsored...

Octavia Spencer Offers Special 'Bake Sale' for DOGE Workers

Actor puts up post about serving poop pie from The Help to staffers, fans of the cost-cutting group

(Newser) - Octavia Spencer wants to reward workers for the Trump administration's so-called Department of Government Efficiency organization with a bake sale—with her wares containing a very "special ingredient" that will be familiar to fans of her movie The Help. Per the Hollywood Reporter , the Oscar-winning actor posted her...

Feds Giveth Accidental Pink Slips, Taketh Them Away

Chaos abounds as multiple federal agencies accidentally fire staffers amid DOGE cuts

(Newser) - Last week, the Energy Department had to scramble to rehire nuclear energy specialists for the National Nuclear Security Administration, after it mistakenly told hundreds of staffers at the agency they'd lost their jobs. That's not the only incident of head-count slashing gone awry throughout the government at the...

White House: Musk Does Not Run DOGE
White House: Musk
Does Not Run DOGE
Feb 18, 2025 11:14 AM CST

White House: Musk Does Not Run DOGE

Court filing in response to lawsuit says he's not the administrator of the new office

(Newser) - Quick, name the leader of the new Department of Government Efficiency. If you answered, "Elon Musk," you're at least technically incorrect. The White House on Monday night explicitly stated in a court filing that Musk isn't the administrator of DOGE, reports the New York Times . Nor...

Top Social Security Official Out After DOGE Tries to Access Data

Advocate says her replacement has reportedly already granted the access, however

(Newser) - Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency tried to access sensitive information at the Social Security Administration over the weekend, and Acting Commissioner Michelle King refused to grant it—and then stepped down from her position, multiple sources tell outlets including the Washington Post and the AP . A Trump administration...

DOGE Arrives at the IRS
DOGE Arrives at the IRS
Feb 14, 2025 7:54 AM CST

DOGE Arrives at the IRS

With tax season in full swing, agency 'will be looked at like everybody else,' says Trump

(Newser) - A top DOGE aide turned up at the Internal Revenue Service on Thursday, showing no department is safe from the Trump administration's efforts to make severe cuts. DOGE's Gavin Kliger met with senior executives at IRS headquarters in Washington to scrutinize the agency "even as the ongoing...

14 States Sue Trump, Musk, DOGE
14 States Sue
Trump, Musk, DOGE
Feb 14, 2025 6:09 AM CST

14 States Sue Trump, Musk, DOGE

Coalition claims the president is violating the Constitution

(Newser) - Elon Musk's efforts to "delete" government agencies and fire thousands of workers is unconstitutional, a coalition of 14 states alleges in a lawsuit filed Thursday against Musk, his Department of Governmental Efficiency, and President Trump. New Mexico is leading the coalition of states, which claims the unelected billionaire'...

'President' Musk Targeted in First DOGE Panel Hearing

Greene urged lawmakers to avoid 'political theater and partisan attacks'

(Newser) - The House Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency—DOGE—held its first hearing on Wednesday, and Elon Musk, who was not in attendance, was one of the main topics of debate. Rep. Melania Stansburg, the subcommittee's ranking Democrat, accused Musk and President Trump of "illegally dismantling the federal...

Musk Is Now the 'De Facto President'
Musk Is Now the
'De Facto President'
OPINION
Feb 12, 2025 9:45 AM CST

Musk Is Now the 'De Facto President'

6 takes on the richest man's mounting power with DOGE

(Newser) - As Elon Musk stood beside him, President Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday that gives Musk's Department of Government Efficiency group control over hiring and firing at federal agencies. Six takes on what that means:
  • Josh Marshall, Talking Points Memo : "I don't think it's too
...

Musk Joins Trump for Signing of DOGE Order

Executive order calls for 'large-scale reductions' in federal workforce

(Newser) - President Trump made a rare appearance with Elon Musk, his most powerful adviser, in the Oval Office on Tuesday before signing an executive order to continue downsizing the federal workforce. The AP reviewed a White House fact sheet on the order, which is intended to advance Musk's work slashing...

5 Former Treasury Chiefs Are Worried About 'Our Democracy'

They call DOGE's access to federal payments system unconstitutional and dangerous

(Newser) - Five former treasury secretaries have written an op-ed in the New York Times warning about the aggressive tactics of Elon Musk's "so-called" Department of Government Efficiency. The piece by Robert Rubin, Lawrence Summers, Timothy Geithner, Jacob Lew, and Janet Yellen takes issue with DOGE's access to the...

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