- President Trump has signed an executive order to introduce a new advisory group
- The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) will be headed by Elon Musk
- The department is tasked with modernizing government software and digital infrastructure.
The newly inaugurated President Trump signed a series of executive orders after taking the oath of office, including the announcement that US Digital Services (USDS) will be renamed US DOGE Services (also USDS).
The advisory group known as DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) is tasked with restoring “the competence and effectiveness of our federal government,” Trump confirmed in his inaugural address.
DOGE has already made its first efficiency cuts to its co-leader Vivek Ramaswamy, who had previously been tipped to join Tesla CEO Elon Musk to run the department, but sources have since announced that he will run for governor of Ohio.
It's not exactly an apartment
To create an official federal executive department, a president must introduce legislation in Congress, so this newly created group does not have the powers of an executive department, which would be necessary to carry out the reorganization and extensive job cuts and budget proposed by Musk and Ramaswamy.
Instead, the executive order laid out plans for “software modernization” to advance the government's network infrastructure and IT systems, in addition to granting the USDS access to “unclassified” agency records, IT systems and software. “consistent with the law.”
In addition to the modernization plans, the executive order has created a temporary organization, the US DOGE Temporary Service Organization, which will end on July 4, 2026, which will seek to advance the “18-month DOGE agenda” of Trump.
Musk has previously suggested that DOGE will facilitate $2 trillion worth of cuts by reducing workforce and waste, although experts have warned this would not be possible.
Three lawsuits have been filed in federal court since the executive order was signed, alleging that the department violates transparency requirements, as well as emphasizing the lack of balance between its membership and proper advisory committee procedures.
Through TechCrunch
