DOGE Is Now A Renamed Agency Tasked With Updating Software

The agency, set up properly during the Obama administration, is focused on software updates and federal workforce reductions rather than dismantling bureaucracy.
By Susie Madrak — January 22, 2025

Elon Musk's highly-publicized Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), intended to combat government inefficiency, has turned out to be little more than a renamed initiative from the Obama administration. This seems shady. Via International Business Times:

Far from the vision Musk and President Donald Trump had promised, the agency is focused on software updates and federal workforce reductions rather than dismantling bureaucracy.

The executive orders signed on Monday by Trump, one of his first major actions since retaking office, rebranded the United States Digital Service (USDS), a unit established after the 2013 launch of HealthCare.gov, as the "U.S. DOGE Service."

Instead of delivering sweeping cuts to regulations and spending, DOGE will continue USDS's mission of modernizing federal IT infrastructure.

White House reporter Jeff Stein featured the stark differences on X, "1/20/25 (left): How Trump's EO today defined DOGE: Modernizing federal technology and software....11/12/24 (right): Trump 1st announces DOGE as set up to 'dismantle' bureaucracy, slash spending/regulations, restructure federal agencies"

https://bsky.app/profile/donmoyn.bsky.social/post/3lgbhxrkahc2a

DOGE is actually now a government agency, created by renaming the U.S. Digital Service, which previously revamped healthcare.gov and launched vaccines.gov.

Will Elon Musk still be in charge of it? Does that mean he'll undergo background checks etc?
www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...

— Melody Schreiber (@melodyschreiber.com) 2025-01-21T03:04:05.701Z

On the heels of last night's executive order, our team at @campaignlegal.bsky.social filed FOIAs with the "U.S. DOGE Service" & 28 more federal agencies seeking info about:
- "US DOGE Service Temporary Organization"
- "DOGE teams"
and
- Agency interactions w DOGE

campaignlegal.org/document/clc...

— Jonathan Diaz (@jonathandiaz.bsky.social) 2025-01-21T22:44:50.811Z

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