DOGE Is Busier Than Ever—and Trump Says Elon Musk Is 'Really Not Leaving'

Elon Musk will not beryllium afloat exiting nan alleged Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—and its activities are only intensifying. On Friday, President Donald Trump threw acold h2o connected nan thought that Musk would afloat vanish from DOGE and the White House forever. "Elon's really not leaving,” Trump said successful a associated property convention pinch Musk successful nan Oval Office. “He's gonna beryllium backmost and forth. It's his baby, he's going to beryllium doing a batch of things."

“I expect to proceed to supply advice," Musk, wearing a achromatic chapeau pinch DOGE written connected it and a achromatic garment reference “DOGEFATHER,” said during Friday's property conference, while noting that his ineligible limit for work arsenic a typical authorities worker was coming to an end. "I expect to stay a friend and an advisor.”

Federal workers from astatine slightest six agencies show WIRED that DOGE-style work is escalating successful their departments.

Both caller and acquainted DOGE faces person besides been precocious elaborate to caller agencies, according to sources. Members of Musk’s early DOGE team, including Luke Farritor, Gavin Kliger, Edward Coristine, and Sam Corcos, person met pinch a number of departments and agencies—including nan Treasury, nan Office of Management and Budget, and nan FBI—in caller days, seemingly continuing business arsenic usual, WIRED has learned.

The squad besides appears to beryllium actively recruiting, according to documents viewed by WIRED.

Over nan past week, national workers person besides been asked to urgently reappraisal and perchance cancel contracts crossed nan government. Trump appeared to corroborate that contracts were nether reappraisal astatine Friday’s property conference: "Many contracts, Elon, correct now are being looked at,” he said.

Some agencies person besides received visits from DOGE astatine their headquarters, WIRED has learned.

“This doesn’t sound for illustration a group that is going away, it sounds for illustration 1 that’s digging successful for illustration a parasite,” an IT master astatine nan Department of Agriculture (USDA) tells WIRED.

Since DOGE first began its activity successful Washington successful precocious January, its representatives person been eager to trim what they spot arsenic superfluous spending successful government. In caller weeks, nan unit to slash and cancel contracts, specifically focused connected workforce guidance and IT, has drastically increased, aggregate sources astatine a assortment of agencies show WIRED.

“Biggest point is we are being asked to trim arsenic galore contracts for package and labour arsenic possible,” 1 tech worker astatine nan Department of nan Interior (DOI) tells WIRED, saying that nan stated goal, arsenic they understand it, has been “to prevention money and ratio successful consolidated IT.”

“We are cutting developers, telecom, server admins, telephone halfway unit etc.,” nan DOI root says. “Some things were bloated and could usage nan cut. Others are going to suffer, and our work to nan nationalist is going to beryllium degraded.”

Employees astatine nan Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and each nan agencies nether its umbrella, were told that contracts would person to spell done a caller support process called nan Departmental Efficiency Review (DER). Any requisitioning aliases statement support is paused until aft workers taxable a shape to commencement nan DER and nan lawman secretary’s agency reviews nan funding, according to an email astir nan process obtained by WIRED. The email besides states that nan reappraisal will emblem immoderate contracts that look to beryllium costly and excessive.