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Department of Government Efficiency

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U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization
Basic facts
Type:Temporary organization within an executive agency
Website:Official website

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) refers to a temporary organization within a federal executive branch agency tasked with "implement[ing] the President’s DOGE Agenda, by modernizing Federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity."

President Donald Trump (R) officially established the organization by issuing an executive order on January 20, 2025. The executive order renamed the existing United States Digital Service to the United States DOGE Service (USDS) and established the agency within the executive office of the President. The order also created the U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization within USDS and set the organization to expire on July 4, 2026. This temporary organization aligns with the descriptions of DOGE provided by Trump in mid-November and by Elon Musk.[1][2][3]

The organization was announced by President-elect Donald Trump (R) on November 12, 2024. In the initial announcement, Trump appointed Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead the organization.[4]

Ramaswamy announced on January 20, 2025, that he would be stepping down from DOGE. News outlets reported he was stepping down from the organization to run for governor of Ohio.[5][6][7]

Musk announced on May 28, 2025 that he was stepping down from DOGE.[8]

Mission

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The executive order establishing the United States DOGE Service stated, "This Executive Order establishes the Department of Government Efficiency to implement the President’s DOGE Agenda, by modernizing Federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity."[3]

Commentary from Musk and Ramaswamy

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who were first announced as co-leaders of the advisory organization, stated in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece published November 20, 2024, that the goal of DOGE is to "reverse a decadeslong executive power grab." They wrote:[4]

“

Our nation was founded on the basic idea that the people we elect run the government. That isn’t how America functions today. Most legal edicts aren’t laws enacted by Congress but “rules and regulations” promulgated by unelected bureaucrats—tens of thousands of them each year. Most government enforcement decisions and discretionary expenditures aren’t made by the democratically elected president or even his political appointees but by millions of unelected, unappointed civil servants within government agencies who view themselves as immune from firing thanks to civil-service protections

This is antidemocratic and antithetical to the Founders’ vision. It imposes massive direct and indirect costs on taxpayers. Thankfully, we have a historic opportunity to solve the problem. On Nov. 5, voters decisively elected Donald Trump with a mandate for sweeping change, and they deserve to get it. [9]

”

Authority

See also: West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency, Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo

Trump officially established the organization by issuing an executive order on January 20, 2025. The executive order renamed the existing United States Digital Service to the United States DOGE Service (USDS) and established the agency within the executive office of the President. The order also created the U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization within USDS and set the temporary organization to expire on July 4, 2026.[2][2][3]

The section below displays the text of the order. Click here to view the order as published on the White House website.

“

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:

Section 1. Purpose. This Executive Order establishes the Department of Government Efficiency to implement the President’s DOGE Agenda, by modernizing Federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity.

Sec. 2. Definitions. As used in this order:

(a) “Agency” has the meaning given to it in section 551 of title 5, United States Code, except that such term does not include the Executive Office of the President or any components thereof.

(b) “Agency Head” means the highest-ranking official of an agency, such as the Secretary, Administrator, Chairman, or Director, unless otherwise specified in this order.

Sec. 3. DOGE Structure. (a) Reorganization and Renaming of the United States Digital Service. The United States Digital Service is hereby publicly renamed as the United States DOGE Service (USDS) and shall be established in the Executive Office of the President.

(b) Establishment of a Temporary Organization. There shall be a USDS Administrator established in the Executive Office of the President who shall report to the White House Chief of Staff. There is further established within USDS, in accordance with section 3161 of title 5, United States Code, a temporary organization known as “the U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization”. The U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization shall be headed by the USDS Administrator and shall be dedicated to advancing the President’s 18-month DOGE agenda. The U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization shall terminate on July 4, 2026. The termination of the U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization shall not be interpreted to imply the termination, attenuation, or amendment of any other authority or provision of this order.

(c) DOGE Teams. In consultation with USDS, each Agency Head shall establish within their respective Agencies a DOGE Team of at least four employees, which may include Special Government Employees, hired or assigned within thirty days of the date of this Order. Agency Heads shall select the DOGE Team members in consultation with the USDS Administrator. Each DOGE Team will typically include one DOGE Team Lead, one engineer, one human resources specialist, and one attorney. Agency Heads shall ensure that DOGE Team Leads coordinate their work with USDS and advise their respective Agency Heads on implementing the President ‘s DOGE Agenda.

