The Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, has lost the ability to control the federal processes for awarding grants, a sign of its "declining influence," The Washington Post reported Friday.
DOGE's loss of access marks the end of the months-long saga where the agency sought to prevent federal grants from being disbursed to grantees. Agency employees argued that their work involved stopping waste, fraud, and abuse. Critics have argued that the efforts to prevent the flow of grant money amounted to an illegal impoundment of federal money.
The Washington Post obtained an email sent to federal agencies Thursday alerting them to resume "standard [Notice of Funding Opportunity] procedures...effective immediately."
An unnamed White House spokesperson responded to the claims that DOGE no longer influences federal grant-making decisions.
“DOGE continues to facilitate the review of grants, working alongside agency secretaries to determine which grants should continue, which should be terminated, and which require further scrutiny," the White House told the outlet. "Robust controls remain in place, with DOGE personnel embedded at each agency, assisting secretaries’ offices in reviewing grants daily. Agency secretaries and senior advisors will continue to implement and leverage the controls initially established by DOGE to reduce waste, fraud, and abuse, retaining full agency discretion to determine the appropriate flow of funds at the project level.”
DOGE is the brainchild of Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who helped create the agency during the early days of Trump's second term. DOGE was staffed by mostly young men who had some connection to Musk, ProPublica reported. Many of the staffers also have limited government or political experience.
Some are still skeptical about whether the federal grantmaking process will improve, despite DOGE's removal.
“What that means for grantees is confusion,” former Biden Administration staffer Cristin Dorgelo told The Washington Post. “[It means] new layers and burdens and delays inside the funding opportunity posting process.”