On January 20, 2025, Donald Trump signed a decree changing the name of the U.S. Digital Service (USDS), created in 2014 at the initiative of former President Barack Obama to "change the government's approach to technology," to the U.S. DOGE Service with the same acronym (USDS). The main goal of DOGE is to modernize federal programs and reduce bureaucracy. It is known that the body will be headed by Elon Musk.
Trump said that the USDS would employ about 20 people. Despite its name, it is not a federal executive agency, which requires congressional approval.
The executive order requires the heads of US agencies to apply to USDS to form "DOGE teams" of at least four employees in each agency within 30 days. According to the executive order, the teams will consist of a DOGE manager, an engineer, a human resources specialist, and a lawyer, and will work with USDS and the relevant agency to implement Trump's plan.
Trump announced the creation of DOGE in late 2024, which was initially to be co-led by Musk and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. However, Ramaswamy later left the initiative after reports of a conflict with Musk.
Musk suggested that DOGE could help reduce the U.S. federal budget by up to $2 trillion through measures such as cutting spending, abolishing redundant agencies, and reducing the size of the federal workforce. However, he later abandoned this goal. Moreover, many experts considered it unrealistic.
By the way, on January 20, 2025, Trump also signed a law that postpones the ban on TikTok in the United States for 75 days.