Washington: One hundred days after Elon Musk’s dramatic exit from the Trump White House, the shockwaves of his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) continue to haunt the US federal workforce.
From his office near the White House, Musk launched a ruthless campaign to dismantle the civil service. He deployed small tech teams to disrupt federal agencies, forcing nearly 200,000 civil servants — including many veterans — to leave their jobs. The Partnership for Public Service compared the aftermath to “Godzilla flattening a city and leaving.”
Although DOGE was mostly dismantled after Musk’s fallout with President Trump, remnants still operate inside government. “Don’t think the absence of Musk means DOGE is gone,” warned a Pentagon employee.
Several Musk allies remain in powerful roles. Joe Gebbia now oversees federal websites, Aram Moghaddassi serves as CIO at the Social Security Administration, and Scott Kupor heads the Office of Personnel Management. Others, like Brad Smith, returned to government after brief exits.
Officially, Amy Gleeson leads DOGE, but real power lies with Russell Vought at the Office of Management and Budget. Critics warn that DOGE now functions “behind a curtain,” harder to monitor but still capable of damage.
Civil servants, left with skeleton teams and knowledge gaps, continue to navigate the chaos Musk’s experiment left behind.
