DOGE

[phkrause]

Analyzing Musk's claim that '150-year-olds' are collecting Social Security payments

"Maybe Twilight is real and there are a lot of vampires collecting Social Security," tech billionaire Elon Musk said on X.

https://www.snopes.com/news/2025/02/18/musk-150-year-old-social-security/?

ps:Just amazing that someone with the smarts of this man has to resort to falsehoods to show himself approved to trump!!!!!

What we know about rumor Musk makes $8M per day from US government contracts

Musk's companies have received billions of dollars from federal contracts in recent years.

https://www.snopes.com/news/2025/02/18/musk-8-million-a-day/?

? 1,000 words

Photo: Jose Luis Magana/AP Elon Musk waves a chainsaw he received from Argentine President Javier Milei at CPAC yesterday outside D.C. in Oxon Hill, Md. "This is the chainsaw for bureaucracy," Musk said. Watch: Full Musk CPAC interview. Federal firings Billionaire Elon Musk on Thursday used a chainsaw as a prop to tout his efforts to shrink the federal workforce in the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. Musk waved it in the air at a conservative event, describing it as a "chainsaw for bureaucracy." He was asked repeatedly about his efforts to find waste and fraud in the federal budget, which he likened to throwing darts in a room full of targets. The Trump administration and Musk have insisted that they are carefully purging the federal workforce by firing only low-performing employees serving in non-critical roles, or recent hires on probationary status. However, CNN has found that the exact opposite is happening — recently promoted employees or people who have received strong performance reviews are among those who have been terminated.

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? GOP's recess brush-off

Some House Republicans are privately brushing off, at least for now, the boisterous town halls and protests this week that doubled as anti-DOGE grievance sessions.

Why it matters: The muted reaction — including from lawmakers who often privately worry about the wisdom of President Trump's actions — signals some willingness to march into a firestorm on his behalf.

• Another reason for their reaction so far: many of the people protesting are activists who freely admit they aren't GOP voters.

One swing-district House Republican, speaking on the condition of anonymity to share candid thoughts on the protests, told Axios they have "zero concern" about the protests they expect outside their office.

• "It's 2017 all over. They've hated Trump since 2016. Same folks largely," the lawmaker said, although they added, "Most hate [Elon] Musk based on the calls."
• "That's all manufactured bulls**t for likes and clickbait," said another House Republican, who asked for anonymity to speak candidly about the upswell in protests.

Reality check: 2017 preceded a GOP wipeout in the 2018 midterm elections.

• Neither side expects a wave next year, but Democrats are bullish they can at least retake the House by harnessing anger toward the administration.

Zoom in: Rep. Rich McCormick (R-Ga.) faced a large and testy audience at a town hall yesterday, with Reps. Cliff Bentz (R-Ore.), Stephanie Bice (R-Okla.) and Scott Fitzgerald (R-Wis.) also getting heated questioning.

• Swing-district Reps. David Schweikert (R-Ariz.), Ken Calvert (R-Calif.), Scott Perry (R-Pa.), Tom Kean Jr. (R-N.J.), Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), Ryan Mackenzie (R-Pa.) and Bryan Steil (R-Wis.) all had demonstrations outside their offices.

Between the lines: The liberal groups who have bombarded Democratic lawmakers into demonstrating more active resistance to the administration are not shying away from their role in organizing these confrontations.

• MoveOn, the Working Families Party and Indivisible all lauded the protests. Indivisible framed them as part of their "Week of Action."
• MoveOn said in a press release: "MoveOn members and allies will show up at congressional-led town halls and congressional offices across the country, targeting House Republicans whose votes will be crucial in opposing Trump and Musk's harmful policies."
• "House Republicans have galvanized voters across the country to come out in protest against their Medicaid cuts, veteran layoffs and defunding of health care for 9/11 first responders," said CJ Warnke, a spokesperson for Democrats' House Majority PAC.

— Andrew Solender

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Anxiety Mounts Among Social Security Recipients as DOGE Troops Settle In

President Donald Trump was asked at a press conference this month if there were any federal agencies or programs that Elon Musk’s newly formed Department of Government Efficiency wouldn’t be allowed to mess with.

“Social Security will not be touched,” Trump answered, echoing a promise he has been making for years. Despite his eagerness to explode treaties, shutter entire government agencies and abandon decades-old ways of doing things, the president understands that Social Security benefits for seniors are sacrosanct.

https://www.propublica.org/article/doge-social-security-elon-musk-trump-closures-benefits?

