DOGE may no longer be helmed by Elon Musk or even considered an official government entity anymore, but the reports of its death are greatly exaggerated. The special advisory intended to eliminate government “waste, fraud, and abuse,” is still up to something, two federal employees told Fortune.
Last month, Office of Personnel Management director Scott Kupor told Reutersthat DOGE “doesn’t exist” and is no longer a “centralized entity.” According to an executive order signed on President Donald Trump’s first day in office, DOGE as a temporary organization had been scheduled to end on July 4, 2026, suggesting the agency disbanded about eight months ahead of schedule.
Kupor later clarified DOGE’s current role in the federal government in an X post, saying, “The truth is: DOGE may not have centralized leadership under the [U.S. DOGE Service]. But, the principles of DOGE remain alive and well: de-regulation; eliminating fraud, waste and abuse; re-shaping the federal workforce; making efficiency a first-class citizen.”
Federal employees interviewed by Fortune, who spoke on the condition of anonymity as they are not authorized to speak to the press, said it was not apparent to them that DOGE had been disbanded.
