DOGE 'Still Exists' — and So Does Your Data: What Happens to the Info It Collected?

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) may be gone, but questions are mounting over what happened to the sensitive data Elon Musk's team accessed during its brief and controversial run.

Elon Musk suggested creating the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to reduce spending and cut jobs within the federal government. Donald Trump signed an executive order renaming the US Digital Service to DOGE when he assumed his second US Presidency on 20 January 2025.

Musk was not given a cabinet-rank position, but was granted vast power as Trump's alter ego. DOGE had until 4 July 2026 to complete its cost-cutting and efficiency tasks.

However, in late May 2025, Musk resigned as DOGE head. His opposition to and criticism of Trump's Big Beautiful Bill created a public rift with the president. He described the major budget bill as fiscally reckless.

Musk was reported to have said, 'I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, does not just decrease it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing.'

The DOGE website still exists, but Musk is out. So, where did the collected data go, or what happens to it?

Access to Sensitive Data

Musk and his DOGE team had full access to unclassified agency records, software systems, and IT systems. It was also reported that DOGE accessed internal data in 15 federal agencies. In at least seven major agencies, DOGE obtained financial and non-contract data as well as some trade secrets.

On 8 January 2025, the Trump administration sent out buyout offers to over 2 million federal workers, CIA employees included. In February, three federal employee unions sued the Trump administration.

The lawyers for the unions alleged that Musk's DOGE had been granted unprecedented and potentially illegal access to sensitive government records. He violated laws, union agreements, and civil service protections.

The Treasury Department granted Musk and DOGE access to the vast federal payment system that handles trillions of dollars in government expenditures. Musk's team also initiated meetings with Internal Revenue Service (IRS) employees before a possible IRS audit.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the administrator of Medicare, was said to be collaborating with DOGE.

Other agencies in DOGE's firing line included the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Department of Education, the Department of Defense, and the Federal Aviation Administration.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) officials were not spared for allegedly spending tens of millions of dollars to accommodate migrants in New York.

Musk wanted to shut down the US Agency for International Development (USAID), but a federal judge said it violated the Constitution. Nonetheless, the cuts continued. According to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, 83% of USAID programs involving 5,200 contracts had been cancelled. The remaining programmes are now under the State Department.

DOGE Has Disbanded

Musk contributed more than $250 million (£191M) to Trump's presidential run and supported GOP candidates. In exchange, he envisioned shrinking the federal bureaucracy and helping save $2 trillion (£1.53T). However, some people within Trump's inner circle did not believe Musk could do the job or deliver real savings to the government.

The official website is still up, but with zero activity. Scott Kupor, director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), confirmed to reporters that DOGE no longer exists. He added that the government-wide hiring freeze order has been lifted. More importantly, DOGE's data-digging is over.