DOGE’s Millions: As Musk and Trump Gut Government, Their Ax-Cutting Agency Gets Cash Infusion

While Elon Musk and his underlings demand budget cuts and layoffs across the federal government, funding for their agency — the Department of Government Efficiency — has soared to nearly $40 million, ProPublica found in a review of Office of Management and Budget records.

https://www.propublica.org/article/doge-trump-musk-funding-foia-congress-transparency?

Federal employees told to justify jobs in email or Musk says they face dismissal

In President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s latest move targeting the federal workforce, employees began receiving emails Saturday afternoon asking them to explain what work they did last week, as Musk announced that “failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.”

https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/22/politics/elon-musk-employees-emails/index.html?

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? Musk challenges feds to justify jobs

Via Truth Social

A three-act play — with cliffhanger ending: I. Before speaking at CPAC yesterday, President Trump says on his Truth Social platform that he wants Elon Musk to "GET MORE AGGRESSIVE." Three hours later, Musk replies on X: "Will do, Mr. President!" Via X II. In the afternoon, Musk announces that "all federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week. Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation." It's a page out of Musk's playbook when he bought Twitter — making workers defend themselves to stay employed, Axios' Ben Berkowitz notes. Via X III. Hours later, the emails go out from hr@opm.gov, requesting "approx. 5 bullets of what you accomplished last week" — but with no threat of termination. Musk clarified on X last night: "To be clear, the bar is very low here. An email with some bullet points that make any sense at all is acceptable! Should take less than 5 mins to write." ? Several agencies instructed their employees to await further instructions before replying. FBI Director Kash Patel told workers that reviews will be conducted "in accordance with FBI procedures": "For now, please pause any responses." National Weather Service leaders said they want to "verify that the message ... is authentic." Go deeper with Axios' Ben Berkowitz.

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Federal workers

Federal agencies across the US government are scrambling to respond to an ominous email ordered by Elon Musk. Amid scores of firings, the Office of Personnel Management sent a mass email Saturday demanding federal employees provide five bullet points detailing what they did on their jobs last week. By late Sunday, leaders at the Pentagon, FBI, State Department, Department of Homeland Security and Department of Energy had all instructed their staff not to reply. The email does not mention consequences, but Musk, who heads the Department of Government Efficiency, warned in a social media post that workers who don't respond by the 11:59 p.m. ET deadline today would be dismissed.

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Key federal agencies refuse to comply with Musk’s latest demand Key U.S. agencies, including the FBI, State Department and the Pentagon, have instructed their employees not to comply with cost-cutting chief Elon Musk’s latest demand that federal workers explain what they accomplished last week — or risk losing their job. Read more.

Why this matters: Newly confirmed FBI Director Kash Patel, an outspoken Trump ally, instructed bureau employees to ignore Musk’s request, at least for now.   Democrats and even some Republicans were critical of Musk’s ultimatum, which came just hours after Trump encouraged him on social media to “get more aggressive” in reducing the size of the government through his Department of Government Efficiency. Trump mocked the affected workers in a meme Sunday.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Ex-Secret Service agent and media personality Dan Bongino picked as FBI deputy director   New FBI Director Kash Patel will also be named acting head of the ATF, official says   Hegseth defends Trump’s firings of Pentagon leaders and says there may be more dismissals   The Trump administration is putting USAID staffers on leave worldwide and firing at least 1,600   Musk’s cost-cutting team is laying off workers at the auto safety agency overseeing Tesla   Trump says he may take control of the US Postal Service   Judge largely blocks Trump’s executive orders ending federal support for DEI programs   The Supreme Court won’t allow Trump to immediately fire head of whistleblower office   National Park Service restores some jobs of fired employees   Backlash leads GOP attorneys general to declare support for a landmark disability rights law   Supreme Court clears the way for a lawsuit over COVID-19 unemployment claims in Alabama   ‘Dark MAGA’ spreads as conservatives embrace Musk’s influence on Trump   Bannon is accused of doing a straight-arm Nazi salute at CPAC but says it was just ‘a wave’   Trump moves with light speed and brute force in shaking the core of what America has been   WATCH: AP sues 3 Trump administration officials over access to presidential events

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Trump backs Musk as he roils the federal workforce with demands and threats

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump backed Elon Musk’s demand that federal employees explain their recent accomplishments by the end of Monday or risk getting fired, even as government agency officials were told that compliance with Musk’s edict was voluntary.

https://apnews.com/article/musk-trump-federal-workers-firings-email-9785e7f74eb2a8b8fde5e01ff0c7717f?

