DOGE isn’t dead—it’s been absorbed into the bloodstream of the government, federal employees say

Elon Musk, wearing a black DOGE hat, looks forward. He is standing in the Oval Office. (Credit: ALLISON ROBBERT—AFP/Getty Images)

DOGE may no longer be helmed by Elon Musk or even considered an official government entity anymore, but the reports of its death are greatly exaggerated. The special advisory intended to eliminate government “waste, fraud, and abuse,” is still up to something, two federal employees told Fortune.

Last month, Office of Personnel Management director Scott Kupor told Reuters that DOGE “doesn’t exist” and is no longer a “centralized entity.” According to an executive order signed on President Donald Trump’s first day in office, DOGE as a temporary organization had been scheduled to end on July 4, 2026, suggesting the agency disbanded about eight months ahead of schedule.