Musk retreats, allowing DOGE to advance with further reductions, encompassing agency restructuring

Elon Musk's departure from Trump's White House seems to have little impact on the ambitious Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which Musk previously championed.

In just a few months, DOGE has established a presence deep within the government—from crucial personnel appointments to the modernization of decades-old software systems across various agencies. The department is also working on constructing a central database of sensitive personal data, aimed at boosting immigration enforcement and combating government fraud.

Many of these appointments, both temporary and permanent, are set to stay for months, or perhaps even years. Some staffers hold the title of Special Government Employee, like Musk, limited to working 130 days, while others are on contracts that last until the end of the fiscal year. Yet more have acquired more enduring roles within the agencies.

A General Services Administration employee, speaking confidentially, shared with CNN that Musk's people are ingrained in the system and will not be leaving anytime soon, ensuring the chaos persists and nothing changes fundamentally.

Over the initial four months of Trump's presidency, DOGE has transformed the federal landscape. Over 121,000 federal workers faced layoffs or were targeted for layoffs during Trump's first 100 days, and many more accepted buyout offers. These workers reported feelings of confusion and upheaval, often forced to return to work or relocate to keep their positions. Federal grants and programs have been slashed, only to be reinstated after legal challenges.

The reach of DOGE, however, is not yet clearly defined, as evidenced by Bradley Humphreys, a senior Justice Department trial attorney, who told a judge in March that it is challenging to pin down the department's authority. It remains uncertain whether DOGE and the staffers it has embedded within agencies will achieve their objectives without Musk's presence to shield them from potential pushback.

Cabinet secrets, such as Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, have already pushed back against DOGE, perceiving the department as encroaching on their authority. Musk, a frequent target of criticism, may now be gone, making it potentially easier for DOGE's initiatives to advance.

A senior agency official, who works closely with DOGE team members, told CNN that the initial shock and awe blast Musk unleashed were essential, but there is a point of diminishing returns after that approach. With the media focus shifted, the focus moves to action and less on authority.

Republican Georgia Rep. Rich McCormick, who faced criticism from his constituents over Musk's early actions, predicts that the work of DOGE will continue, albeit more subtly.

The Legacy Musk Leaves Behind

From the outset, DOGE was Musk's baby, and its strategic initiatives and targets were driven by the tech billionaire. In a makeshift office in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, Musk obsessed over issues both significant and trivial, sometimes working around the clock.

Musk's team adhered to Silicon Valley's ethos, moving quickly and breaking things with few formal titles or employment agreements. The team took a diverse range of roles across agencies, such as senior advisers, chiefs of staff, chief information officers, and general counsels, holding multiple roles simultaneously.

As Musk's car company, Tesla, faced turmoil, his abrasive approach left him increasingly isolated within Trump's circle. As attention turned towards Trump's economic agenda, focus on DOGE's efforts waned.

Musk recently announced that he will spend less time on government work to focus more on Tesla, leaving his future role within Trump's administration unclear. White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt stated that the mission of DOGE—to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse—will continue, with DOGE employees embedded in agencies working toward this goal.

Congressional allies of Musk affirm that his departure will have no effect on DOGE's future. Aaron Bean, a Florida Republican who co-leads the House DOGE caucus, told CNN that the momentum is there, and Musk has set DOGE on its course to success. House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole acknowledged that the process with DOGE has been challenging but believes it has performed a useful function and will be institutionalized during Trump's term.

DOGE Employees Settle Deep Within Agencies

The Trump administration has yet to provide clear details about the size of DOGE and the extent of its efforts following Musk's departure. An anonymous administration official asserted that "DOGE is everywhere." Although the official declined to reveal the workforce size, they emphasized that it would be significant.

During a March interview, Musk shared that DOGE had about 100 staffers, with a goal to increase that figure to 200. Some DOGE team members have already been assimilated into traditional roles within agencies, with more likely to follow.

DOGE-aligned officials occupy pivotal positions across nearly every department and agency in the executive branch and, in some cases, at the helm of these agencies. Executives hailing from Tesla, SpaceX, The Boring Company, xAI, and X—or with close ties to Musk in the tech world—control critical, albeit lesser-known, nerve centers across Washington.

In the months since, they have gained control over crucial entitlement, revenue, and assistance programs. They have sidelined, terminated, or forced the retirement of top officials at the Social Security Administration, Internal Revenue Service, Office of Personnel Management, General Services Administration, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Newly-appointed officials, almost without exception, have granted unrestricted access to closely-held, secure information systems to DOGE engineers deployed across these critical agencies. In some cases, data access has been blocked due to legal challenges.