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? DOGE hits first brick wall

Via X Despite his threats, Elon Musk can't simply fire federal employees for not responding to an email, attorneys and former senior federal officials tell Axios' Emily Peck. Why it matters: For the first time, some federal agencies appear to be pushing back on Musk's DOGE purge — and they're getting support from the executive branch, despite what President Trump says publicly. ? The big picture: It's too early to tell if agencies will hold the line and terminate workers for failing to reply to the email, sent from the federal Office for Personnel Management (OPM) on Saturday — subject line "What did you do last week"? Many federal agencies, including the FBI, Defense Department and Homeland Security, have told workers not to respond to the OPM email. Some have explicitly told workers to reply. Musk doubled down last night, saying: "Subject to the discretion of the President, they will be given another chance. Failure to respond a second time will result in termination."

[phkrause]

Federal job cuts

Federal workers spent Monday trying to figure out how – or even whether – to respond to Elon Musk’s weekend email blast telling them to explain their work last week or risk losing their jobs. First, President Donald Trump called Musk's email plan a "pretty ingenious idea" and vowed to support his brazen efforts to purge the federal government workforce. The president added that employees who don't answer are "semi-fired or fired." As federal agencies scrambled to issue guidance to their workers, the Office of Personnel Management later contradicted Trump, saying responses were voluntary. Musk later doubled down, saying in a statement that failing to respond to a second inquiry would result in termination.

 

Nearly 40% of contracts canceled by DOGE are expected to produce no savings Nearly 40% of the federal contracts that the Trump administration claims to have canceled as part of its signature cost-cutting program aren’t expected to save the government any money, the administration’s own data shows. Read more.

What to know: The Department of Government Efficiency run by Elon Musk last week published an initial list of 1,125 contracts that it terminated in recent weeks across the federal government. Data published on DOGE’s “Wall of Receipts” shows that more than one-third of the contract cancellations, 417 in all, are expected to yield no savings.   DOGE says the overall contract cancellations are expected to save more than $7 billion so far, an amount that has been questioned as inflated by independent experts.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Judge rejects immediately restoring AP’s access to White House but urges government to reconsider Trump backs Musk as he roils the federal workforce with demands and threats   Judge blocks 2 federal agencies from disclosing personal records to Musk’s DOGE   Young techies behind DOGE are a lightning rod for criticism and a youth magnet for the GOP Hegseth says he fired the top military lawyers because they weren’t well-suited for the jobs Pennsylvania’s governor says the Trump administration has unfrozen billions in grants and loans Judge blocks Trump immigration policy allowing arrests in churches for some religious groups The few Republicans who still oppose Trump gather in search of a path to oppose him   What are the lawsuits against Donald Trump’s executive actions?   Fired federal workers hunt for new jobs but struggle to replace their old ones Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy joins the Ohio governor’s race Utah close to fully banning fluoride in water, stripping cities’ ability to decide National Park Service withdraws Black community in Louisiana from historic landmark consideration   WATCH: Idaho town hall meeting turns chaotic after woman is forcibly removed for shouting at speakers

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21 federal employees just resigned "in protest" over DOGE's efforts

Twenty-one United States Digital Service technology staffers just resigned today in what is being seen as a mass protest resignation against the efforts of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), according to a federal government employee with knowledge of the resignations.

https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-administration-news-02-25-25?

Federal technology staffers resign rather than help Musk and DOGE

WASHINGTON (AP) — More than 20 civil service employees resigned Tuesday from billionaire Trump adviser Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, saying they were refusing to use their technical expertise to “dismantle critical public services.”

https://apnews.com/article/doge-elon-musk-federal-government-resignations-usds-6b7e9b7022e6d89d69305e9510f2a43c?

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DOGE Gains Access to Confidential Records on Housing Discrimination, Medical Details — Even Domestic Violence

Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency has gained access to a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development system containing confidential personal information about hundreds of thousands of alleged victims of housing discrimination, including victims of domestic violence.

https://www.propublica.org/article/doge-elon-musk-hud-housing-discrimination-privacy-domestic-violence?

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DOGE Said It Cut $232 Million From Social Security Budget. It Was Only About Half a Million.

The “Department of Government Efficiency” claimed to have saved the American taxpayer nearly $232 million by canceling an IT contract for the Social Security Administration.

