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- Joined
- Jun 4, 2024
Enter DOGE, A New Government Department
"Working overtime to ensure your tax dollars will be spent wisely" - DOGE
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was established through an executive order signed by President Donald J. Trump on January 29, 2025. The creation of the DOGE stems from Elon Musk's suggestion to the President. Musk had also agreed to co-lead DOGE with Vivek Ramaswamy responsible for auditing federal finances, reducing wasteful spending and recommending major reforms. Later on, it was announced that Vivek Ramaswamy would not be joining DOGE. and be running for Ohio governor. He was ejected before DOGE really began.
(L/A)
(L/A)
Under this order, the United States Digital Service is rebranded as the United States DOGE Service (USDS) and will operate within the Executive Office of the President.
(L/A)
(L/A)
Alongside DOGE, the U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization has been formed to drive the 18-month DOGE Agenda, ending July 4, 2026.
Each agency must establish a DOGE Team of four members within 30 days. These teams will work with USDS on the agenda, while the USDS Administrator (role currently vacant) leads a Software Modernization Initiative to improve government IT systems and ensure data integrity. Keep in mind that DOGE is purely an advisory board.
The official government website for DOGE which has a Dogecoin logo launched on January 21, 2025.
Reddit users noted that the Dogecoin logo on the website was later removed.
The website after featured AI-generated art of a Shiba Inu, matching a tweet from Elon Musk showcasing the DOGE logo.
(L/A)
The website currently does not feature the AI art nor the Dogecoin logo.
c
On November 13, 2024, DOGE posted its inaugural tweet on its newly created X account.
The following day, DOGE expressed gratitude for American support and called on interested individuals to commit to 80+ hours per week to focus on cost-cutting efforts.
Two days later, DOGE tweeted a graph highlighting the growth of the U.S. Tax Code: in 1955, it contained fewer than 1.5 million words, but today, it exceeds 16 million. This complexity results in Americans spending 6.5 billion hours annually on tax preparation, underscoring the need for simplification.
Taxpayer dollars also funded research on $100,000 study on whether tequila or gin make sunfish more aggressive, nearly $1M to examine if cocaine increases sexual promiscuity in Japanese quail, and $750,000 to investigate whether Neil Armstrong's moon landing quote was "One small step for Man" or "One small step for 'A' man"—with inconclusive results.
These examples highlight wasteful spending, but it's important to note that the sunfish study was originally a scandal uncovered in 1975 by Democratic Senator William Proxmire, a staunch critic of government waste.
(L/A)
Photo of William Proxmire
The Pentagon is unable to account for $824 billion, including $236 billion in improper federal payments in 2023. $200 billion in pandemic relief was lost to fraud, and $1 billion in Ukraine aid went untracked. What else is unreported?
In FY2024, U.S. Congress allocated $516 billion to programs with expired authorizations, including $320 billion for those expired over a decade.
Federal agencies are utilizing only 12% of the space in their D.C. headquarters. The Department of Agriculture, which can house 7,400 employees, sees just 456 workers daily (6% occupancy). Why are taxpayer dollars supporting underused buildings?
According to DOGE, the U.S. Government has authorized a range of grants, including $45 million for a diversity and inclusion scholarship program in Burma, $3 million to support girl-focused climate initiatives in Brazil, and $288,563 for diverse bird-watching organizations. For transparency, it's important to note that DOGE cited the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, which may have its own biases (top donors list). However, this does not undermine the information presented. Just something to keep in mind.
In FY2023, the U.S. Government's expenditures reached $6.16 trillion, while revenues were $4.47 trillion, maintaining a budget deficit that has continued since the last surplus in 2001. DOGE claims to want to work on reversing this trend and work towards a balanced budget.
More unnecessary government spending as DOGE outlines includes $28 million on licensing Afghan army uniform patterns, $2.5 million for a Census Super Bowl ad in 2010, $1.7 million for holograms for the National Comedy Center (A1, A2, A3, A4), and $500,000 for an IHOP in Washington, DC.
DOGE claims that the 1,547-page, $110+ billion House Bill "Continuing Resolution" includes a Congressional pay raise to $243,000, funding for a new D.C. stadium, 72 pages on pandemic preparedness, and the renewal of the Global Engagement Center, currently embroiled in a censorship lawsuit.
However, Community Notes on X say that Congress' pay increase is 3.8%, not 40%, boosting salaries by $6,600 to $180,600. The $243,000 figure estimates what members would have earned if they had received all ECI formula adjustments since 1992.
