What's Up Doge?

In the echo chamber of legacy media, where facts often bend to fit narratives, Reuters dropped a bombshell this weekend: the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) “doesn’t exist” anymore, eight months shy of its July 2026 charter. 

Quoting Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director Scott Kupor, the report painted DOGE as a failed stunt, claiming a quiet disbandment after slashing only a fraction of its promised $1-2 trillion in savings. Outlets like Newsweek, The Guardian, and Fortune piled on, framing it as Elon Musk’s embarrassing exit from federal reform, with staffers scattering to agencies like HHS and the Office of Naval Research. The timing? Just as DOGE’s chainsaw was revving up for more cuts. Coincidence? Hardly. This reeks of a coordinated hit job designed to demoralize Trump’s efficiency drive and tarnish Elon, simply because he dared to treat the US government like a bloated startup needing a hard reboot.

But here’s the truth Reuters conveniently spliced: DOGE is not dead, it’s evolved. Kupor himself clarified on X that while centralized leadership under the U.S. Digital Service has shifted, “the principles of DOGE remain alive and well: de-regulation; eliminating fraud, waste and abuse; re-shaping the federal workforce; making efficiency a first-class citizen.” OPM has absorbed key functions, but the mission marches on, institutionalized across agencies. DOGE’s official account didn’t mince words, slamming Reuters as “fake news” and teasing their next Friday update. Why the spin? Legacy outlets like Reuters and the Associated Press aren’t just reporters, they are wire services that feed hundreds of publications. One skewed story, and the lie spreads like wildfire, amplified by echo-chamber algorithms. It’s a classic tactic: declare victory for the swamp before the job’s done, hoping to sap public will. Musk, who stepped back in May amid internal drama, warned of this, bureaucrats would desperately claw back control. Yet, as White House spokesperson Liz Huston affirmed, “President Trump was given a clear mandate… and he continues to actively deliver.” Don’t buy the obituary. DOGE’s decentralization is a feature, not a bug and it ia spreading the efficiency gospel wider.

DOGE’s Week of Wins: $335M Slashed, Modernization Milestone

Far from fading, DOGE is grinding. Over the last nine days alone (November 15-23), agencies terminated or descoped 78 wasteful contracts with a $1.9 billion ceiling value, locking in $335 million in immediate taxpayer savings. Highlights? A $616,000 HHS IT services deal for a “social media monitoring platform subscription”—axed, because who needs Big Brother watching tweets on our dime? An $191,000 U.S. Agency for Global Media broadcasting contract for “operations and maintenance in Ethiopia, Africa” got the boot. And a whopping $4.3 million IRS IT services gig for “Inflation Reduction Act transformation project management support”? Gone, freeing funds from green pork that never delivered.

That’s just the tip. On November 21, DOGE announced a major upgrade at the National Weather Service (NWS): they’ve now modernized 1,000 transmission sites (97% of the network) to wireless tech, saving $6.5 million in FY25 alone. The remaining 30 sites wrap up soon, ditching outdated copper wire landlines for LTE efficiency. Cumulatively, DOGE claims $214-215 billion in total savings since January, courageously rooting out small contracts, underused leases, redundancies, and fraud across agencies. 

Critics nitpick the math (unverified details, they say), but even skeptics acknowledge the headcount drop: 317,000 federal departures in 2025 against 68,000 hires, per OPM. DOGE is not shuttered, it is embedded, with alumni like Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia now beautifying government websites via the National Design Studio.

This isn’t failure; it’s proof of concept. Elon Musk’s vision for a smaller government and to cut the fat and empower the lean, lives on, despite media lies, deceptions, and mirages. 

As Trump pledged, the American people demanded reform, and delivery is underway. Stay vigilant: the swamp fights dirty, but truth cuts deeper. What’s next? Watch for that Friday DOGE update.