Sec. 4. Modernizing Federal Technology and Software to Maximize Efficiency and Productivity. (a) The USDS Administrator shall commence a Software Modernization Initiative to improve the quality and efficiency of government-wide software, network infrastructure, and information technology (IT) systems. Among other things, the USDS Administrator shall work with Agency Heads to promote inter-operability between agency networks and systems, ensure data integrity, and facilitate responsible data collection and synchronization.

(b) Agency Heads shall take all necessary steps, in coordination with the USDS Administrator and to the maximum extent consistent with law, to ensure USDS has full and prompt access to all unclassified agency records, software systems, and IT systems. USDS shall adhere to rigorous data protection standards.

(c) This Executive Order displaces all prior executive orders and regulations, insofar as they are subject to direct presidential amendment, that might serve as a barrier to providing USDS access to agency records and systems as described above.

Sec. 5. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or

(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

(b) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.

(c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person. [9]

”

Commentary from Musk and Ramaswamy

DOGE's authority, according to Musk and Ramaswamy, stems from two Supreme Court rulings:

They wrote in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece that they would primarily operate by providing guidance to Trump to issue executive actions. Musk and Ramaswamy argued Trump could pause the enforcement of certain regulations that, in their view, are invalid following the two SCOTUS rulings.[4]

“

We will focus particularly on driving change through executive action based on existing legislation rather than by passing new laws. Our North Star for reform will be the U.S. Constitution, with a focus on two critical Supreme Court rulings issued during President Biden’s tenure.

In West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency (2022), the justices held that agencies can’t impose regulations dealing with major economic or policy questions unless Congress specifically authorizes them to do so. In Loper Bright v. Raimondo (2024), the court overturned the Chevron doctrine and held that federal courts should no longer defer to federal agencies’ interpretations of the law or their own rulemaking authority. Together, these cases suggest that a plethora of current federal regulations exceed the authority Congress has granted under the law.

DOGE will work with legal experts embedded in government agencies, aided by advanced technology, to apply these rulings to federal regulations enacted by such agencies. DOGE will present this list of regulations to President Trump, who can, by executive action, immediately pause the enforcement of those regulations and initiate the process for review and rescission. This would liberate individuals and businesses from illicit regulations never passed by Congress and stimulate the U.S. economy. [9]

”

Leadership

The executive order establishing the Department of Government Efficiency also created the U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization within the agency. It also established the position of USDS Administrator. The temporary organization was set by the executive order to expire on July 4, 2026.[2][3]

Trump announced in a statement that the Department of Government Efficiency would be led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. Ramaswamy, however, announced on January 20, 2025, that he would step down from DOGE.[5][6] Musk announced that he would step down from DOGE on May 28, 2025.[8]

Elon Musk is a businessman most known for his roles as founder of SpaceX, CEO of Tesla, and owner of the social media platform X. Vivek Ramaswamy is an entrepreneur, political commentator, and former 2024 Republican presidential candidate.

Trump's executive order establishing DOGE also directed each federal agency to establish a DOGE Team of at least four employees. The order states:

“ In consultation with USDS [United States DOGE Service], each Agency Head shall establish within their respective Agencies a DOGE Team of at least four employees, which may include Special Government Employees, hired or assigned within thirty days of the date of this Order. Agency Heads shall select the DOGE Team members in consultation with the USDS Administrator. Each DOGE Team will typically include one DOGE Team Lead, one engineer, one human resources specialist, and one attorney. Agency Heads shall ensure that DOGE Team Leads coordinate their work with USDS and advise their respective Agency Heads on implementing the President‘s DOGE Agenda.[9] ”

Background

See also: Donald Trump presidential transition, 2024-2025
Ballotpedia's On the Ballot podcast: What DOGE can learn from Clinton's effort to 'reinvent government' in the '90s

Executive order on January 20, 2025, establishing DOGE

Trump officially established the organization by issuing an executive order on January 20, 2025. The executive order renamed the existing United States Digital Service to the United States DOGE Service (USDS) and established the agency within the executive office of the President. The order also created the U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization within USDS and set the organization to expire on July 4, 2026.[2][3]

Initial announcement of DOGE in November 2024

President-elect Donald Trump (R) on November 12, 2024, announced Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy would lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Trump announced the creation of DOGE, alongside the appointment of Musk and Ramaswamy, in the following statement:[1]

“

I am pleased to announce that the Great Elon Musk, working in conjunction with American Patriot Vivek Ramaswamy, will lead the Department of Government Efficiency ("DOGE"). Together, these two wonderful Americans will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies - Essential to the "Save America" Movement." This will send shockwaves through the system, and anyone involved in Government waste, which is a lot of people!" stated Mr. Musk.