The DOGE team has sought to circumvent statutory requirements and agency regulations preventing the sharing of vast amounts of personal and financial data they have acquired. They justify their actions through Trump's executive orders.

In some instances, the combination of time and necessity has led to a level of cooperation and productive working relationships with career agency officials. Comptroller Gene Dodaro, the head of the Government Accountability Office, testified before lawmakers that DOGE efforts have helped break down data barriers, aiding the federal government in detecting improper payments and fraud.

Some DOGE team members, initially skeptical of their government colleagues, have modified their views. Sam Corcos, a health startup founder who joined the Treasury Department's DOGE team, stated during a rare March interview on Fox News that they have a lot of software talent on the ground and many good people at the agencies. Corcos reported experiencing no backlash from career staffers and finding them "super cooperative."

However, the role Musk-aligned officials have played in spearheading the mass reduction in the federal workforce has fostered a deep distrust among federal employees. The wave of cuts and buyouts represents the first phase of this effort, with larger future terminations planned.

In April, agencies were required to submit reduction-in-force and full-scale reorganization plans to the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Personnel Management. These submissions, closely guarded by administration officials, are now the subject of a lawsuit seeking their public disclosure. The Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to overturn a lower court ruling that has prevented mass firings and major reorganizations at federal agencies.

A current employee at the Department of Education reports that the tension between DOGE supporters and the rest of the team has grown more substantial now, with DOGE taking the lead and moving independently—creating a chasm between the two factions.

DOGE staffers in the office reportedly avoid interacting with their counterparts, walking by without acknowledging them, closing their office doors, and sometimes locking them. A sense of collaboration is absent, making the atmosphere tense and awkward.

The Social Security Administration, which manages Americans' sensitive data and operates the federal government's largest program, serves as a window into DOGE's infiltration methods.

There, several DOGE team members with personal ties to Musk have assumed prominent roles, pursuing Trump and Musk's political agendas. Leland Dudek, the agency's acting commissioner, stated at a meeting with advocates in early March that DOGE was in charge at Social Security, not him, according to meeting attendees.

DOGE has embedded 11 staffers at the Social Security Administration, as evidenced by court documents. Their roles include Special Government Employees, detailees from other agencies, and employees with year-long agreements that can be renewed. At least two of these individuals have taken executive positions within the agency.

The Trump administration anticipates the agreement between the agencies will cost over $4.5 million, including nearly $3.7 million for salaries, $150,000 for travel, and $735,000 for overhead. The agreement runs through the end of the 2025 fiscal year.

DOGE is involved in three projects at Social Security. These efforts, however, face legal hurdles, as federal courts have barred DOGE staffers from accessing Social Security data in the agency's databases. The Trump administration has appealed to the Supreme Court to lift the restrictions so DOGE can continue modernizing government information systems and combating fraud and waste at the agency.

One project, called "Are You Alive?," seeks to ensure the agency's records accurately reflect the status of individuals—alive or deceased—to root out improper payments and fraud connected to deceased individuals.

The Death Data Clean Up Project focuses on updating the records of individuals the agency has sufficient confidence are deceased.

The Fraud Detection Project scrutinizes direct deposit information changes, wage reporting, and new claims for fraud.

DOGE maintains a tight rein on its Social Security efforts, working in small teams and not inviting many people to their meetings. It's likely that more experienced DOGE staffers, such as Scott Coulter and Mike Russo, will stay on to help new Social Security Commissioner Frank Bisignano and build out their teams.

However, the impact of DOGE will remain long after these individuals depart.

"The ideas of DOGE will continue to serve as a weapon to disrupt and reshape established norms," the employee said.

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), formerly championed by Elon Musk, continues to make its presence felt within various agencies, despite Musk's departure from Trump's White House. With a significant workforce deeply embedded across the executive branch, DOGE's influence extends to technology modernization, sensitive data management, and immigration enforcement. The department's objectives, however, remain uncertain without Musk's presence to shield them from potential pushback.

In the realm of politics and general-news, the impact of DOGE's initiatives is not only seen in its technological advances but also in its policy changes, such as the mass reduction in the federal workforce and the introduction of projects aimed at eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse. The department's reach also expands to crime and justice, as evidenced by its efforts to combat government fraud and improper payments, particularly in agencies like the Social Security Administration.