WASHINGTON – The Department of Government Efficiency — hailed as one of the Trump administration’s biggest efforts — appears to be done.
The White House has confirmed that DOGE has now come to an end but local analysts in the DMV say the region may be paying for years to come.
What we know:
The news comes from an interview with the director of the Office of Personnel Management Scott Kupor.
When asked about DOGE’s work, he was quoted as saying, “that doesn’t exist.”
The comment is being met with surprise, especially since DOGE has eight months left of its mandate, which Elon Musk said was to “slash jobs and just waste fraud and abuse.”
Local perspective:
The DMV’s been hit harder by the DOGE than anywhere.
A congressional report estimated about 120,000 feds have been let go nationally by DOGE, but exact numbers for the DMV have eluded economists.
Experts say DOGE has rattled the DMV’s economy but also the job market and real estate.
Tracy Hadden Loh with the Brookings Institute has been tracking DOGE’s impact on D.C., Maryland and Virginia.
“It’s had a disproportionate impact on the DMV. Firstly, it’s that the D.C. area has a higher share of federal employment than any other major metropolitan area. We are talking about one in five jobs in the DMV,” Hadden Loh said.
Big picture view:
DOGE claimed it saved taxpayers more than $200 billion — far short of its $1 trillion goal.
Analysts say if the White House wants to continue aggressive cost-cutting, it will have to work with Congress.
What they’re saying:
As for the end of DOGE, D.C. area residents who spoke with FOX 5 say they’re not surprised it’s come to an end and they aren’t sure it lived up to its initial billing.
“We’re going to suffer the consequences of all of those experts and all that institutional knowledge being gone,” one resident said.
“I think they probably cut down. I mean, they did a lot during the shutdown, I’ve heard,” another told FOX 5.
“I mean maybe DOGE is really still going on de facto, you know?” said another.
In a statement to FOX 5, a White House spokesperson said, “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.”