The revised continuing resolution bill would be announced to be 116 pages, down from 1,547. Key updates: no pay raise for Congress, no football stadium land transfer, no Global Engagement Center extension, no "Pandemic Preparedness" section, and no changes to "justice-involved individuals" language.
The U.S. government would allocate taxpayer funds for more controversial projects: $6.9M on 'smart toilets' that recognize users' anal print, $2.3M for NIH to inject dogs with cocaine, $118,000 to test if a metal robot replica of Marvel's Thanos can snap his fingers, and $75,000 in grants for a Harvard study on lizards blown off trees with leaf blowers.
Without intervention, DOGE says the U.S. government will begin accumulating over $6.4 billion in debt each day for the next ten years, borrowing $268 million every hour, $4.5 million every minute, and $74,401 each second. The total debt has reached $36.2 trillion, while interest payments have exceeded $1 trillion this year.
Here are more examples of government wasteful spending according to DOGE: The State Department allocated $2.1 million for border security in Paraguay, USAID is spending $20 million on Iraq’s new Sesame Street show Ahlan Simsim, and the National Endowment for the Arts awarded $10,000 to the Bearded Ladies Cabaret for a climate change-themed ice skating performance.
The most notable thing about these examples is the funding of Ahlan Simsim.
What exactly is Ahlan Simsim? Rescue.org reports that Ahlan Simsim, meaning "Welcome Sesame" in Arabic, is the largest early childhood development initiative in humanitarian history. The show includes classic characters like Elmo, alongside new Muppets like "Jad," a refugee, "Basma," who welcomed him, and "Ameera," a character with a disability.
Jad
Basma
Ameera
Episode of Ahlan Simsim
The funding on October 1, 2023 was not intended to create a new program, as the show already existed years before.
(L/A)
While the initiative is commendable, it raises the question: How can we help others when we struggle to support our own, particularly with a significant number of homeless children in the United States?
Moreover, Doge made more claims of excessive spending, such as $7 million on magic research, $1.5 million for a sadistic kitten motion sickness study, $419,470 to explore if lonely rats are more likely to seek cocaine, $123,000 teaching children in Kyrgyzstan how to go viral on social media, and $4.8 million allocated by the State Department for influencers in Ukraine.
2023 - (L/A)
2024 - (L/A)
Community Notes highlighted discrepancies in Doge's claims, particularly in how one of the funding was mischaracterized. The $7 million allocated to "magic research," which the 2024 Festivus Report incorrectly describes as solely a magic project, actually funds a STEM-focused learning center for children in North Dakota. While "magic" is part of the name due to where it is located, the center itself does not involve practicing magic.
For reference, here is the website of the learning center.
Website 1 - (L/A)
Website 2 - (L/A)
The address of the location is 1545 1st St NW Minot, ND 58703.
Why does this matter? The name originates from Minot, North Dakota, which is nicknamed "Magic City."
(L/A)
Opening of Magic City Discovery Center
In the 1800s, Minot transformed from a small settlement into a thriving railroad town, with its population rising to 5,000 in just five months—an extraordinary change, described as "magic." This is where Minot earned its nickname, the Magic City.
DOGE raises valid concerns about government mismanagement and wasteful spending, but it's equally important to not only highlight these issues but also critically evaluate DOGE's claims. As with any discussion, including this one, some points may be inaccurate, and it's crucial to seek corrections and question what you read. On January 5, 2025, Doge continued tweeting about government waste, specifically criticizing the use of tax dollars to fund DEI initiatives. What is DEI?
DEI, which stands for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, encompasses policies designed to promote a more inclusive and equitable environment, especially in workplaces and educational institutions. These initiatives aim to address disparities in race, gender, sexuality, and disability. In theory, DEI is meant to promote equality, but in practice, it has faced criticism, with some arguing that it can be unequal in its implementation to even just being a straight up lie by mega corporations that simply does not work.
Upper Echeleon's Video - (L/A)
Supporters of DEI have accused its critics of racism, claiming that those who broadly use the term are effectively substituting it for the n-word.
Garrison Hayes' Video - (L/A)
Ultimately, the issue is highly divisive, and opinions vary widely depending on who you ask.