They were only off by about $231 million.

https://theintercept.com/2025/02/20/doge-social-security-cuts-musk-receipts/?

ps:People still believing what DOGE claims as "gospel!!!" But everytime that they get fact checked they have to back track!!

DOGE’s Lawyer Once Warned That Ignoring Court Orders Would Destroy the Country

Elon Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency” spent the first month of the second Trump presidency ransacking federal agencies — and racking up more than a dozen lawsuits challenging its structure, operations, and power.

https://theintercept.com/2025/02/21/musk-trump-doge-james-burnham-lawyer/?

DOGE access to US intelligence secrets poses a national security threat, Democrats say

Democratic lawmakers are demanding answers from Elon Musk about whether staffers at his Department of Government Efficiency have shared national security secrets over insecure communication channels. Read More.

[bonnie1962]

14 minutes ago, phkrause said:

 

ps:People still believing what DOGE claims as "gospel!!!" But everytime that they get fact checked they have to back track!!

PS: People on the left are still believing the Russian Hoax, Hunters Laptop disinformation, turn a blind eye to the many very questionable Biden business deals, funniest of all was believing in Bidens mental acuity and that he was fit for another four years., Never heard one prominent democrat back track nor were they called to account by democrats at learge

 

 

 

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USAID workers clear their desks in Trump’s final push to dismantle the agency

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Agency for International Development workers — many in tears — carted away belongings through cheering crowds in a final visit to their now-closed headquarters Thursday as the Trump administration’s rapid dismantling of the congressionally authorized agency moved into its final stages.

https://apnews.com/article/trump-musk-doge-usaid-federal-workers-bfb69a0bf38419b7518555de42169ca1?

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? Most DOGE-vulnerable states

Data: Pew Research Center; Chart: Jacque Schrag/Axios Trump and Musk's rampage to shrink the federal government will be felt far outside the nation's capital — in deep red states as well as blue. Why it matters: The cuts will undoubtedly affect D.C., but more than 80% of federal workers live outside the metro area, according to the Partnership for Public Service. Zoom in: Federal civilian jobs make up 21% of all nonfarm employment in Washington, D.C. — far more than in any state, according to government data analyzed by Pew Research Center. Of the 10 states with the greatest percentage of federal employment, six voted for Trump and five voted for then-Vice President Harris. (Maine and Utah are tied for 10th.) Alaska has the fourth-highest share of federal workers. Republican Lisa Murkowski, one of the state's senators, has been outspoken about her concerns with DOGE. — Stef Kight

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1,000 words

Photo via The New York Times Elon Musk's desk in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, next to the White House, as shown in an image provided to The New York Times. Go deeper: "How Elon Musk Executed His Takeover of the Federal Bureaucracy," by Jonathan Swan, Teddy Schleifer, Maggie Haberman, et al. (gift link)

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Hey Elon: We Found a Place to Cut More Than $2 Trillion in Wasteful Spending

The bloated Department of Defense spends more money than any other government agency. So where is Elon Musk and DOGE?

https://theintercept.com/2025/02/28/musk-doge-pentagon-military-spending-f35/?

Only 6% of federal employees report to an office for work? Not true | Fact check

A Jan. 28 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) claims to share a statistic about the prevalence of remote work among those employed by the U.S. government.

“It appears that only 6% of all federal employees work full-time in an office,” text of the post reads in part.

Versions of the claim circulated widely both and before President Donald Trump took office for his second term, and they were amplified by members ofCongress, leading conservative commentators and the Trump White House.

Our rating: False

The latest figures show 54% of federal employees perform their work duties fully on-site, not 6%, according to a federal agency’s August 2024 report to Congress that examined the majority of federal employees. The claim misrepresents the results of a news outlet’s unscientific survey that was not designed to reflect the federal workforce as a whole, according to one of its editors.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2025/02/28/6-percent-federal-employees-in-person-fact-check/80526282007/?

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Situational awareness: The Pentagon says DOGE will announce "initial findings" from its review of Defense Department spending today.

• Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has directed civilian employees to "prepare five bullet points detailing their work accomplishments from the prior week." Go deeper.

