What is DOGE? Here's what to know about Elon Musk's latest cost-cutting efforts.
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The White House's Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, was created by President Trump on Jan. 20 with a mission to slash federal spending. Since then, the task force led by billionaire Elon Musk says it has saved more than $1 billion by canceling diversity, equity and inclusion contracts, among other expenses, according to DOGE's social media account.
But since kicking into gear on Jan. 20, DOGE has also prompted several lawsuits and raised alarms from Democratic lawmakers and consumer advocates after it gained access to the Treasury Department's payment system, which stores personal data for most Americans.
Supporters of DOGE see its efforts as a way to rein in bloated federal spending at a time when the nation's outlays are outpacing its tax revenue, causing the federal debt to spiral to an all-time high of $36 trillion. Mr. Trump has said he wants to cut programs that don't align with his policies and to slash the federal workforce.
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