Work in progress (taking a short break)
Lack Of Transparency and Glaring Issues (Opinion):
"Working overtime to ensure your tax dollars will be spent wisely" - DOGE
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was established through an executive order signed by President Donald J. Trump on January 29, 2025. The creation of the DOGE stems from Elon Musk's suggestion to the President. Musk had also agreed to co-lead DOGE with Vivek Ramaswamy responsible for auditing federal finances, reducing wasteful spending and recommending major reforms. Later on, it was announced that Vivek Ramaswamy would not be joining DOGE. and be running for Ohio governor. He was ejected before DOGE really began.
(L/A)
(L/A)
Under this order, the United States Digital Service is rebranded as the United States DOGE Service (USDS) and will operate within the Executive Office of the President.
(L/A)
(L/A)
Alongside DOGE, the U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization has been formed to drive the 18-month DOGE Agenda, ending July 4, 2026.
Each agency must establish a DOGE Team of four members within 30 days. These teams will work with USDS on the agenda, while the USDS Administrator (role currently vacant) leads a Software Modernization Initiative to improve government IT systems and ensure data integrity. Keep in mind that DOGE is purely an advisory board.
The official government website for DOGE which has a Dogecoin logo launched on January 21, 2025.
Reddit users noted that the Dogecoin logo on the website was later removed.
The website after featured AI-generated art of a Shiba Inu, matching a tweet from Elon Musk showcasing the DOGE logo.
(L/A)
The website currently does not feature the AI art nor the Dogecoin logo.
c
On November 13, 2024, DOGE posted its inaugural tweet on its newly created X account.
The following day, DOGE expressed gratitude for American support and called on interested individuals to commit to 80+ hours per week to focus on cost-cutting efforts.
Two days later, DOGE tweeted a graph highlighting the growth of the U.S. Tax Code: in 1955, it contained fewer than 1.5 million words, but today, it exceeds 16 million. This complexity results in Americans spending 6.5 billion hours annually on tax preparation, underscoring the need for simplification.
Taxpayer dollars also funded research on $100,000 study on whether tequila or gin make sunfish more aggressive, nearly $1M to examine if cocaine increases sexual promiscuity in Japanese quail, and $750,000 to investigate whether Neil Armstrong's moon landing quote was "One small step for Man" or "One small step for 'A' man"—with inconclusive results.
These examples highlight wasteful spending, but it's important to note that the sunfish study was originally a scandal uncovered in 1975 by Democratic Senator William Proxmire, a staunch critic of government waste.
(L/A)
Photo of William Proxmire
"William Proxmire ran in a special election in August of 1957 to fill a vacancy caused by the death of Wisconsin senator Joseph McCarthy. Considered an underdog, Proxmire shocked many by emerging victorious. When he arrived in Washington the day after his election, he was greeted at the airport by the Senate majority leader, who believed Proxmire’s vote was needed to pass the pending civil rights bill. Senator Proxmire soon established himself as an independent-minded politician, often acting without consulting leaders, staging filibusters, and never providing a sure Democratic vote. His legacy includes the 1986 Senate passage of an international treaty banning genocide, an issue he championed for two decades. He also promoted consumer protection legislation and sponsored the 1968 Truth in Lending Act. Averse to wasteful government spending, Proxmire wrote three books on the subject and presented a monthly Golden Fleece Award to the biggest, most ridiculous or most ironic example of government spending. Proxmire also set an attendance record not likely to be beaten. Over a period of more than 20 years, he did not miss a single roll-call vote, casting 10,252 consecutive votes before leaving the Senate in 1989." - senate.gov
The Pentagon is unable to account for $824 billion, including $236 billion in improper federal payments in 2023. $200 billion in pandemic relief was lost to fraud, and $1 billion in Ukraine aid went untracked. What else is unreported?
In FY2024, U.S. Congress allocated $516 billion to programs with expired authorizations, including $320 billion for those expired over a decade.
Federal agencies are utilizing only 12% of the space in their D.C. headquarters. The Department of Agriculture, which can house 7,400 employees, sees just 456 workers daily (6% occupancy). Why are taxpayer dollars supporting underused buildings?
According to DOGE, the U.S. Government has authorized a range of grants, including $45 million for a diversity and inclusion scholarship program in Burma, $3 million to support girl-focused climate initiatives in Brazil, and $288,563 for diverse bird-watching organizations. For transparency, it's important to note that DOGE cited the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, which may have its own biases (top donors list). However, this does not undermine the information presented. Just something to keep in mind.
In FY2023, the U.S. Government's expenditures reached $6.16 trillion, while revenues were $4.47 trillion, maintaining a budget deficit that has continued since the last surplus in 2001. DOGE claims to want to work on reversing this trend and work towards a balanced budget.
