Employees of the now-dismantled Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) say they are increasingly worried about potential criminal liability following the public split between Elon Musk and Donald Trump, and a recent confirmation that DOGE has effectively been dissolved.
According to reporting in Politico, a dozen DOGE staffers who had been sleeping and working inside the General Services Administration building in Washington learned on June 5 that Musk and Trump had publicly fallen out.
One staff member recalled hearing a senior figure say that they were still “brothers in arms” and that Musk would continue to protect them.
The same source added a warning:
“Guys, seriously, get your own lawyer if you need it. Elon’s great, but you need to watch your own back.”
An Ambitious Mission Cut Short
That moment marked the beginning of a rapid unraveling of the organization Musk had built to slash federal agency staffing, cut contracts, and reshape government operations.
DOGE’s mission had been ambitious: Musk aimed to reduce the federal deficit by $1 trillion by Sept. 30.
For months, he reiterated this goal until a very public feud with Trump over his ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ led to an equally public breakdown in ties. By late May, it was clear the target would not be met.
According to Time say DOGE had secured extraordinary access to agency systems, including the United States Department of the Treasury payment system and federal personnel records, while conducting large-scale layoffs and contract terminations.
Exposure Without Protection
DOGE staff now say they are left exposed, without the shield of Musk or Trump.
Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director Scott Kupor told Reuters that DOGE “doesn’t exist” as a centralized entity and that most of its functions have been absorbed into OPM.
On Sunday, Kupor appeared to take issue with the Reuters story in a social media post, without disputing any of its facts.
“The truth is: DOGE may not have centralized leadership under the [U.S. DOGE Service], but the principles of DOGE remain alive and well: de-regulation; eliminating fraud, waste, and abuse; re-shaping the federal workforce; making efficiency a first-class citizen,” Kupor wrote on X.
He added that OPM and the Office of Management and Budget would “institutionalize” the changes made by DOGE.
The early dissolution, eight months ahead of schedule, appears to signal the end of the startup-style effort that Musk launched.
Confusion and Internal Fallout
Former DOGE employees told Politico they are scrambling over what happens next: “What do we do about this?” one recalled staff asking as they faced conflicting orders and missing oversight.
Some quit after Musk’s departure; others remained only to find aggressive internal purges, fracturing trust within the organization.
The story of DOGE’s rise and collapse contains both procedural and moral shocks for the federal workforce.
One insider reflected back on a directive from January: “The height of our power was the five-bullets email … then it turned into fear and revulsion and hatred.”
The “five-bullets” memo ordered all federal employees to send a list of five things they did each week, a move that sparked institutional fury.
Aggressive Tactics and Sudden Exit
Under Musk’s leadership, DOGE recruited software engineers and lawyers from his companies, embedded them inside federal agencies, and pressed for massive access to data and systems while bypassing traditional oversight.
In early 2025, Musk-aligned aides clashed with federal agency leaders, prompting access blocks and internal removals after DOGE operatives attempted to push deeper into secure government systems.
As DOGE began to fracture, Musk eased down his Washington presence, telling shareholders in April that he would spend only one or two days a week on the project.
That same period marked the beginning of the transition: Musk formally departed on May 30; Steve Davis, his operational lead, refused to step back; and DOGE’s internal chaos deepened as the White House moved to reassert control.
Online Reaction and Public Backlash
For many DOGE employees, the concern now is double-edged: the fear of criminal liability, and the erosion of political cover they believed they had.
On Reddit, commenters for r/fednews declared: “If you’re not doing anything illegal, you don’t have to worry about a pardon.”
One person wrote: “You can’t walk into a government building, plug outside computers into the infrastructure, steal the information, and expect to get away with it. … If you commit felonies and put the nation’s security at risk as these DOGE idiots have done, then expect to pay the consequences.”
Another added: “They looted the Treasury … nobody has accounted for how it was used.”
Some current and former DOGE members have been placed in other government roles, while others are unemployed or sidelined.
DOGE critics, including unions and oversight groups, say the program’s legacy is a trail of under-resourced agencies, disrupted programs, and exposed data.
DOGE Dismantled — But Scrutiny Persists
While there has been no formal Senate investigation into DOGE, multiple watchdogs and House Oversight Democrats have begun reviewing its actions.
These include inquiries by the Government Accountability Office and agency inspectors general, focusing on DOGE’s access to federal systems and personnel changes.
To many in Washington, the startup-style whirlwind that was DOGE has ended.
But for those left behind, and those tracking its impact, the reckoning may just be starting.