At least eight core staffers who worked in the Department of Government Efficiency have left the agency since its de facto leader Elon Musk’s acrimonious departure from the White House.
The initiative that was meant to cut “waste, fraud, and abuse” across the federal government appears to be hitting road bumps, with remaining staffers facing increased scrutiny from the administration since Musk and other key generals left the agency, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Steve Davis, the effective leader of DOGE, saw himself out the door along with his wife, Nicole Hollander, who was focused on shrinking the government, after Musk left.
At least six other key DOGE leaders have left their jobs – either by choice or because their designation as “special government employees” had a deadline, according to POLITICO.
That includes:
· Brad Smith, who leads the DOGE team at the Department of Health and Human Services;
· Katie Miller, DOGE’s communications director and the wife of Stephen Miller;
· Chris Stanley, an aide who installed Starlink satellites on the roof of the Executive Office building;
· Amanda Scales, the former chief of staff at the Office of Personnel Management;
· James Burnman, DOGE’s chief counsel;
· Tom Krause, the fiscal assistant secretary of the Treasury.
The Independent has asked the White House for more information.
At least seven DOGE engineers with security clearance across multiple agencies have left, and three others are preparing to leave, according to records reviewed by POLITICO.
Remaining DOGE staff are reportedly being tested on their loyalty to President Donald Trump, while agency heads have been given more control over the staffers installed in the department, according to The Journal.
After a brutal and public falling out between Trump and his former “first buddy,” the glamor of DOGE has apparently worn off on the president.
People familiar with his comments told The Journal that Trump is tired of DOGE’s aggressive and at times chaotic tactics.
It’s unclear what the future of DOGE is now.
One unnamed White House official told POLITICO that DOGE employees were not meant to make a career out of their government positions.
In a statement from the White House, spokesperson Harrison Field 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.
“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,” Harrison added.
