_WHAT’S HAPPENING_
Following mainstream media reports alone might give the impression that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) consists of Elon Musk and a few 20-year-old tech protégés. But last week, when Musk and DOGE’s top officials spoke to Fox News’ Bret Baier, viewers were met with a team that included highly experienced business professionals and scientists.
In total, DOGE has dozens of staff spread throughout the federal government, as some of the brightest minds in the United States dedicate their time to seeking out massive waste, fraud, and abuse. And so far, they have reportedly saved taxpayers around $140 billion.
_THE FACTS_
Elon Musk does not actually lead DOGE or play any official role in the organization. He is formally a “Special Advisor to the President,” which, when acting on the president’s behalf, gives him immense authority in the executive branch.
Amy Gleason, who worked in DOGE’s predecessor, the US Digital Service, during President Donald Trump’s first term, is formally overseeing the operation.
One DOGE leader, Steve Davis, is a former rocket scientist who is in charge of Boring Co., the company that digs Musk’s loop tunnel systems.
Aram Moghaddassi, another employee of Musk’s companies, works as an engineer for DOGE, investigating fraud. He recently revealed a massive fraud operation targeting Social Security.
Also speaking to Fox was Joe Gebbia, a billionaire co-founder of Airbnb, who elaborated on the federal government’s antiquated storage of retirement cases in a cave in Pennsylvania.
Some individuals, such as Katie Miller — the wife of White House advisor Stephen Miller — have more opaque roles. While she had reportedly overseen communications for DOGE, she recently told The Washington Post that she had no involvement in that role.
Brad Smith, a Rhodes Scholar who worked in the first Trump administration, is focused on finding fraud at the Department of Health and Human Services.
Nate Cavanaugh, who is in his early 20s, founded a tech company at 19. He is a DOGE staffer and advisor to the head of the General Services Administration. He was also recently appointed to lead the US Institute of Peace.
_INSIGHTS_
DOGE is unique in American history: never has the world’s richest man volunteered to lead a team for the president with the goal of cutting $1 trillion in wasteful spending. This agenda, combined with political pushback and scrutiny from Democratic lawmakers, has led to public confusion about who is actually involved with the department.
And while there are younger, lower-level staffers — as there are in any government agency — DOGE’s roster indicates that Musk has brought in highly successful entrepreneurs and engineers, many of whom have experience cutting waste and trimming fat. In this sense, the department is fulfilling President Trump’s stated goal for the country, dating back to his first presidential run: to govern the country like a business.
