Overview
- OPM Director Scott Kupor’s widely cited remark that DOGE “doesn’t exist” fueled reports the unit was shuttered, followed by his clarification that its principles would be institutionalized across agencies.
- The administration and supportive editorials say DOGE’s centralized structure has been dismantled with functions moving into OPM, even as the unit’s social account touted canceling 78 contracts and $335 million in recent savings.
- DOGE’s headline savings claims — roughly $214–$215 billion — face strong pushback from outside analyses that describe the figures as substantially inflated and only a small share as verifiable.
- DOGE’s reported workforce reductions are contested, with the unit citing about 300,000 cuts and the Partnership for Public Service estimating closer to 199,000, much of it via deferred resignations.
- Critics highlight operational and human costs, particularly at the VA, alleging veterans and veteran employees were disproportionately harmed and raising concerns about access to sensitive data and reported mishandling incidents.