DOGE falling apart: Key Musk-aligned staff quit agency; White House says waste-cutting mission will continue

The elite federal task force known as DOGE, formed to overhaul the US government under Elon Musk’s watch, is rapidly losing its grip on Washington.

In recent months, several top DOGE officials and engineers have exited their posts, following Musk’s own departure from day-to-day operations, reports Politico.

For six months, anyone trying to enter DOGE’s main office needed to pass an armed guard and be on a special approved list. But now, that tight security is gone. The guard has been removed, and the signs in the lift saying “Authorised Access Only” have disappeared. It shows that DOGE is no longer as central to the Trump administration ’s government shake-up as it once was.

At least eight founding members of DOGE have left the government, according to internal records and sources familiar with the situation, reported by Politico. These include operational lead Steve Davis; his wife Nicole Hollander, who spearheaded downsizing efforts; Brad Smith, who slashed roles at the health and human services department; and Chris Stanley, a Musk aide who arranged for Starlink satellites and their installations.

Other notable exits include Katie Miller, DOGE’s former communications director; Amanda Scales, a key figure in approving firing exemptions at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM); James Burnham, DOGE’s chief counsel now believed to have resumed private practice; and Tom Krause, previously fiscal assistant secretary at the Treasury.

A senior White House official, speaking anonymously, attributed the wave of exits to many DOGE leaders having been appointed as special government employees. “It was never the plan for the highest levels of DOGE officials to make a career out of the government,” the official was quoted as saying to Politico.

Beyond leadership, at least seven engineers with access across multiple federal agencies have also stepped down. Another three are preparing to leave soon, according to internal records.

Even though many top DOGE leaders have left, the White House says the team’s work is still going strong. White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said, “Many Presidents have promised, but none other than President Trump has delivered to actually make government more efficient and root out waste, fraud, and abuse in Washington, and that mission is moving full steam ahead.” He added, “Under the President’s leadership, every agency and department is executing this mission seamlessly and, as a result, has yielded more than $170 billion in savings for the American people.”

Meanwhile, new figures aligned with Musk are stepping into senior government roles. Scott Kupor, a former managing partner at Andreessen Horowitz and Musk supporter, was recently confirmed as OPM director. Aram Moghaddassi, a former DOGE engineer, is now the chief information officer at the Social Security Administration.

Other DOGE veterans now working in key posts include Tyler Hassen at the Interior Department and Jeremy Lewin at the State Department. Joe Gebbia is leading federal retirement digitisation efforts at OPM.

DOGE is now eliminating unused phone lines, cancelling software licences and revamping the national weather radio system with the National Weather Service. A new flagship project, AI.gov, aims to boost artificial intelligence use in government.