DOGE is busier than ever–and Trump says Elon Musk is’really not leaving’
Elon will not fully leave the Department of Government Efficiency, and its activities continue to intensify. Donald Trump shot down the notion that Musk was going to disappear completely from DOGE and White House. Trump told Musk and a joint media conference in the Oval Office that Musk was not going anywhere. He’s going to be moving back and forth. “It’s his child, he will be doing many things. “
I expect to remain a friend and an advisor.” Musk said at Friday’s news conference while wearing a black hat that read “DOGEFATHER” on it, as well as a black shirt with the words “DOGEFATHER” written in black. He also noted that his limit of service for a special government worker was about to expire. “I expect to remain a friend and an advisor.”
Federal workers from at least six agencies tell WIRED that DOGE-style work is escalating in their departments.
Both new and familiar DOGE faces have also been recently detailed to new agencies, according to sources. In the past week, federal employees have been asked to review and possibly cancel contracts throughout the government. Trump appeared to confirm that contracts were under review at Friday’s press conference: “Many contracts, Elon, right now are being looked at,” he said.
Some agencies have also received visits from DOGE at their headquarters, WIRED has learned.
“This doesn’t sound like a group that is going away, it sounds like one that’s digging in like a parasite,” an IT specialist at the Department of Agriculture (USDA) tells WIRED.
Since DOGE first began its work in Washington in late January, its representatives have been eager to cut what they see as superfluous spending in government. In recent weeks, the pressure to slash and cancel contracts, specifically focused on workforce management and IT, has drastically increased, multiple sources at a variety of agencies tell WIRED.
“Biggest thing is we are being asked to cut as many contracts for software and labor as possible,” one tech worker at the Department of the Interior (DOI) tells WIRED, saying that the stated goal, as they understand it, has been “to save money and efficiency in consolidated IT.”
“We are cutting developers, telecom, server admins, call center staff etc.,” the DOI source says. The source at the DOI says that “some things were bloated, and could have used the cut.” Others are going to suffer, and our service to the public is going to be degraded.”
Employees at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and all the agencies under its umbrella, were told that contracts would have to go through a new approval process called the Departmental Efficiency Review (DER). According to an email obtained by WIRED, any requisitioning of contracts or approvals are halted until workers submit a form for the Departmental Efficiency Review (DER) and the deputy secretary’s office reviews funding. Email also says that any contract that appears to be excessively expensive or costly will be flagged.