More unnecessary government spending as DOGE outlines includes $28 million on licensing Afghan army uniform patterns, $2.5 million for a Census Super Bowl ad in 2010, $1.7 million for holograms for the National Comedy Center (A1, A2, A3, A4), and $500,000 for an IHOP in Washington, DC.
DOGE claims that the 1,547-page, $110+ billion House Bill "Continuing Resolution" includes a Congressional pay raise to $243,000, funding for a new D.C. stadium, 72 pages on pandemic preparedness, and the renewal of the Global Engagement Center, currently embroiled in a censorship lawsuit.
However, Community Notes on X say that Congress' pay increase is 3.8%, not 40%, boosting salaries by $6,600 to $180,600. The $243,000 figure estimates what members would have earned if they had received all ECI formula adjustments since 1992.
The revised continuing resolution bill would be announced to be 116 pages, down from 1,547. Key updates: no pay raise for Congress, no football stadium land transfer, no Global Engagement Center extension, no "Pandemic Preparedness" section, and no changes to "justice-involved individuals" language.
The U.S. government would allocate taxpayer funds for more controversial projects: $6.9M on 'smart toilets' that recognize users' anal print, $2.3M for NIH to inject dogs with cocaine, $118,000 to test if a metal robot replica of Marvel's Thanos can snap his fingers, and $75,000 in grants for a Harvard study on lizards blown off trees with leaf blowers.
Without intervention, DOGE says the U.S. government will begin accumulating over $6.4 billion in debt each day for the next ten years, borrowing $268 million every hour, $4.5 million every minute, and $74,401 each second. The total debt has reached $36.2 trillion, while interest payments have exceeded $1 trillion this year.
Here are more examples of government wasteful spending according to DOGE: The State Department allocated $2.1 million for border security in Paraguay, USAID is spending $20 million on Iraq’s new Sesame Street show Ahlan Simsim, and the National Endowment for the Arts awarded $10,000 to the Bearded Ladies Cabaret for a climate change-themed ice skating performance.
The most notable thing about these examples is the funding of Ahlan Simsim.
What exactly is Ahlan Simsim? Rescue.org reports that Ahlan Simsim, meaning "Welcome Sesame" in Arabic, is the largest early childhood development initiative in humanitarian history. The show includes classic characters like Elmo, alongside new Muppets like "Jad," a refugee, "Basma," who welcomed him, and "Ameera," a character with a disability.
Jad
Basma
Ameera
Episode of Ahlan Simsim
The funding on October 1, 2023 was not intended to create a new program, as the show already existed years before.
(L/A)
While the initiative is commendable, it raises the question: How can we help others when we struggle to support our own, particularly with a significant number of homeless children in the United States?
Moreover, Doge made more claims of excessive spending, such as $7 million on magic research, $1.5 million for a sadistic kitten motion sickness study, $419,470 to explore if lonely rats are more likely to seek cocaine, $123,000 teaching children in Kyrgyzstan how to go viral on social media, and $4.8 million allocated by the State Department for influencers in Ukraine.
2023 - (L/A)
2024 - (L/A)
Community Notes highlighted discrepancies in Doge's claims, particularly in how one of the funding was mischaracterized. The $7 million allocated to "magic research," which the 2024 Festivus Report incorrectly describes as solely a magic project, actually funds a STEM-focused learning center for children in North Dakota. While "magic" is part of the name due to where it is located, the center itself does not involve practicing magic.
For reference, here is the website of the learning center.
Website 1 - (L/A)
Website 2 - (L/A)
The address of the location is 1545 1st St NW Minot, ND 58703.
Why does this matter? The name originates from Minot, North Dakota, which is nicknamed "Magic City."
(L/A)
Opening of Magic City Discovery Center
In the 1800s, Minot transformed from a small settlement into a thriving railroad town, with its population rising to 5,000 in just five months—an extraordinary change, described as "magic." This is where Minot earned its nickname, the Magic City.
DOGE raises valid concerns about government mismanagement and wasteful spending, but it's equally important to not only highlight these issues but also critically evaluate DOGE's claims. As with any discussion, including this one, some points may be inaccurate, and it's crucial to seek corrections and question what you read. On January 5, 2025, Doge continued tweeting about government waste, specifically criticizing the use of tax dollars to fund DEI initiatives. What is DEI?
