Trump officials say DOGE ‘doesn’t exist’ despite eight months still left on its contract

WASHINGTON, DC: Suspicion had been growing around the status of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) which has now been shut down with eight months still remaining on its contract.

Office of Personnel Management (OPM) director Scott Kupor confirmed the development earlier this month, saying, “That doesn’t exist,” noting the group was no longer operating as a “centralized entity.”

Although Trump administration officials have not publicly commented on the reports of DOGE’s dissolution, several factors suggest the department’s operations were winding down. The unit was created under President Donald Trump, with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk also involved in the effort.

DOGE quietly disbands ahead of schedule amid administrative confusion

According to Reuters, the Office of Personnel Management has stepped in to manage much of what DOGE oversaw. Rumors about the agency’s disappearance had circulated for weeks, especially as Trump referred to DOGE in the past tense and Musk exited Washington in May following a social media dispute.

Red flags emerged earlier this summer. Politico reported in June that DOGE staffers had “packed up their clothes and bedding” at headquarters, where they had been living since February. They were reportedly seeking new housing.

Amid tensions between Trump and Musk, insiders said staffers were concerned that aggressive federal program cuts could put them at legal risk. By that time, over 200,000 federal workers had been let go, with around 75,000 more accepting voluntary exit offers.

DOGE claimed the cuts saved billions, but analysts could not verify this due to the lack of public accounting. “Now, if somebody from DOGE, or representing themselves from DOGE, asked me to do something, I wouldn’t just blindly do it,” a former DOGE official now working at another federal agency told Politico.

Since DOGE dissolved, many top staffers have moved into new government roles. Amy Gleason, acting administrator of DOGE, became an adviser to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in March.

Zachary Terrell, another senior DOGE figure, became chief technology officer at the Department of Health, while Rachel Riley took over as head of the Office of Naval Research, Reuters reported.

One of the most notable departures was Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia, who was later appointed by Trump to manage government websites and rolled out new online recruitment platforms for law enforcement officers in Washington. 

How DOGE came into existence and its controversial operations

DOGE was created through an executive order signed by Donald Trump on his first day in office. The fast-moving team was designed to overhaul parts of the federal government and was expected to operate until July 24, 2026, according to The Guardian.

Trump also recruited Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to help lead the effort. He described DOGE as a group aimed at delivering “large-scale structural reform.” Musk said the unit was “as transparent as possible,” though reports suggested otherwise.

DOGE staffers often avoided identifying themselves, cut agency budgets without consultation, and offered little public explanation for their decisions. Musk once defended the agency, saying, “I don’t know of a case where an organization has been more transparent than the DOGE organization,” despite mounting criticism.