DOGE ‘deeply engaged in US government transformation’ despite reports of closure

US government officials have insisted that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) – the flagship government office formed after president Trump’s election victory to focus on reducing government spending and improving technology – is continuing its work, despite reports it has been closed early.
DOGE, which was initially led by billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, was formed with the aim to “dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures and restructure federal agencies”, according to president Trump.
It was at the forefront of efforts to reduce spending, with actions including offering public servants eight months’ pay to resign, and placing all staff at the international development agency USAID on administrative leave as the government undertook plans to close the agency.
Musk left his government role in May, but the work of DOGE continued, with efforts being made to drive efficiency through cancelling government contracts deemed wasteful by the administration.
Scott Kupor, the director of the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM), said in August he was working to “institutionalise” the reforms being led by DOGE.
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‘The principles of DOGE remain alive and well’
However, news agency Reuters reported last month that DOGE no longer existed as a centralised agency, with many of its functions taken over by the OPM. This would have meant that DOGE had been closed more than six months before its planned expiry date of 4 July 2026, to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the founding of America.
Responding to the report, a DOGE spokesperson told Federal News Network on 2 December that both DOGE and the US DOGE Service (USDS) – the rebranded US Digital Service formed to focus on driving tech transformation across the federal government – remain in place.
In response to written questions from Federal News Network, a DOGE spokesperson said DOGE exists as a temporary organisation within the US DOGE Service, and that Amy Gleason remains the acting administrator of USDS.
“The US DOGE Service remains deeply engaged across government – modernising critical systems, improving public services, and delivering fast, practical solutions where the country needs them most,” the spokesperson said.
Kupor also said that “the principles of DOGE remain alive and well” within the OPM, with a focus on “de-regulation; eliminating fraud, waste and abuse; re-shaping the federal workforce; and making efficiency a first-class citizen”.
He added: “DOGE catalysed these changes; the agencies along with OPM and WHOMB [the White House Office of Management and Budget] will institutionalise them!”
He linked to an OPM blog post setting out the government’s most recent actions to reduce the federal government headcount. In particular, a presidential executive order has directed agency heads to submit annual headcount plans to the OPM and OMB.
This will allow the government to institutionalise efforts to reform government hiring. The OPM has set out guidance to departments and agencies on how to implement president Trump’s executive order on reforming the federal recruitment process.
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Media outlets have reported that officials who worked for DOGE are now working within other agencies, while the DOGE account on X, which sets out details of contracts cancelled across government, called the report from Reuters “fake news”.
“President Trump was given a mandate by the American people to modernise the federal government and reduce waste, fraud and abuse,” its post added, highlighting that DOGE terminated 78 “wasteful contracts” and saved taxpayers US$335m in the week of 15-20 November.