After decades of bloated budgets and tangled red tape, the federal government is finally getting what some are calling its most aggressive efficiency overhaul in history. The Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, launched under Elon Musk’s direction, is slashing waste, downsizing agencies, and introducing high-speed reforms that promise to change how Washington works.
Officials report that DOGE has already carved out $150 billion in projected savings for fiscal year 2026. That number falls short of the $1 trillion Musk originally touted, but it still marks one of the biggest early impacts by any federal department in recent memory.
“It’s a reset,” one senior official said. “It’s about making government operate more like a business.”
Agencies across the board have felt the impact. From Health and Human Services to Education and Interior, layers of staff have been removed. Grant programs have been scaled back or paused, and entire administrative divisions have been folded into leaner command structures. DOGE has taken over direct oversight of departments previously run independently, consolidating their reporting under a new AI-driven analytics platform.
Like TSA after 9/11 or Medicare Part D in its first years, the system is still working out the kinks.
The World Trade Center Health Program, which provides medical care to 9/11 first responders, has faced unexpected service delays due to staffing shifts and funding reallocations. Response times for veterans’ services and federal disaster programs have also slowed. DOGE has acknowledged the disruptions but said they were expected in any broad reform push.
“These are necessary growing pains,” the department said in a recent statement. “Long-term efficiency requires short-term adaptation.”
Internally, DOGE has implemented surveillance and productivity tools that monitor civil servants’ activity. AI systems now track message content, screen time, and responsiveness. The technology is designed to flag underperformance and prevent waste—though its use has prompted quiet concern among longtime government employees.
Despite deep cuts in some areas, DOGE itself is expanding. Over 4,000 new staff, analysts, and contractors have been hired to manage the data flow, compliance reports, and algorithmic oversight systems. The central control system, dubbed “EffCore,” is expected to grow further as more departments are linked into the network.
As DOGE continues its rollout, a new phase of restructuring is on the horizon. Smaller federal offices are being prepared for merger into a single Operations Command, which will handle hiring, payroll, and budgeting for most civilian departments. Musk-appointed “efficiency captains” will oversee these transitions.
“We’re not downsizing government,” one DOGE official said. “We’re rightsizing it.”
While the speed of implementation has drawn comparisons to wartime mobilization efforts, the system still relies on outsourced software and private sector consultants to deliver oversight tools. Many of these contracts have yet to be fully reviewed by congressional auditors.
Still, supporters say DOGE represents a necessary break from the old way of doing things—a federal reset that trims the fat and keeps what works.
And maybe, once the dust settles, this will be the kind of government folks have been asking for all along. Or at least, something that looks enough like it to pass.