DEI, which stands for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, encompasses policies designed to promote a more inclusive and equitable environment, especially in workplaces and educational institutions. These initiatives aim to address disparities in race, gender, sexuality, and disability. In theory, DEI is meant to promote equality, but in practice, it has faced criticism, with some arguing that it can be unequal in its implementation to even just being a straight up lie by mega corporations that simply does not work.
Upper Echeleon's Video - (L/A)
Supporters of DEI have accused its critics of racism, claiming that those who broadly use the term are effectively substituting it for the n-word.
Garrison Hayes' Video - (L/A)
Ultimately, the issue is highly divisive, and opinions vary widely depending on who you ask.
Work in progress (taking a short break)
Lack Of Transparency and Glaring Issues (Opinion):
In theory, DOGE is a great idea. It promises to reduce government waste, better allocate resources, and improve public services with quicker, more responsive delivery. By tracking performance and setting clear goals, DOGE ensures accountability and transparency, fostering greater public trust in government. What is DOGE doing beyond its promises?
Despite serving as an advisory body, it operates without oversight or checks and balances and lacks transparency. The National Security Counselors, a public interest law firm, alleges in a lawsuit that DOGE is functioning as a federal advisory committee, violating the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), which governs the operations and transparency of such committees. A separate lawsuit also invoked FACA, requesting the court to halt DOGE’s activities until it complies with the law.
The suit claims DOGE is staffed mainly by tech executives and affiliates of Trump, Musk, and Ramaswamy, with no federal employees involved, despite its focus on workforce reductions. It also alleges private meetings, violating FACA’s transparency rules. These lawsuits are just one example of the alleged troubling behavior by DOGE and, more specifically, Elon Musk. Another reported incident involves Musk and his allies taking control of a key HR office (Office of Personnel Management) to send a mass resignation email titled "Fork In The Road", bypassing government officials.
This was reported by the Independent.
The OPM in this email offered to provide an 8-month paid leave as a "buyout" for federal employees who resign. In his first week, President Trump directed federal employees to return to in-person work, reinstated accountability for policy-makers and senior executives, and reformed the hiring process to emphasize merit.
Work-based merit is great and not inherently negative. There has been a major issue of removing and disciplining poor performing federal employees. Government Executive examines the Firing Line and its impact, highlighting the need for reform.
Federal employee removal is hindered by due process protections not seen in the private sector, leading to perceptions of inefficiency. A Government Business Council survey found only 11% of agencies successfully fire poor performers, with nearly 80% agreeing that current procedures discourage such actions. Despite widespread recognition of the issue, efforts to reform the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 have stalled, with fears of reinstating political patronage complicating the debate. Corruption and no accountability is rampant.
(L/A)
(L/A)
(L/A)
While many federal employees perform well, a significant number face no accountability and do not do their jobs. On the r/FedNews subreddit, federal employees seeking jobs are turning down offers of eight months' pay, despite it appearing like a very good deal. Some individuals are refusing to leave their current positions.
Redditor talks about holding the line - (L/A)
Here are some more noteworthy posts.
DoD employee shares his perspective - (L/A)
DRA being revised - (L/A)
Employees have criticized the offer, mainly citing legal concerns about Fork being a lie. What do I mean?
(L/A)
A redditor u/TryIsntGoodEnough discovered that there is no provision to give federal employees 8 months.
Here is severance pay defined in 5 USC 5595(C).
What if these employees are placed on administrative leave? During any calendar year, an agency may place an employee on administrative leave for a period of not more than a total of 10 work days.
Null recently started a great thread on this subreddit; be sure to check it out.
The issue isn't weeding out this type of corruption, but rather a lack of transparency from DOGE and Elon Musk (a foreign national with unrestricted power). The "Fork in the Road" email echoes the one Elon Musk sent to Twitter (now X) employees after his 2022 acquisition.
(L/A)
People claiming to be OPM employees online have alleged that the emails used on this new system are stored on an unsecured server.
(L/A)
OP Archived
(L/A)
Moreover, Musk's aides would lock civil servants out of systems containing personal data of millions of federal employees.
Federal employees sought a restraining order on Tuesday to disable a DOGE server scraping sensitive data from OPM.
Meanwhile, it was reported that SBA employees were informed Monday that DOGE would access all SBA systems, including HR, contracts, and payments, which facilitated over 100,000 small business financings last year.
(L/A)
Edward Coristine who is 19 years old held the call with SBA staff detailing level of access they wanted.