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Catch me up

Photo illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images

? Elon Musk's DOGE has deleted hundreds of items from the public accounting of its cuts, shrinking the savings it has claimed to provide by nearly half, the N.Y. Times reports (gift link). Anti-DOGE army Democrats have built quite a roster of former federal workers to attend Trump's joint address to Congress tomorrow. Why it matters: Most Democrats are choosing to stuff their guest lists with people fired by DOGE, as requested by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Schumer will bring Alissa Ellman, a disabled veteran who was recently fired from her Veterans Affairs job in Buffalo, New York. ?Other guests include workers fired by DOGE from the Department of Education .... IRS ... National Park Service ... National Science Foundation ... Housing and Urban Development ... Forest Service ... USAID ... and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Go deeper: Names of individual guests. Between the lines: Sens. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) aren't going to the speech at all, as we reported this evening. — Jaden Amos and Stephen Neukam

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How DOGE’s Cuts to the IRS Threaten to Cost More Than DOGE Will Ever Save

The Trump administration claims gutting federal agencies will save money, but cutting the IRS means the government collects less taxes. “If you’re interested in the deficit and curbing it, why would you cut back on the revenue side?” one expert asks.

https://www.propublica.org/article/how-doge-irs-cuts-will-cost-more-than-savings-trump-musk-deficit?

[phkrause]

This scientist was making Florida beaches resilient to hurricanes. DOGE fired him.

As thousands of Floridians fled beach communities before Hurricane Helene, Michael Slattery rushed toward them.

https://local.newsbreak.com/florida-state/3843039813514-this-scientist-was-making-florida-beaches-resilient-to-hurricanes-doge-fired-him?

ps:Of course they did!!

? Musk cuts off federal firefighters. Bureau of Land Management firefighting staffers across multiple states told The Lever last week the Department of Government Efficiency put a $1 limit on their state-issued credit cards, preventing them from buying time-sensitive supplies to prepare for the fire season or even traveling to fight fires. Other agencies faced similar draconian measures.

? Exclusive poll: Young Americans diss DOGE

Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios

Most young Americans have been keeping up with Elon Musk's DOGE — and it's not too popular, Axios' Erica Pandey writes from a new Generation Lab poll. The big picture: 87% of 18- to 34-year-olds say they've heard a lot or a little about DOGE. 71% say they strongly or somewhat disapprove of the agency's work so far, the poll says. Keep reading.

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What to know about $2.7 trillion in 'improper' Medicare, Medicaid payments allegedly sent overseas

Trump government efficiency adviser Elon Musk called the alleged payments "the biggest fraud operation in human history."

Claim:

A U.S. government agency found that $2.7 trillion worth of Medicare and Medicaid payments were improperly sent overseas.

Rating:

Mixture

What's True

The Government Accountability Office (GAO), a nonpartisan congressional agency, published two reports in 2024 that found, generally speaking, improper payments made by the U.S. government since fiscal year 2003 totaled an estimated $2.7 trillion.

What's False

However, the GAO reports didn't claim that any percentage of the $2.7 trillion went to people overseas.

What's Undetermined

It's unclear how much of the $2.7 trillion in improper payments were related to Medicare and Medicaid.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/medicaid-medicare-improper-payments/?

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Leaked List Shows DOGE Is Lawyering Up

A list of DOGE staffers reviewed by The Intercept shows Elon Musk’s quasi-agency has brought in at least four more attorneys.

https://theintercept.com/2025/03/05/leaked-list-musk-doge-lawyers/?

 

Hit hard

Veterans make up 30% of the federal workforce, so when the Department of Government Efficiency swings an axe, it’s bound to hit a veteran who voted for President Donald Trump. Some are unhappy with the people executing his vision for a smaller government.

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DOGE workers are using four rooms at a federal office building for sleeping — with IKEA beds, lamps and dressers

DOGE staffers are building IKEA flatpacks so they can sleep in the office buildings of the very federal agencies that they are trying to dismantle , according to a new report.

https://local.newsbreak.com/washington-dc/3845407544518-doge-workers-are-using-four-rooms-at-a-federal-office-building-for-sleeping-with-ikea-beds-lamps-and-dressers?

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Thrust into unemployment, axed federal workers face relatives who celebrate their firing

NEW YORK (AP) — Scrambling to replace their health insurance and to find new work, some laid-off federal workers are running into another unexpected unpleasantry: Relatives cheering their firing.

https://apnews.com/article/trump-musk-doge-federal-layoffs-c41ae32800a7f170484de79572543da2?

Aid efforts in Gaza slow as millions of promised USAID dollars do not arrive, agency officials say

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Trump administration’s cuts to USAID have frozen hundreds of millions of dollars in contractual payments to aid groups, leaving them paying out of pocket to preserve a fragile ceasefire, according to officials from the U.S. humanitarian agency.

https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-usaid-gaza-ceasefire-0a56d5d591c249eb5e44ba29c9adaa3e?