What Is DOGE? What You Need to Know About This Government Group

The Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, is a federal initiative established by President Donald Trump in an executive order dated Jan. 20, 2025. The order renamed the existing U.S. Digital Service to the U.S. DOGE Service (USDS) and placed it under the Executive Office of the President.

Although he was not named in the order, tech entrepreneur Elon Musk took charge of DOGE and became its most public figure. In April, Musk announced that he would be devoting less time to DOGE and more to his beleaguered auto company, Tesla. And he followed through with that exit in May.

What Is the Purpose of DOGE?

President Trump’s January executive order stated that the purpose of DOGE was “to implement the President’s DOGE Agenda, by modernizing Federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity.”

The original executive order directed the U.S. DOGE Service administrator to lead a Software Modernization Initiative. Goals included:

• Improving government-wide IT systems and infrastructure
• Promoting interoperability between agencies
• Ensuring better data integrity and coordination

A second executive order, issued Feb. 11, 2025, shifted the focus from technology to a broader mandate involving “a critical transformation of the Federal bureaucracy.  By eliminating waste, bloat, and insularity, my Administration will empower American families, workers, taxpayers, and our system of Government itself.”

What Has DOGE Done So Far?

DOGE’s most publicized and controversial moves have involved cost-cutting. As of early-June 2025, its website asserted that it had thus far saved an estimated $180 billion through a “combination of asset sales, contract/lease cancellations and renegotiations, fraud and improper payment deletion, grant cancellations, interest savings, programmatic changes, regulatory savings, and workforce reductions.”

Independent observers, however, put the number lower. CBS News noted that of the $170 billion in savings reported by DOGE [in May 2025], only $70.9 billion is itemized on the DOGE website, and many of those entries continue to raise serious doubts about their accuracy.” CBS also quoted one expert who put the figure closer to $80 billion.

What Could DOGE Do Next?

Many of DOGE’s initiatives have been challenged in court, in particular its efforts to access records from the Social Security Administration and other agencies, as well as its mass firings of federal employees. According to the outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, DOGE cut 282,227 federal jobs in the first quarter of 2025.

Some of these lawsuits may ultimately end up before the U.S. Supreme Court. So it’s unclear how much of what DOGE has done so far will stand or eventually be reversed.

Meanwhile, DOGE appears to be determined to expand its reach. In mid-May, for example, it contacted the Government Accountability Office (GAO) in an attempt to get a DOGE team assigned to that agency. GAO officials rebuffed the request, pointing out that the GAO is part of the legislative branch and not subject to DOGE or executive branch oversight.

DOGE’s Impact on Americans’ Financial Lives

DOGE’s work has cut across numerous federal agencies, some of which play a direct role in Americans’ financial lives. For example, it has targeted the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), which describes its role as to “protect consumers from unfair, deceptive, or abusive practices and take action against companies that break the law.”

In February, Musk posted a message on his platform X stating simply “CFPB RIP,” accompanied by an emoji of a gravestone. In April, DOGE reportedly moved to eliminate the jobs of about 1,500 CFPB employees out of a staff of roughly 1,700. Like many other DOGE actions, however, that plan has been challenged in court.

The Bottom Line

In just a few months, DOGE has taken major steps to reshape the federal government in the name of efficiency and cost savings. While supporters argue the moves are long overdue, critics warn they come at the expense of transparency, jobs, and vital public services.

Many of DOGE’s most sweeping actions remain in legal limbo. The courts may ultimately decide how much of the department’s impact will last.