DOGE
Cut first, measure later: Watchdogs find problems across foreign affairs agency reorganizations
Among the findings, the inspector general for the State Department reported that the government is spending $3.2 million biweekly on administrative leave for employees who received reduction in force notices last year.
Agencies withheld records needed to verify DOGE data safeguards, GAO says
A review of six agencies could not establish the full extent of DOGE’s system access or whether security rules were followed. Two agencies challenged the watchdog’s authority to investigate.
More ‘Big Balls’-type young feds are what the OPM chief wants
In an interview on Monday, Scott Kupor also discussed implementing skills-based hiring, which had been a priority of the Biden administration as well.
Musk should testify about overstated savings from DHS contract cancellations, Democrats argue
The Government Accountability Office reported that contract terminations pushed by the Department of Government Efficiency yielded a net of $92 million — much less than the Homeland Security Department’s public report of as much as $10.5 billion in potential savings.
GSA looks to ‘meaningfully increase’ hiring to replenish its workforce
Current and former GSA officials said significant hiring is needed at the Public Buildings Service to help the agency recover from last year’s deep staffing cuts.
DOGE took credit for savings that never happened, watchdog finds
The Department of Government Efficiency claimed tens of billions of dollars in savings on its infamous “Wall of Receipts,” but the Government Accountability Office found it touted savings that never happened and could not be substantiated.
Watchdog puts new numbers on the size of DOGE, but many details remain unknown as agencies refuse to turn over information
In a new report, the Government Accountability Office said it was unable to verify if all Department of Government Efficiency employees completed mandatory activities intended to avoid conflicts of interest.
New documentary recounts ‘free-for-all attitude of cruelty’ toward axed federal employees
The movie, which was filmed during the start of the second Trump administration, examines the human and societal effects of recent federal job cuts.
The biggest story in the federal workforce cuts isn't how many left, it's who wasn't replaced
COMMENTARY | The data suggest the workforce reduction reshaped not just the size of government, but the expertise available to carry out its work, one expert argues.
What DOGE taught us about AI and federal workers
COMMENTARY | Mass layoffs have left thousands of federal workers unemployed and struggling to find their footing as AI accelerates disruption across the public sector.
DOGE is about making government services easier to access, its head says
In a rare public speaking appearance in which DOGE was discussed, its acting administrator Amy Gleason painted a different vision of its work than that pursued during the government-slashing efforts last year.
Treasury missed security controls in giving DOGE system access, GAO finds
The finding is among the first oversight reports Congress’ watchdog has released about the controversial cost-cutting team.
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Appeals court clears the way for DOGE to access Social Security data despite new red flags
The Friday decision follows a January court filing in which the government conceded that DOGE associates may have improperly accessed sensitive data at the agency.
Insights from the inside: How former feds think we ought to reform the federal government
COMMENTARY | A report by seven former senior federal employees shows what DOGE done right would look like.
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Inside DOGE’s early days of pressure campaigns, rule breaking and ‘chaos’
Twenty-three hours of court testimony offer a rare glimpse into the Trump cost-cutting group that officials say “felt more like a club” than the agencies they were breaking.
These former government tech leaders are prepping day-one plans for a future administration
Mikey Dickerson, the first head of the U.S. Digital Service, is a senior advisor for the effort, called the Tech Viaduct.
GAO report offers new details on the workers agencies lost last year
The government watchdog agency found that nearly 144,000 federal workers were accepted into the deferred resignation program in the first half of 2025.
Trump promised to ‘reclaim power’ from civil servants in his 2025 speech to Congress. Here’s what has changed since
The administration has made strides on several of the federal workforce goals that the president laid out in his speech to Congress last year.
Lawmaker pitches blueprint for post-DOGE privacy overhaul
Rep. Lori Trahan, D-Mass., wants to redo the government's main privacy law to ensure people’s information is “handled responsibly” when in government hands.
Rebuilding federal capacity will require public‑private partnerships
COMMENTARY | Amid the disruption of DOGE to agency operations and the oncoming workforce transformations of AI, the federal government and its private sector partners may have to collaborate to define the future of work.
The tail wagging the dog: Snapshots of the public service a year into the second Trump administration
COMMENTARY | One year in, DOGE and the Trump administration have had profound effects on the federal civil service, but looking at the numbers, it's not always where one expects.