It will become, potentially, "The Manhattan Project of our time. Republican politicians have dreamed about the objectives of "DOGE" for a very long time. To drive this kind of drastic change, the Department of Government Efficiency will provide advice and guidance from outside of Government, and will partner with the White House and Office of Management & Budget to drive large scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach to Government never seen before.

I look forward to Elon and Vivek making changes to the Federal Bureaucracy with an eye on efficiency and, at the same time, making life better for all Americans. Importantly, we will drive out the massive waste and fraud which exists throughout our annual $6.5 Trillion Dollars of Government Spending. They will work together to liberate our Economy, and make the U.S. Government accountable to "WE THE PEOPLE." Their work will conclude no later than July 4, 2026 - A smaller Government, with more efficiency and less bureaucracy, will be the perfect gift to America on the 250th Anniversary of The Declaration of Independence. I am confident they will succeed! [9]

”


Vivek Ramaswamy announced on January 20, 2025, that he would be stepping down from DOGE. News outlets reported he was stepping down from the organization to run for governor of Ohio, however, Ramaswamy had not confirmed his future political plans as of January 21, 2025.[5][6] Musk announced on May 28, 2025 that he was stepping down from DOGE.[8]


DOGE and the Federal Advisory Committee Act

DOGE may meet the definition of a federal advisory committee, subjecting it to requirements established by the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA). According to the FACA, an advisory committee is defined in the following way:[10]

“

[A]ny committee, board, commission, council, conference, panel, task force, or other similar group, or any subcommittee or other subgroup thereof (hereafter in this paragraph referred to as "committee"), which is —

(A) established by statute or reorganization plan, or
(B) established or utilized by the President, or
(C) established or utilized by one or more agencies,

in the interest of obtaining advice or recommendations for the President or one or more agencies or officers of the Federal Government, except that such term excludes (i) any committee that is composed wholly of full-time, or permanent part-time, officers or employees of the Federal Government, and (ii) any committee that is created by the National Academy of Sciences or the National Academy of Public Administration. [9]

”


Advisory committees, according to the FACA, are required to meet certain membership and meeting criteria. Advisory committees must maintain "balanced [membership] in terms of points of view represented and the functions to be performed by the committee." They also must adhere to ethics laws, hold open meetings, and maintain public meeting records.[11]

Noteworthy events

DOGE faces multiple lawsuits challenging organization's authority (2025)

President Donald Trump (R) issued an executive order on January 20, 2025, establishing DOGE. Following the order, multiple lawsuits were filed by public interest organizations, government unions, and other groups challenging the organization's legality and authority.[12]

National Security Counselors, the American Public Health Association, the American Federation of Teachers, and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed lawsuits arguing DOGE is in violation of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA).[13][14]

The group Public Citizen challenged the legal status of DOGE in a separate lawsuit arguing, "DOGE’s operations during the transition period were shrouded in secrecy. Media reporting indicates that DOGE took steps outside of public view to begin operating immediately after President Trump’s inauguration, and that DOGE will be embedded within the White House, OMB, and other federal agencies very soon thereafter. Operating without complying with FACA, DOGE has already begun developing recommendations and influencing decision-making in the new administration, even though its membership lacks the fair balance required by FACA and its meetings and records are not open to public inspection in real time."[15]

Republican lawmakers introduce DOGE Acts (2024)

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.) on December 11, 2024, announced a package of bills to amend federal agency workforce policies and reduce spending. Blackburn and Tenney called the package the DOGE Acts, aligning with President-elect Donald Trump's (R) Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).[16]

Congress did not vote on the package during the 118th Congress. The 119th Congress, which convened January 3, 2025, has reintroduced some of the bills.

Sen. Blackburn wrote, "The DOGE Acts are the first step to achieving government efficiency by requiring federal employees to get back in the office, moving federal agencies into the heartland of America, cutting bloated federal spending across the board, and freezing federal hiring and salaries until we can rightsize the federal government."

Click here for more information on the bills included in the package.