Edward Coristine
Before the email was sent, Elon Musk visited OPM on January 24, 2025, accompanied by key allies, including Anthony Armstrong, Brian Bjelde, and Amanda Scales who have taken senior roles at the agency. Elon had demanded a list of all the employees. His team also played a crucial role in creating the system that sent an email from "hr@opm.gov" to federal employees across multiple agencies—a capability introduced last week. All of these key people now hold positions in OFM.
Following the sending of mass resignation email, Elon Musk along with his former employees took over the General Services Administration (GSA). The GSA, overseeing federal offices and technology, provides Elon Musk with remote laptop access, email monitoring, and significant control.
A Biden official cautioned that granting DOGE staff, many of whom aren't government employees, unrestricted access to sensitive data poses a significant security risk, enabling surveillance of government workers and access to major government contracts. Things continued to get worst.
The appointment of Elon Musk ally Thomas Shedd as head of the GSA’s Technology Transformation Services (TTS) has sparked turmoil. Shedd, a former Tesla software engineer, took over as TTS director last week. Rumors circulated at TTS on Wednesday about surprise one-on-one meetings with management. Employees were asked to submit their "wins" and "blockers" via a Google Form. Some invites included people using Gmail addresses instead of official GSA accounts.
Thomas Shedd - archive
During the meetings, many employees were met by unfamiliar faces who hadn’t reviewed their submissions. TTS manager Shedd later apologized on Slack, explaining that the individuals were in the onboarding process and would introduce themselves properly in future calls.
Shedd told employees that the individuals on recent calls were "vetted" and personally invited by him, with all being “badged into the building” at GSA headquarters, implying they lacked official government IDs. A TTS source noted that at least two appeared to be "college students with unusually high A-suite clearance," linked to the GSA administrator's office. Later, Elon Musk sought to gain control of the Treasury Department's internal payment system. Since the election, officials from Musk's "Department of Government Efficiency," including Silicon Valley executive Tom Krause, have been seeking access to the Treasury system, with follow-up requests after Trump's inauguration.
Tom Krause
On February 1, 2025, Elon Musk gained access to the Treasury's internal payment system from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, following a standoff with Treasury official David Lebryk. Lebryk, who had resisted allowing Musk's team access, was placed on leave and retired abruptly after the dispute.
Scott Bessent
David Lebryk
(L/A)
Elon Musk revealed that the DOGE team found Treasury officers were directed to approve all payments, even to fraudulent or terrorist groups, with no denials. If this is true then that is horrible and should be looked into.
(L/A)
Musk even accused Career Treasury officials of breaking the law every hour.
(L/A)
More developments came. Musk's allies were given access to the Treasury payment system became Treasury employees, cleared background checks, and obtained necessary security clearances. One of Musk’s allies, 25-year-old Marko Elez, holds admin privileges of code controlling Social Security payments, tax returns, and more.
Marko Elez
Elez can write code on the Payment Automation Manager (PAM) and Secure Payment System (SPS) at the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, critical systems managing over a fifth of the U.S. economy. Mario Elez asserts that the DOGE taskforce has read-only access to the Treasury, but he is lying.
As @KakaSentYa highlights, Marko Elez not only has full access but has also made changes aimed at blocking payment paths and reducing visibility into these blocks. These changes were pushed directly into production without prior testing in a development environment. For context, Elez joined the system only about a week ago, after the second Trump inauguration. This raises concerns, as Elez has limited experience with critical systems that manage roughly 95% of U.S. government payments, including Social Security, tax refunds, and contract payouts. Your Social Security payment is in the hands of an inexperienced teenager.
Other Musk aids are aged 19 to 24 years old have total access of the U.S. Treasury Department’s $6 trillion payments system and assigned to the Office of Personnel Management which was mentioned previously. Six of Musk's aides—Akash Bobba, Luke Farritor, Ethan Shaotran, Edward Coristine, Gauthier Cole Killian, and Gavin Kliger—were featured in news reports and gained significant attention online.
(L/A)
@Standardized Profile shared an insightful post with additional information and archives in the Elon thread on page 358 (archive).
Still editing. Submitted it so progress is not lost
Despite serving as an advisory body, it operates without oversight or checks and balances and lacks transparency. The National Security Counselors, a public interest law firm, alleges in a lawsuit that DOGE is functioning as a federal advisory committee, violating the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), which governs the operations and transparency of such committees. A separate lawsuit also invoked FACA, requesting the court to halt DOGE’s activities until it complies with the law.
