Department of Government Efficiency

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DOGE Gets the OK to Access Sensitive Federal Data
DOGE Scores Another Court Win
Aug 13, 2025 8:19 AM CDT

DOGE Scores Another Court Win

Judges allow review of Americans' data from Treasury, Education Departments

(Newser) - A federal appeals court has ruled that teams from the Department of Government Efficiency can tap into sensitive databases at several federal agencies, reversing a previous block on their access . The 2-1 decision Tuesday by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals permits DOGE to retrieve information from the Treasury...

Trump Administration Nixes an Infamous Musk Initiative

Email to federal workers asking for '5 things' they'd accomplished in previous week is axed

(Newser) - Federal workers are officially off the hook from responding to Elon Musk's "five things" email. Reuters reports that the Trump administration has nixed the ex-DOGE leader's infamous directive , which was sent to government employees in February mandating that they detail what they'd accomplished at work in...

Teen DOGE Lieutenant Beaten in DC Carjacking

Trump, Musk say incident shows feds must take control of DC

(Newser) - The infamous teenage employee of the Department of Government Efficiency, a key lieutenant of Elon Musk when the billionaire was involved with DOGE, was assaulted in the nation's capital this week, according to President Trump and authorities. Trump on Tuesday posted a photograph of 19-year-old Edward Coristine bloodied and...

Trump Doubles Down on Threats to Musk

President talks about siccing DOGE on him, as well as deportation

(Newser) - The bickering between President Trump and Elon Musk over the "big beautiful bill" resumed late Monday, and Trump kept it in play Tuesday morning. The president reiterated the idea of having the Musk-created Department of Government Efficiency investigate Musk's various federal subsidies and contracts, and he didn't...

Teen DOGE Lieutenant Isn't Leaving Government After All

Edward Coristine, 19, is now at the Social Security Administration

(Newser) - One of the more high-profile members of the DOGE team isn't leaving the government after all. Edward Coristine, a 19-year-old nicknamed "Big Balls," has indeed left the Department of Government Efficiency, but he has landed a new job at the Social Security Administration, reports Wired . Coristine is...

Supreme Court Sides With DOGE on Social Security Data

Justices also toss ruling requiring DOGE to release information on itself

(Newser) - The Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency won twice at the Supreme Court on Friday, securing access to millions of Americans' personal data in Social Security systems while remaining shielded for now from having to disclose information about its own operations. The decisions were released at the same time...

What the DoD Did This Week: Killed Those DOGE Reports

Civilian employees at Pentagon no longer have to send bulleted list each week detailing their work

(Newser) - Good news for civilian workers at the Pentagon who've been forced to send weekly emails documenting their work: You don't have to do that anymore. The directive kick-started earlier this year across various federal agencies by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency group, which instructed staffers to...

Elon Musk's Time With the Trump Administration Is Over

Billionaire is no longer a special government employee

(Newser) - Elon Musk's time as a special government employee has officially come to an end, a White House official tells NBC News . The billionaire, who had recently pledged to pay more attention to the actual companies he runs , started offboarding from his role in the Trump administration Wednesday—the day...

'Disappointed' Musk Breaks With Trump on Spending Bill

DOGE master says the 'Big Beautiful Bill Act' will inflate federal deficit, undermines DOGE work

(Newser) - Elon Musk says he's stepping back a bit from helping the Trump administration slash federal spending via his Department of Government Efficiency, and he's also now stepping back a bit in supporting the Trump agenda—at least when it comes to the "big beautiful" spending package recently...

Institute of Peace Retakes Headquarters From DOGE

Trump administration lacked authority to close the agency, judge found

(Newser) - The US Institute of Peace retook control of its headquarters Wednesday, two days after a federal judge said the firing of its board and employees by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency was illegal. The institute's acting president, George Moose, entered the organization's headquarters with private security...

