President Donald Trump has issued an executive order calling for the establishment of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, whose purpose will be to help enhance the efficiency and productivity of the government through the modernization of federal technology and software.
Renamed United States Digital Service
Formally known as the United States DOGE Service, the organization is a rebranded version of the United States Digital Service, which was established in 2014 under the Obama Administration with the aim of improving and simplifying government digital services. As with the original USDS, the new organization, which also bears the same acronym, will be housed within the Executive Office of the President, according to the EO that Trump released on Monday.
USDS Leadership
The new USDS will be headed by an administrator who will report to the White House chief of staff. Among the administrator’s responsibilities is the launching of a software modernization effort to bolster the technology infrastructure across the government.
The USDS administrator is also being tasked to collaborate with the heads of various agencies to ensure, among other things, data integrity and network and system interoperability. The administrator will also work with agency heads as they establish DOGE Teams at their respective departments.
DOGE Teams
The executive order does not specify what the functions of DOGE Teams are apart from “implementing the President’s DOGE Agenda.” The teams will comprise “one DOGE Team Lead, one engineer, one human resources specialist, and one attorney.”
Temporary Organization
In addition to overseeing the USDS, the administrator will also head what the executive order calls “the U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization.” This temporary organization will be housed within USDS and will terminate by July 4, 2026. Details are not provided regarding its functions either apart from carrying out the president’s DOGE agenda.
