DOGE “cut muscle, not fat”; 26K experts rehired after brutal cuts
In a surprising turn of events, the existence of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been officially confirmed to be null, as stated by Scott Kupor, the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). This announcement comes after former President Donald Trump’s curious references to DOGE exclusively in the past tense, raising eyebrows and prompting speculation about the agency’s status. Established by Elon Musk with the ambitious goal of streamlining government operations and reducing bureaucratic inefficiencies, DOGE was intended to be a centralized body that could implement drastic cuts across various federal agencies. However, it appears that the agency was terminated more than eight months earlier than its planned operational timeline.
Kupor elaborated that the functions originally assigned to DOGE have now been absorbed by the OPM, negating the need for a separate agency. Following Musk’s departure from the agency in May, DOGE staff members had been strategically placed within different government departments to facilitate better communication and coordination on proposed staffing and funding reductions. This shift indicates a significant change in strategy, as the OPM has assumed a more proactive role in managing government efficiency initiatives. Interestingly, the DOGE account on X (formerly Twitter) continued to post updates until just two days before the Reuters report, suggesting that some remnants of the agency’s presence lingered even after its official dissolution.
The termination of DOGE raises questions about the future of government efficiency efforts and the role of innovation in public administration. Musk’s vision for a streamlined government may have been ambitious, but the abrupt closure of DOGE highlights the challenges of implementing such sweeping changes in a complex bureaucratic landscape. As the OPM takes the reins, it remains to be seen how effectively these functions will be managed and whether the spirit of efficiency that DOGE aimed to embody will continue under the OPM’s stewardship.
After Donald Trump curiously started referring to the Department of Government Efficiency exclusively in the past tense, an official finally confirmed Sunday that DOGE “doesn’t exist.”
Talking to Reuters
, Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director Scott Kupor confirmed that DOGE—a government agency notoriously created by Elon Musk to rapidly and dramatically slash government agencies—was terminated more than eight months early. This may have come as a surprise to whoever runs the
DOGE account
on X, which continued posting up until two days before the Reuters report was published.
As Kupor explained, a “centralized agency” was no longer necessary, since OPM had “taken over many of DOGE’s functions” after Musk left the agency last May. Around that time, DOGE staffers were embedded at various agencies, where they could ostensibly better coordinate with leadership on proposed cuts to staffing and funding.
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