The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is an initiative established by the second Trump administration via Executive Order 14158 on January 20, 2025, aimed at modernizing federal technology, maximizing governmental efficiency, and reducing wasteful spending.
Here’s a summary of key actions and initiatives attributed to DOGE based on available information up to June 1, 2025:
*Technology Modernization and Software Initiatives:
- DOGE has focused on modernizing federal technology and software.
- At the General Services Administration (GSA), DOGE influenced a shift to an “AI-first strategy,” with plans to write software using AI coding agents.
- At the Social Security Administration (SSA), DOGE pushed to migrate base code from COBOL to a modern programming language
*Contract and Spending Reviews:
- DOGE teams, embedded within federal agencies, reviewed existing contracts and grants to identify and terminate or modify those deemed wasteful, targeting funds to educational institutions and foreign entities for waste, fraud, and abuse.
- DOGE highlighted federal spending not authorized by Congress, with reports noting over $500 billion in appropriations to expired programs in the prior year, aiming to curb such expenditures.
- *Workforce Reductions and Restructuring:
- DOGE facilitated mass layoffs, with a February 11, 2025, Executive Order implementing a hiring ratio of one new employee for every four departures to reduce the federal workforce through attrition and efficiency improvements.
- Data Access and Integration:
- At the Department of Homeland Security, DOGE built a master database linking SSA data, IRS data, biometric data, and voting records.
- Regulatory and Program Cuts:
- DOGE aimed to slash excess regulations to present a list to President Trump for immediate pause of enforcement and review for rescission, leveraging executive action.
- At the Department of Education, DOGE deployed AI to probe for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs and employee spending.
- Transparency and Public Engagement:
- Musk promised all DOGE actions would be posted online for transparency, including a “leaderboard for most insanely dumb spending” of tax dollars.
For more details on DOGE initiatives, click here