The suit claims DOGE is staffed mainly by tech executives and affiliates of Trump, Musk, and Ramaswamy, with no federal employees involved, despite its focus on workforce reductions. It also alleges private meetings, violating FACA’s transparency rules. These lawsuits are just one example of the alleged troubling behavior by DOGE and, more specifically, Elon Musk. Another reported incident involves Musk and his allies taking control of a key HR office (Office of Personnel Management) to send a mass resignation email titled "Fork In The Road", bypassing government officials.
This was reported by the Independent.
The OPM in this email offered to provide an 8-month paid leave as a "buyout" for federal employees who resign. In his first week, President Trump directed federal employees to return to in-person work, reinstated accountability for policy-makers and senior executives, and reformed the hiring process to emphasize merit.
Work-based merit is great and not inherently negative. There has been a major issue of removing and disciplining poor performing federal employees. Government Executive examines the Firing Line and its impact, highlighting the need for reform.
Federal employee removal is hindered by due process protections not seen in the private sector, leading to perceptions of inefficiency. A Government Business Council survey found only 11% of agencies successfully fire poor performers, with nearly 80% agreeing that current procedures discourage such actions. Despite widespread recognition of the issue, efforts to reform the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 have stalled, with fears of reinstating political patronage complicating the debate. Corruption and no accountability is rampant.
(L/A)
(L/A)
(L/A)
While many federal employees perform well, a significant number face no accountability and do not do their jobs. On the r/FedNews subreddit, federal employees seeking jobs are turning down offers of eight months' pay, despite it appearing like a very good deal. Some individuals are refusing to leave their current positions.
Redditor talks about holding the line - (L/A)
Here are some more noteworthy posts.
DoD employee shares his perspective - (L/A)
DRA being revised - (L/A)
Employees have criticized the offer, mainly citing legal concerns about Fork being a lie. What do I mean?
(L/A)
A redditor u/TryIsntGoodEnough discovered that there is no provision to give federal employees 8 months.
Here is severance pay defined in 5 USC 5595(C).
What if these employees are placed on administrative leave? During any calendar year, an agency may place an employee on administrative leave for a period of not more than a total of 10 work days.
Null recently started a great thread on this subreddit; be sure to check it out.
The issue isn't weeding out this type of corruption, but rather a lack of transparency from DOGE and Elon Musk (a foreign national with unrestricted power). The "Fork in the Road" email echoes the one Elon Musk sent to Twitter (now X) employees after his 2022 acquisition.
(L/A)
People claiming to be OPM employees online have alleged that the emails used on this new system are stored on an unsecured server.
(L/A)
OP Archived
(L/A)
Moreover, Musk's aides would lock civil servants out of systems containing personal data of millions of federal employees.
Federal employees sought a restraining order on Tuesday to disable a DOGE server scraping sensitive data from OPM.
Meanwhile, it was reported that SBA employees were informed Monday that DOGE would access all SBA systems, including HR, contracts, and payments, which facilitated over 100,000 small business financings last year.
(L/A)
Edward Coristine who is 19 years old held the call with SBA staff detailing level of access they wanted.
Edward Coristine
According to Wired, Edward Coristine, formerly known online as "Big Balls," worked in 2022 at Path Network, a network monitoring firm recognized for hiring reformed blackhat hackers.
The 19-year-old entrepreneur, who founded multiple LLCs, launched Tesla.Sexy LLC at 16 on December 2, 2021 and currently serves as its CEO.
The LLC is registered at 26 Lakeview Ave, New Canaan, CT 06840, with Edward listed as an officer. LegalINC Corporate Services Inc. and Republic Registered Agent LLC act as registered agents for Telsa.Sexy LLC.
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Work in progress
The 19-year-old entrepreneur, who founded multiple LLCs, launched Tesla.Sexy LLC at 16 on December 2, 2021 and currently serves as its CEO.
The LLC is registered at 26 Lakeview Ave, New Canaan, CT 06840, with Edward listed as an officer. LegalINC Corporate Services Inc. and Republic Registered Agent LLC act as registered agents for Telsa.Sexy LLC.
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Work in progress
Before the email was sent, Elon Musk visited OPM on January 24, 2025, accompanied by key allies, including Anthony Armstrong, Brian Bjelde, and Amanda Scales who have taken senior roles at the agency. Elon had demanded a list of all the employees. His team also played a crucial role in creating the system that sent an email from "hr@opm.gov" to federal employees across multiple agencies—a capability introduced last week. All of these key people now hold positions in OFM.
