Trump’s DOGE office shutters, but federal workers aren’t exempt from more cuts — here’s next
The United States Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)once touted as the Trump administration’s spearhead against waste, fraud and corruption, has quietly ceased to exist – at least as a coordinated agency.
When it launched in late January, DOGE – initially led by Tesla billionaire – and aspiring trillions –Elon Musk and defended by the president Donald Trump– was given an 18-month mandate to reduce federal regulations and spending.
But if Reuters first reported, the initiative closed its office eight months ahead of schedule
Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor confirmed to the outlet earlier this month, saying DOGE “doesn’t exist.”
In the next paragraph, Kupor was quoted as saying that DOGE is no longer a “centralized entity.”
On Monday, however, Kupor took a swipe at Reuters’ reporting in a X messageaccusing the outlet of piecing together his entire comments to “create a catchy headline.”
“The truth is: DOGE may not have centralized leadership under @USDS [U.S. DOGE Service]the OPM director wrote. “But DOGE’s principles remain alive and well: deregulation; eliminating fraud, waste and abuse; reshaping the federal workforce; making efficiency a first-class citizen; etc.”
Realtor.com® contacted the White House seeking comment on DOGE’s official status and awaited a response.
According to Reuters, several DOGE alumni have since moved on to other positions in the Trump administration, including co-founder of Airbnb Joe Gebbiawho was chosen to take charge National Design Studio– a White House initiative aimed at improving government websites.
DOGE’s own website remained active as of Monday. One day earlier, DOGE’s X account has been posted that agencies across the federal government canceled 78 “wasteful” contracts in the last nine days alone, saving $335 million.
DOGE estimates that it has saved taxpayers $214 billion since its founding – far less than the $1 trillion in savings Musk initially projected.
Notably, the U.S. national debt has increased by more than $2.18 trillion over the past year, reaching $38 trillion as of November 5, according to the latest data released by Republican Party members. Congress Joint Economic Committee.
How DOGE started
Trump launched DOGE by executive order shortly after taking office in January and charged the new entity with rooting out waste and corruption. The initiative had a built-in expiration date of July 4, 2026.
Musk was tapped to lead DOGE and for months served as the agency’s chief hype man, at one point even brandishing a blinding chainsaw at a conservative conference to illustrate his commitment to cutting government jobs.
However, Musk’s tenure at DOGE ended abruptly in May after the tech mogul got into a very public spat with Trump over the president’s signed “big beautiful bill,” which the Tesla founder labeled a “disgusting abomination.”
Musk left Washington DC after his feud with Trump. However, he made a surprise appearance in the capital last week when he attended a glittering state dinner at the White House hosted by the president in honor of the Saudi crown prince. Mohammed bin Salman.
Estimates of how many federal jobs have been eliminated as a result of DOGE’s cost-cutting campaign vary. In an interview at the end of August with the New York TimesKupor boasted that there would be about 300,000 fewer workers on the payroll at the end of December than in January.
Kupor attributed the reduction in the federal workforce largely to DOGE’s efforts, which were accomplished through a combination of layoffs, voluntary resignations, buyouts and early retirements.
How DOGE makes cuts will impact housing
The thinning of the federal workforce under DOGE has created uncertainty in housing markets with a high concentration of government workers.
At the height of the DOGE purge, DC, where 11% of all working residents are federal employees, saw inventory for sale surge.
To make matters worse, the record-long government shutdown, which ended earlier this month, has disproportionately affected metro areas with large numbers of federal workers, including Virginia Beach, VA, Oklahoma City, OK and Baltimore, where buyers and sellers hit the pause button on transactions amid the uncertainty, according to Realtor.com’s monthly housing market trends report.
Kevin Hughesa DC-area real estate agent with The Group at Compass, tells Realtor.com that he believes most people in the metro region are “breathing a sigh of relief” now that DOGE as we know it has effectively “disbanded.”
“Because much of the workforce in our market relies on government-adjacent industries, the uncertainty surrounding the DOGE cuts, the presence of the National Guard, and then the government shutdown created a downturn in the DC market,” says Hughes.
The real estate professional adds that condo prices in DC have fallen, although inventory in the suburbs has continued to move.
“I am sure many buyers have refrained from making major financial purchases during this time of uncertainty,” Hughes added.
