The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), once hailed as a revolutionary approach to cutting government waste, has officially been shut down eight months before its mandate was set to expire. According to a Reuters report on November 23, 2025, the department that captured public imagination with its meme-inspired branding has ceased to exist as a centralized entity.
The Rise and Fall of DOGE
Launched with significant fanfare in November 2024, DOGE was named after the popular Dogecoin cryptocurrency featuring the Shiba Inu dog. The department's primary mission was to dramatically reduce government size and eliminate wasteful public spending, embodying the Republican Party's long-standing principle of 'Minimum Government, Maximum Governance'.
Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor confirmed to Reuters that DOGE "doesn't exist" anymore as a centralized organization. However, in a subsequent social media clarification, Kupor emphasized that "the principles of DOGE remain alive and well" and would now be implemented through the OPM and Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
DOGE's Controversial Journey
The department gained widespread attention largely due to Elon Musk's visible involvement as its public face. In February 2025, Musk dramatically brandished a "chainsaw for bureaucracy" gifted by Argentina President Javier Milei at the Conservative Political Action Conference, symbolizing the department's aggressive approach to cutting red tape.
However, the White House had clarified earlier this year that Musk had "no actual or formal authority to make government decisions himself." The Trump administration appointed Amy Gleason, a former healthcare administrator, as Acting Head in February, who later also served as an advisor to Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr.
DOGE faced significant criticism throughout its existence, particularly regarding its claimed achievements. The department's website boasted savings of $214 billion, or $1,329 per taxpayer, through various measures including asset sales, contract reconstructions, and workforce reductions.
Scrutiny and Legal Challenges
These numbers faced intense scrutiny from fact-checkers at The New York Times, Politico, and other organizations, who identified numerous errors ranging from miscalculations to misrepresentations of contracts. Experts questioned the effectiveness of many canceled contracts, with some describing the eliminated redundancies as equivalent to "confiscating used ammunition."
The department's use of mass layoffs to reduce wasteful expenditure proved particularly controversial, with thousands of federal employees being dismissed during the first month of the Trump presidency. DOGE also faced legal challenges concerning its mandate scope and access to confidential taxpayer data as a quasi-government organization.
Musk has completely exited government service following his public disagreement with the president over the One Big Beautiful Bill in June 2025.
What Comes Next?
In a recent blog post, Kupor revealed that the government had hired 68,000 people this year while 317,000 had left government service, exceeding President Trump's goal of reducing four persons per new hire. He clarified that "there are no prescribed reductions in headcount" and the focus has shifted to "great service delivery with maximum efficiency" rather than targeting specific full-time employee numbers.
Former DOGE officials have transitioned to other government offices including OMB, the State Department, and the Department of Health and Human Services. Notably, Airbnb cofounder Joe Gebbia moved from DOGE to the National Design Studio, a new initiative focused on improving government websites.
The temporary organization was originally given an 18-month mandate through a presidential action on January 20, 2025, and was scheduled to terminate on July 4, 2026. Its early dissolution marks the end of a controversial chapter in government efficiency efforts.
