The US Department of Government Efficiency issued a vehement clarification on Tuesday amid claims that it had shut down. DOGE insisted that reports to the contrary were ‘fake news,’ days after Donald Trump’s HR chief assured reporters that the department “doesn’t exist.”
The cost-cutting team appears to have been functioning without a leader since the high-profile exit of Elon Musk earlier this year.
Reuters reported earlier that DOGE had been disbanded after eight months, but DOGE responded by saying, “As usual, this is fake news from Reuters. “
As usual, this is fake news from @Reuters. President Trump was given a mandate by the American people to modernize the federal government and reduce waste, fraud and abuse. Just last week, DOGE terminated 78 wasteful contracts and saved taxpayers $335M. We’ll be back in a few… https://t.co/S1pSmx26s0
— Department of Government Efficiency (@DOGE) November 24, 2025
“President Trump was given a mandate by the American people to modernise the federal government and reduce waste, fraud and abuse.” DOGE added that in the past week it ended 78 contracts and saved $335 million for taxpayers. The team also said it will bring back its regular Friday updates soon.
DOGE’s objective
DOGE was created under President Donald Trump to make the government more efficient and cut unnecessary spending. It was first led by Elon Musk. Since Musk left eight months ago, the department does not have a clearly named leader, which has caused confusion.
Earlier this month, the Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor told Reuters that DOGE “doesn’t exist.”
However, DOGE claims it is still working with other government agencies to improve technology. It posted, “USDS is still partnering with agencies to modernise federal technology and software to maximise governmental efficiency and productivity,” and the post was shared by Amy Gleason, who CNN says is the acting head of DOGE.
Is DOGE efficient?
According to DOGE’s online tracker, the department has saved an estimated $214 billion as of October 4. These savings reportedly came from selling assets, cancelling or renegotiating contracts and leases, stopping fraudulent payments, cancelling grants, and reducing staff.
Many former DOGE employees have moved into other government positions. For example, Zachary Terrell, who accessed sensitive health data while at DOGE, is now Chief Technology Officer at the US Department of Health and Human Services.
Jeremy Lewin, who worked on reducing costs in USAID under Musk, is now Acting Under Secretary of State for Foreign Assistance. Rachel Riley, also a former DOGE member involved in health-system data, is now Acting Chief of the Office of Naval Research.