1) Anthony Armstrong helped Elon buy Twitter.
(A1, A2, A3)
2) Brian Bjelde ran Human Resources for SpaceX and cut 80 % of Twitter's workforce. Also, a video of women spanking his ass is said to exist.
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3) Amanda Scales worked at Musk’s artificial intelligence firm, xAI. Works at OPM as Chief Of Staff.
(A1, A2, A3, NA)
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2) Brian Bjelde ran Human Resources for SpaceX and cut 80 % of Twitter's workforce. Also, a video of women spanking his ass is said to exist.
(A1, A2, A3, A4,A5)
3) Amanda Scales worked at Musk’s artificial intelligence firm, xAI. Works at OPM as Chief Of Staff.
(A1, A2, A3, NA)
Following the sending of mass resignation email, Elon Musk along with his former employees took over the General Services Administration (GSA). The GSA, overseeing federal offices and technology, provides Elon Musk with remote laptop access, email monitoring, and significant control.
A Biden official cautioned that granting DOGE staff, many of whom aren't government employees, unrestricted access to sensitive data poses a significant security risk, enabling surveillance of government workers and access to major government contracts. Things continued to get worst.
The appointment of Elon Musk ally Thomas Shedd as head of the GSA’s Technology Transformation Services (TTS) has sparked turmoil. Shedd, a former Tesla software engineer, took over as TTS director last week. Rumors circulated at TTS on Wednesday about surprise one-on-one meetings with management. Employees were asked to submit their "wins" and "blockers" via a Google Form. Some invites included people using Gmail addresses instead of official GSA accounts.
Thomas Shedd - archive
During the meetings, many employees were met by unfamiliar faces who hadn’t reviewed their submissions. TTS manager Shedd later apologized on Slack, explaining that the individuals were in the onboarding process and would introduce themselves properly in future calls.
Shedd told employees that the individuals on recent calls were "vetted" and personally invited by him, with all being “badged into the building” at GSA headquarters, implying they lacked official government IDs. A TTS source noted that at least two appeared to be "college students with unusually high A-suite clearance," linked to the GSA administrator's office. Later, Elon Musk sought to gain control of the Treasury Department's internal payment system. Since the election, officials from Musk's "Department of Government Efficiency," including Silicon Valley executive Tom Krause, have been seeking access to the Treasury system, with follow-up requests after Trump's inauguration.
Tom Krause
On February 1, 2025, Elon Musk gained access to the Treasury's internal payment system from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, following a standoff with Treasury official David Lebryk. Lebryk, who had resisted allowing Musk's team access, was placed on leave and retired abruptly after the dispute.
Scott Bessent
David Lebryk
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Elon Musk revealed that the DOGE team found Treasury officers were directed to approve all payments, even to fraudulent or terrorist groups, with no denials. If this is true then that is horrible and should be looked into.
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Musk even accused Career Treasury officials of breaking the law every hour.
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More developments came. Musk's allies were given access to the Treasury payment system became Treasury employees, cleared background checks, and obtained necessary security clearances. One of Musk’s allies, 25-year-old Marko Elez, holds admin privileges of code controlling Social Security payments, tax returns, and more.
Marko Elez
Elez can write code on the Payment Automation Manager (PAM) and Secure Payment System (SPS) at the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, critical systems managing over a fifth of the U.S. economy. Mario Elez asserts that the DOGE taskforce has read-only access to the Treasury, but he is lying.
As @KakaSentYa highlights, Marko Elez not only has full access but has also made changes aimed at blocking payment paths and reducing visibility into these blocks. These changes were pushed directly into production without prior testing in a development environment. For context, Elez joined the system only about a week ago, after the second Trump inauguration. This raises concerns, as Elez has limited experience with critical systems that manage roughly 95% of U.S. government payments, including Social Security, tax refunds, and contract payouts. Your Social Security payment is in the hands of an inexperienced teenager.
Other Musk aids are aged 19 to 24 years old have total access of the U.S. Treasury Department’s $6 trillion payments system and assigned to the Office of Personnel Management which was mentioned previously. Six of Musk's aides—Akash Bobba, Luke Farritor, Ethan Shaotran, Edward Coristine, Gauthier Cole Killian, and Gavin Kliger—were featured in news reports and gained significant attention online.
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@Standardized Profile shared an insightful post with additional information and archives in the Elon thread on page 358 (archive).
Still editing. Submitted it so progress is not lost
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