Paused My Game to Kill USAID

On August 19, 2024, an X account named “Sir Doge of the Coin” posted an AI-generated image of Elon Musk leading a “Department of Government Efficiency,” or “D.O.G.E.”

Minutes later, Elon Musk replied, “Perfect name.”

On Inauguration Day, Trump signed an executive order establishing the “DEPARTMENT OF GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY” from the United States Digital Service. Musk was hired as a special government employee, and although the White House said he had no authority over the agency, Trump said Musk was “in charge” of DOGE, according to Reuters.

While Musk worked for the federal government, DOGE operated within several agencies that regulated or held contracts with his companies.

The Washington Post reported that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration lost roughly 10% of its workforce. A specialized unit regulating autonomous cars, including Tesla’s, lost nearly half its staff.

Special government employees are prohibited from participating in matters affecting their financial interests, according to the Justice Department. Whesked about potential conflicts of interest, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said, “Elon will excuse himself from those contracts” which involve his businesses.

DOGE also helped dismantle USAID. In late January 2025, Reuters reported that roughly 60 USAID employees were placed on leave after foreign aid was largely frozen.

Within a week, the USAID website was shut down, two top officials were removed and DOGE officials entered the USAID building without clearance. Security officers attempted to prevent the DOGE officials from entering but were “threatened with action by the federal Marshals Service,” according to Reuters.

By the end of February, only 300 out of 8,000 employees remained on the job. Thousands of those at the Washington headquarters were ordered to clear their desks and escorted out by federal officials.

In March, a federal judge found that DOGE’s dismantling of USAID likely violated the Constitution, and blocked further cuts by DOGE. Ten days later, DOGE was still taking steps to dismantle USAID, according to the Associated Press. Ultimately, an appeals court reversed the judge’s ruling. USAID’s remaining functions were moved to the State Department, under Marco Rubio.

Studies published in 2025 and 2026 projected the effects of cuts to foreign aid. The Impact Counter projected more than 260,000 adults and 510,000 children would die after one year without funding. A peer-reviewed article in The Lancet estimated that in a severe defunding scenario, there would be about 22.5 million excess deaths by the end of 2030. Under a milder scenario, it projected 9.4 million.

Although 83% of USAID programs were terminated, both Marco Rubio and Elon Musk claimed that no children died as a result of the cuts. Rubio called Impact Counter’s estimate a “false number” at a congressional hearing.

Musk left federal employment on May 30, 2025. DOGE officially ceased operations on July 4, 2026.