The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by billionaire Elon Musk, has wreaked havoc ever since forming under President Donald Trump’s second presidential term. The agency’s extensive layoffs within the federal government had have damning consequences.
Now, publications like The New York Times and ProPublica have identified dozens of DOGE employees. Here are some of Musk’s workers who have no problem carrying out his dirty work.
Smith served in numerous health-related policy roles during the first Trump administration before leading DOGE (alongside Steve Davis) during the presidential transition. He is also a friend of Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law.
Gleason was a part of the first Trump administration where she worked at the United States Digital Service (which was later absorbed by DOGE). She also worked with Brad Smith at an investment firm focused on health companies before being named the administrator of DOGE.
Ramada possesses a background in finance start-ups. In lawsuits, he has identified himself as the lead when it comes to Education and Labor Department issues. Ramada has also been referred to as a liaison between Elon Musk’s engineers and political officials.
Krause will help lead DOGE’s efforts to gain access to sensitive federal payment systems to help Musk identify and get rid of “wasteful” spending. According to the Treasury Department, Krause and his team have “read-only” access to the agency’s Fiscal Service payment system, which processes payments for vital programs like Social Security and Medicare.
Elez is a one of Musk’s former X employees, who now has access to the Treasury Department’s payments system as part of the DOGE team. A series of racist social media posts led him to resign from the agency last month, but Elez was immediately rehired after JD Vance defended him.
This billionaire Airbnb cofounder once supported Democrats in the past but now is a Trump supporter. Gebbia also is an ally of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He shared on social media that his first DOGE project would be “improving the slow and paper-based retirement process.”
Grimes’ background includes overseeing tech investment banking at Morgan Stanley. He played a crucial role in helping to finance Musk’s $44 billion takeover of Twitter in 2022.
Davis has been a close friend of Musk for two decades. He has worked with Musk at SpaceX, X and the Boring Company. Davis was also one of the first people to be reportedly associated with DOGE last year.
Young is not only a former lobbyist for the pharmaceutical industry, but he also once worked for Louisiana Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal. Last year, Musk reportedly hired Young to start a grassroots political organization focused on voter turnout.
Scales first received attention in the first week of Trump’s presidency over a memo barring diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in the federal government (she served as a point of contact for questions). She used to work at xAI, Musk’s artificial intelligence company, and will help restructure the federal workforce.
Lewin is a Harvard Law School graduate who oversees grants across government and works as DOGE’s agency lead for the State Department and U.S.A.I.D. He plays a crucial role as Musk destroys U.S.A.I.D., stripping countries of valuable life-saving resources.
Raynor is DOGE’s lawyer who previously clerked for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. He was once a member of the conservative Federalist Society and worked on the Virginia Law Review. Raynor believes Trump has the legal right to challenge the concept of birthright citizenship.
According to records reviewed by ProPublica, Balajadia is Musk’s assistant. She had previously worked as the operations coordinator at The Boring Company for seven years.
