Overview
- Kupor told Reuters DOGE “doesn’t exist” as a centralized body, confirming the government-wide hiring freeze has ended and that there are no headcount reduction targets.
- OPM and other agencies have absorbed DOGE functions, even as the DOGE website continues to tout roughly $214 billion in savings that outside reviews say are overstated or unverifiable.
- The White House has not issued a formal shutdown announcement, though officials and President Trump have referred to DOGE in the past tense while saying the anti-waste agenda continues.
- Independent counts say more than 200,000 federal employees departed through firings, relocations and buyouts, with some agencies rehiring and former DOGE staff moving into roles at the National Design Studio, HHS and the Office of Naval Research.
- DOGE’s X account has pushed back on shutdown reports and claimed recent contract cancellations and savings, underscoring conflicting public signals as the initiative’s functions shift to existing agencies.