DOGE hogged the spotlight during the early months of the Republican administration because of its quick moves to reduce the number of federal employees
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was dismantled by the President of the United States, according to information from Reuters. Launched as one of the flagships of the new US administration in January with a promise to reduce the size and scope of government, the program no longer formally exists and its top officials have been reassigned to other roles within the Trump administration.
In an interview with Reuters, the director of the United States Office of Personnel Management, Stott Kupor, pointed out that DOGE is not a “centralized entity”. These were the first statements from the White House on the topic.
The agency dominated the spotlight during the first months of the Trump administration because of its rapid moves to reduce federal agency staffing, cut budgets or redirect work. According to Kupor, the federal government’s Office of Human Resources has taken over many of DOGE’s functions.
According to Reuters, two key DOGE employees were reassigned to the National Design Studio, an agency created by Trump through an executive order in August. One of these employees is Joe Gebbia, one of the founders of Airbnb. This new agency has the function of beautifying government websites.
The interim head of DOGE, Amy Gleason, became an advisor to the Secretary of Health and Human Services in March and has focused her public statements on her role at the Department of Health.
Importance of DOGE
The end of DOGE contrasts with the attention given to the agency at the beginning of the government. Trump, the businessman and many White House advisers posted a lot of content about government cuts on social media. DOGE says it has reduced billions of dollars in expenses, but it was impossible to verify the numbers because the department did not provide a public report on its work. In a statement sent to Reuters, the Trump administration said the Republican remains focused on DOGE’s missions. “President Trump has been given a clear mandate to reduce waste, fraud and abuse across the federal government, and he continues to actively deliver on that commitment.”
Trump administration officials have not yet openly stated that DOGE no longer exists, despite public feuds between Trump and Musk and the businessman’s departure from Washington. But Trump has already signaled that the department is part of the past. The American president’s executive order that created the agency indicates that DOGE should continue to exist until July 2026, but the department lost its power. In addition to the decentralization of DOGE, the agency also no longer has a target for reducing federal agency employees, according to Kupor.
*With information from Estadão Conteúdo
