Department of Government Efficiency

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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Health Program, which offers aid to first responders and others who suffer from 9/11-related health conditions, be rescinded and...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...

Musk Wants Judge Impeached Over Injunction Blocking Him

Paul Engelmayer's ruling on Treasury Department access might not last more than a week anyway

(Newser) - It's only a preliminary injunction, and another court will decide whether to extend it or toss it, but a federal judge's decision against Elon Musk was upsetting enough for the billionaire to demand his impeachment " NOW ." US District Judge Paul Engelmayer made the ruling early Saturday...

DOGE Aide Who Resigned After Racist Posts Outcry Is Back

Vance says 'stupid' posts shouldn't 'ruin a kid's life'

(Newser) - The Department of Government Efficiency staff member who quit after his racist online posts became an issue is being welcomed back by the boss. Marko Elez, whose posts included such sentiments as "I was racist before it was cool" and "normalize Indian hate," resigned Thursday . On Friday,...

DOGE Staffer: 'I Was Racist Before It Was Cool'

25-year-old Marko Elez, who gained access to Treasury's payments systems, resigns

(Newser) - A staffer at Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency has resigned after racist X posts came to light. Marko Elez, 25, who was reportedly granted administrator-level privileges to read and write code in the Treasury Department's payments systems , resigned Thursday after the Wall Street Journal asked the White...

Musk's Teen DOGE Lieutenant Has Some Iffy Security Issues

'I would probably have recommended against hiring him,' says former FBI agent of Edward Coristine

(Newser) - Wired has previously reported on the small army of young engineers helping Elon Musk in his mission to slash federal spending. The outlet continues the theme with a new story focusing on a 19-year-old member of Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, Edward Coristine. The piece notes that Coristine is...

Want an Easy Way Cut $2T? Think Nuclear
Want an
Easy Way
to Cut $2T?
Think Nuclear
OPINION
Feb 6, 2025 2:36 PM CST

Want an Easy Way to Cut $2T? Think Nuclear

Dan Vergano calls for ending nuclear weapons modernization

(Newser) - Elon Musk has an easy task in cutting $2 trillion from the federal budget in the view of Scientific American opinion editor Dan Vergano. But rather than going after the NOAA or the Labor Department , his Department of Government Efficiency should "recommend ending one of the most misguided, wasteful...

Musk's DOGE Gains Access to Medicare System

'This is where the big money fraud is happening,' he says of work at Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services

(Newser) - Elon Musk's access to the operations of the federal government appears to be only accelerating. On the heels of his Department of Government Efficiency gaining access —though it may be only "read-only" access —to a sensitive Treasury Department payment system:
  • Medicare/Medicaid: Representatives from DOGE have gotten
...

White House Is Canceling Politico Subscriptions

It all comes back to a conspiracy theory

(Newser) - A right-wing conspiracy theory that started spreading Wednesday claims that USAID, the federal agency in the crosshairs of Elon Musk and his DOGE staffers , has for years funneled millions of dollars to Politico and the AP. At a press conference that day, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt mentioned the...

Dems: DOGE Security Failures Could 'Break Our Government'

Federal workers sue over OPM's use of unencrypted email

(Newser) - Federal employees are attempting to block Elon Musk's DOGE associates from operating what they say is an illegal server at the Office of Personnel Management. Janes Does 1 and 2 allege the server, connected to a government network to harvest information on federal employees, violates federal law and could...

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