Elon Musk: What we know about Doge, the commission that makes civil servants live a hell
And for good reason: this commission created by presidential decree, on January 20, 2025, is led by the billionaire Elon Musk. Worse, it operates in an institutional gray area and escapes control of the congress. However, it benefits from a strategic position in the Eisenhower building which is in the immediate vicinity of the Oval Office.
THE “Doge Kids”Elon Musk's personal army
Where many people are worried is Doge's management. Elon Musk applies the same managerial practices as in his businesses. For example, the Federal Humanitarian Agency USAID will increase from 10,000 employees to less than 300.
Wired Unveiled the surprising composition of Doge to say the least. The commission consists of members called “Doge Kids” By the media which were recruited after brief passages in Elon Musk companies, as trainees or engineers. Journalist Ryan Mac, a billionaire specialist interviewed by theAFPbelieves that this decision reflects the deep conviction of the businessman that his teams are best placed to make decisions.
The Marko Elez affair precisely shows the problem of these appointments. The 25 -year -old member of DOGE resigned, on February 8, 2025, after the discovery of racist messages on his social networks. Previously, its service had taken control of the system of payments of the Stéorneienne Treasury which manages the annual distribution of $ 6,000 billion for public pensions and the wages of federal officials. Since then, Elon Musk has questioned his subscribers on X about the reintegration of Marko Elez. THE “Yes” won it widely.
The DOGE extends its grip on the various American administrations. THE Washington Post reveals that commission agents have used AI to analyze the sensitive data from the Ministry of Education. As for Wall Street Journalthe newspaper reports in the centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Democratic elected officials reported their presence in IT systems in the NOAA to ABC.
According to The GuardianDoge methods are very aggressive. Elon Musk would have made three calls to demand the suspension of dozens of senior USAID officials, going so far as to threaten the US Marshals of intervention to access secure areas and confidential data.
DOGE reduces costs based on the expertise of Steve Davis, former collaborator of Elon Musk on X.AFP reports that the method is based on a removal of budget lines to force those responsible to justify their necessities before rebuilding an optimized budget.
At the end of January 2025, a voluntary departure campaign was launched. Officials who resign within nine days have been offered nine months' salary. According to Karoline Leavitt, spokesperson for the White House, more than 40,000 agents have accepted the offer. The procedure has been temporarily suspended according to the Washington Post Following AFGE legal action, the main union of federal officials.
DOGE is the target of several legal challenges. Human rights unions and organizations have filed a complaint in Washington following the takeover of the Treasury Payment System. Lawyers, according to Politicoare concerned about possible violations of cybersecurity laws. Some denounce practices that threaten national security. Reuters confirms that officials from the staff management office have lost access to their databases for the benefit of DOGE members.
