DOGE slams 'fake news' report that it 'doesn't exist' anymore

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) confirmed on Monday that a Reuters report claiming that the department “doesn’t exist” was “fake news” and that the department will continue to reduce government “waste, fraud and abuse.”

Reuters reported on Monday that DOGE, which was initially led by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, did not exist any longer, citing statements made by U.S. Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor. According to the outlet, when asked about the status of DOGE earlier this month, Kupor told the outlet, “That doesn’t exist,” and confirmed that the department is no longer a “centralized entity.”

Kupor pushed back against Reuters’ report in a statement on X, formerly Twitter, saying, “Good editing by Reuters - spliced my full comments across paragraphs 2/3 to create a grabbing headline. The truth is: DOGE may not have centralized leadership under USDS. But, 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; etc.”

Kupor explained that DOGE “catalyzed” the changes made under President Donald Trump’s administration and explained that individual government agencies, the White House Office of Management and Budget, and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management will “institutionalize” the changes in the federal government. 

DOGE also responded to Reuters’ report in a statement on social media, saying, “As usual, this is fake news from Reuters. President Trump was given a mandate by the American people to modernize the federal government and reduce waste, fraud and abuse. Just last week, DOGE terminated 78 wasteful contracts and saved taxpayers $335M. We’ll be back in a few days with our regularly scheduled Friday update.”

Meanwhile, Fox News reported on Monday that the White House told the outlet that while the central office of DOGE has been closed, the individual DOGE teams across different federal agencies continue to operate.

In a statement to Fox News, Liz Huston, a White House spokeswoman, 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.”

In January, Trump signed an executive order to establish DOGE. The executive order noted that the department would remain active until July 4, 2026, to advance Trump’s “18-month DOGE agenda.”

According to DOGE’s website, the department has saved approximately $214 billion through a “combination of asset sales, contract/lease cancellations and renegotiations, fraud and improper payment deletion, grant cancellations, interest savings, programmatic changes, regulatory savings, and workforce reductions.”