A coalition of Democratic lawmakers is launching an investigation into the “alarming extent” to which staffers with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have embedded themselves in agencies across the government.
“Although Elon Musk has departed, his influence remains, as DOGE and its employees attempt to become a permanent part of the federal government, scattered across agencies where they can continue to sabotage key functions from within,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
“The conversion of DOGE appointees to career federal service roles—even as most agencies are under a hiring freeze—could potentially run afoul of laws that explicitly ban political considerations and loyalty tests in hiring practices. Additionally, it is unclear who newly embedded DOGE staff are accountable to and if they truly serve within the chain of command of the agencies they work for.”
The inquiry, spearheaded by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), was launched in connection with Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and House Oversight and Government Reform Committee ranking member Robert Garcia (D-Calif.).
OPM pushed back, saying any DOGE employees who have remained at their assigned agencies have done so after being hired as political appointees, not as career staffers, while noting the process to transition from one to the other.
“Senator Warren’s letter misconstrues the civil service hiring process. OPM’s Office of Merit Systems Accountability and Compliance reviews all requests to appoint current or recent political appointees to career roles for compliance with merit systems principles and civil service laws,” OPM Director Scott Kupor said in a statement.
“In addition, all federal hires undergo required background checks, ethics reviews, and suitability screenings. No DOGE-affiliated individuals have ‘unlawfully burrowed’ into career roles. We welcome oversight grounded in facts.”
The letter cites an NPR investigation from June that found several DOGE roles had been converted to permanent jobs within the government. It also notes some DOGE personnel had transitioned from roles as “special government employees,” which are time-limited, to “full-time federal workers.”
The lawmakers ask for a number of details about DOGE including the total number of DOGE employees with a breakdown by agency, a list of who they report to and whether any have been hired for “competitive federal positions.” It also asks whether any were reviewed for potential conflicts of interest before being hired as special government employees.
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