President-elect Trump announces Department of Government Efficiency creation (2024)

President-elect Donald Trump (R) on November 12, 2024, announced the creation of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to advise the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on cutting costs, reducing regulations, and restructuring agencies. Trump appointed businessman Elon Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to lead the organization.[1]

DOGE is not a government agency. Instead, it will "provide advice and guidance from outside the Government," according to Trump's statement. Trump also said Musk and Ramaswamy will advise his administration on ways to "slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies."

Since the announcement, Musk and Ramaswamy have released plans to boost efficiency, including proposals to eliminate certain agencies. Musk on November 27 posted on the social media platform X about eliminating the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), arguing, "There are too many duplicative regulatory agencies."[17][18]

The U.S. House Budget Committee, led by Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-Texas), wrote in a statement supporting the announcement, "The DOGE is a tremendous step in leadership from President Trump toward fiscal responsibility to combat the nearly $36 trillion in unsustainable debt."[19]

Lisa Gilbert, co-president of the advocacy group Public Citizen, argued in a statement opposing DOGE's task of reducing federal regulations, "The purpose of government regulations is to protect the American people. … ‘Cutting red tape’ is shorthand for getting rid of the safeguards that protect us in order to benefit corporate interests."[20]

Musk and Ramaswamy argued in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece that DOGE's authority stems from two Supreme Court rulings: West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency and Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo. They argued, "Together, these cases suggest that a plethora of current federal regulations exceed the authority Congress has granted under the law." They said they will "present this list of regulations to President Trump, who can, by executive action, immediately pause enforcement of those regulations and initiate the process for review and rescission."[4]

Law professor Gillian Metzger argued DOGE's interpretation of Loper Bright could constrain the organization's efforts, stating, "Chevron deference gave an agency room to change its interpretation of a statute, provided the statute was ambiguous, and the agency reasonably offered a permissible interpretation. … Without that precedent, it's going to be harder for them to change interpretations of statutes in ways that justify repealing regulations."[21]

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 X, "Department of Government Efficiency," accessed December 6, 2024
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 The White House, "Establishing And Implementing The President's 'Department of Government Efficiency,'" January 20, 2025
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Executive Order: Establishing And Implementing The President’s “Department Of Government Efficiency” (Donald Trump, 2025)
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Wall Street Journal, "Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy: The DOGE Plan to Reform Government," November 20, 2024
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Politico, "Ramaswamy will leave DOGE," January 20, 2025
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 The New York Times, "Ramaswamy Will Bow Out of Cost-Cutting Project and Run for Governor in Ohio," January 20, 2025
  7. ↑ Newsweek, "Vivek Ramaswamy Responds to Comments He Left Trump's DOGE," January 21, 2025
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Politico, "Musk is gone. But DOGE staffers are still trying to cut through agencies." accessed May 30, 2025
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  10. ↑ US Code, "Federal Advisory Committee Act," accessed December 13, 2024
  11. ↑ U.S. General Services Administration, "When is Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) Applicable?" August 15, 2024
  12. ↑ Reuters, "Trump announces 'DOGE' advisory group, attracting instant lawsuits," January 20, 2025
  13. ↑ United States District Court for the District of Columbia, "National Security Counselors v. Department of Government Efficiency," January 20, 2025
  14. ↑ United States District Court for the District of Columbia, "American Public Health Association v. Office of Management and Budget," January 20, 2025
  15. ↑ United States District Court for the District of Columbia, "Public Citizen v. Donald Trump," January 20, 2025
  16. ↑ Marsha Blackburn, "Blackburn, Tenney Introduce 'DOGE Acts' to Make Federal Government More Efficient and Slash Wasteful Spending," December 11, 2024
  17. ↑ Government Executive, "Good luck, Department of Government Efficiency," November 20, 2024
  18. ↑ Politico, "'Delete CFPB': Musk calls for elimination of consumer bureau," November 27, 2024
  19. ↑ House Budget Committee, "Via the Hill: What a Trump-Musk Government Efficiency Department Should Do in Its First 100 Days," November 15, 2024
  20. ↑ Public Citizen, "Trump Naming Elon Musk as Czar of Govenment Efficiency is 'the Ultimate Corruption,'" November 12, 2024
  21. ↑ Business Insider, "Elon Musk says DOGE can 'gut the federal government' with a recent Supreme Court ruling. Some lawyers disagree." December 7, 2024
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