Overview

• An online dispute over Trump’s proposed spending bill has deepened divisions among DOGE officials and spotlighted conflicts over the agency’s future direction.
• The Department of Veterans Affairs this week abandoned plans to eliminate 83,000 positions after public backlash to agency-driven cuts.
• The White House has increased DOGE’s budget and placed the agency under tighter administration oversight to rein in its early workforce and funding pauses.
• Elon Musk continues to influence operations informally through former lieutenant Steve Davis, who remains in regular contact with DOGE staff.
• Independent analysts have challenged DOGE’s headline savings claims, raising questions about the true impact of its cost-cutting reforms.