Dogecoin News Today: Trump's Chainsaw Agency Disbands, Efficiency Mission Lives On in Bureaucracy Overhaul

President Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the controversial agency launched to shrink federal bureaucracy and cut costs, has disbanded eight months before its scheduled July 2026 expiration date. The dissolution, confirmed by OPM Director Scott Kupor, marks the end of a high-profile initiative that promised to eliminate "waste, fraud, and abuse" but faced skepticism over its unverified financial claims and operational transparency. Kupor stated that DOGE is no longer a "centralized entity" and its functions have been absorbed by OPM, which oversees federal workforce management.

DOGE, initially led by Elon Musk, gained notoriety for its aggressive cost-cutting measures, including the dismissal of tens of thousands of federal employees and the redirection of agency budgets to align with Trump's priorities. Musk, who dubbed the agency "the chainsaw for bureaucracy", famously brandished a chainsaw at a February 2025 Conservative Political Action Conference to symbolize his mission. The agency claimed to have saved tens of billions of dollars, but experts could not independently verify these figures due to a lack of detailed public accounting.

Musk's departure in May 2025, following a public feud with Trump over fiscal policy, accelerated DOGE's decline. With Musk gone, many senior staff members left the agency, including Joe Gebbia, co-founder of Airbnb, who now leads the National Design Studio tasked with redesigning government websites. Zachary Terrell, a former DOGE health systems team member, became chief technology officer at the Department of Health and Human Services, while Rachel Riley transitioned to the Office of Naval Research. Kupor noted that 317,000 federal employees left the government this year, far exceeding Trump's four-to-one replacement ratio.

Despite its dissolution, the Trump administration insists its cost-cutting mission continues. White House spokesperson Liz Huston stated, "President Trump was given a clear mandate to reduce waste, fraud, and abuse across the federal government, and he continues to actively deliver on that commitment." The administration has shifted focus to using AI tools to identify redundant regulations, with Scott Langmack-formerly a DOGE representative at the Department of Housing and Urban Development-now leading this effort.

Republican-led states like Idaho and Florida are establishing local versions of DOGE, signaling a decentralized continuation of its agenda. Meanwhile, Trump's hiring freeze, which barred federal agencies from hiring new staff, has ended. Kupor emphasized there are "no prescribed reductions" in headcount, shifting the emphasis to "great service delivery with maximum efficiency".

Critics argue that DOGE's legacy is one of unfulfilled promises. Economist Justin Wolfers tweeted, "DOGE failed. And DOGE is dead". The agency's brief existence-less than a year-was marked by legal challenges, protests from laid-off workers, and internal discord, including clashes between Musk and cabinet members over spending policies.

As DOGE fades, its principles of deregulation and efficiency remain embedded in the administration's broader agenda. Kupor noted that these changes will be "institutionalized" across agencies, ensuring that the "principles of DOGE remain alive and well"https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/11/23/donald-trump-elon-musk-doge/87434764007/.