Institute of Peace Loses Bid to Block Takeover by DOGE
Judge Blocks DOGE
Takeover of Think Tank
UPDATED
May 19, 2025 1:38 PM CDT

Judge Blocks DOGE Takeover of Think Tank

Institute of Peace sued after a showdown at its headquarters

(Newser) - DOGE has at least temporarily lost a fight to dismantle a DC agency. A federal judge on Monday found that the Department of Government Efficiency acted illegally with its March takeover of the Institute of Peace, a think tank created by Congress decades ago to function in nonpartisan fashion, reports...

Gates: I'm Closing Gates Foundation Early

It'll shutter in 2045, though he'll donate most of his billions to it; also, an Elon Musk slam

(Newser) - Bill Gates has just made one of the biggest philanthropic pledges ever, in addition to an announcement about the Gates Foundation on its 25th anniversary. Via the foundation, "I will give away virtually all my wealth ... over the next 20 years to the cause of saving and improving lives...

Trump Brings DOGE-Social Security Fight to SCOTUS

Administration's emergency appeal wants access for Musk's Department of Government Efficiency

(Newser) - The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Friday to clear the way for Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency to access Social Security systems containing personal data on millions of Americans. The emergency appeal is the first in a string of applications to the high court involving DOGE'...

Trump Calls for $163B in Cuts Next Year

President also wants to increase defense spending

(Newser) - President Trump unveiled a 2026 budget plan on Friday that calls for sweeping cuts to federal programs and an increase in defense spending. Some key highlights follow, though the Wall Street Journal offers a reminder that any presidential blueprint is largely a "symbolic wish list" meant to lay out...

Musk: 'DOGE Is a Way of Life'
Musk: 'DOGE Is a Way of Life'
May 1, 2025 11:40 AM CDT

Musk: 'DOGE Is a Way of Life'

He discusses DOGE's future, White House sleepovers as he prepares to spend less time in DC

(Newser) - The similarities between Elon Musk and Buddha may not be striking, but the billionaire made the comparison when discussing the future of DOGE with reporters at the White House on Wednesday. "DOGE is a way of life, like Buddhism," he said. "Buddha isn't alive anymore. You...

Musk, DOGE Could Spend $135B to Save $150B: Analysts

Department of Government Efficiency perhaps didn't count on the cost of firings, litigation

(Newser) - Elon Musk originally said the Department of Government Efficiency could save taxpayers $2 trillion. He later downgraded that to $1 trillion. His most recent estimate is down even further, to $150 billion. But according to the experts on federal workers who spoke to the New York Times , the cost of...

Report: DOGE Is Getting Audited
Report: DOGE Is
Getting Audited
Apr 10, 2025 6:50 PM CDT

Report: DOGE Is Getting Audited

Wired reports that congressional leaders requested review by GAO watchdog

(Newser) - The agency known as the congressional watchdog is reportedly taking a close look at DOGE. Wired , citing sources and government records, reports that the Government Accountability Office has been auditing DOGE since last month after requests from congressional leaders. Records suggest the GAO audit is focusing on DOGE's adherence...

Amid DOGE Cuts, 'Utter Chaos' for Social Security

Frequent website crashes seen as an 'attack on the legitimacy of Social Security itself'

(Newser) - The Trump administration has run into trouble in cutting Social Security phone services while directing Americans to the agency's website, which has repeatedly crashed under high traffic. Users "are facing chronic website outages" when trying to log in to their accounts, the Washington Post reports, noting the website...

Vance: 'Elon Is Not Even Close to Done'

VP says DOGE has more to do, though he expects Musk to leave role soon to serve as an 'adviser'

(Newser) - As whispers circulate about when Elon Musk's official role in the Trump administration may come to a close, the vice president of the United States is offering some more details. "Elon is going to remain a friend and an adviser of both me and the president," JD...

RFK Jr.: We Fired Some People by Mistake

HHS director suggests 20% of those let go will be reinstated

(Newser) - Some of the thousands of federal health workers abruptly fired this week will be reinstated, says their boss, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The secretary of Health and Human Services told reporters that the chaotic back-and-forth is a necessary part of the process being undertaken by Elon Musk's Department of...

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