Overview
- CREW deputy counsel Nikhel Sus says basic questions about DOGE’s structure and activities remain unanswered because it evaded transparency laws and discovery requests.
- Raw Story reports ethics advocates are seeking a clear record of what occurred during Elon Musk’s brief leadership of the cost-cutting unit early in Trump’s second term.
- Ars Technica reports Musk allies now argue DOGE’s primary aim was to reset government norms by easing hiring and firing taboos and speeding untested tech and start-up contracting.
- The Cato Institute says DOGE did not reduce federal spending but achieved the fastest peacetime drop in federal employment, while Brookings argues the cuts removed essential capacity.
- DOGE operates in decentralized form with staff placed across agencies, some observers warn the White House could re-empower it, and Musk says he would not lead such an effort again.