What does DOGE stand for? About the agency, federal firings and stimulus checks
Since its establishment last month, Tesla CEO and SpaceX founder Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency has shaken up the federal workforce in a matter of weeks.
From firings to controversial emails, the South African-American billionaire has caused uproar with his role in President Donald Trump's administration.
But what exactly does "Doge" mean? From silly dog photos to a newly established advisory group, here is what to know about every version of Doge and how its newest addition is impacting the country.
As of 2025, the word "doge" can refer to very different things. However, it origin comes from photo of a Shiba Inu with its raised eyebrows and glaring sideways at the camera.
The term "doge" was born out of these photos, slang for "dog." Silly, sarcastic messages written in the Comic Sans font would typically accompany the meme.
The original photos came from Japanese teacher Atsuko Sato, who posted the photos of her rescue-adopted dog Kabosu to her blog. The first use of the meme is unknown; however, it became popular online in the early 2010s with Reddit and Tumblr users, according to Know Your Meme.
Inspired by the meme, software engineers Billy Markus and Jackson Palmer created the cryptocurrency "Dogecoin" in 2013 as a joke on the surge in other digital coins. However, USA TODAY reported it became one of the most popular "meme stocks" amid a boom in retail trading and a viral trend to get the coin to a dollar during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dogecoin's price peaked in May 2021 at $0.72. As of Feb. 25, 2025, it is worth $0.20.
Now, "Doge" has an even more powerful definition — standing for "Department of Government Efficiency," which was started by Trump during his first day of the presidency on Jan. 20. It is headed by Musk.
NPR notes Trump didn't "create" the department; rather it was renamed from the previously existing United States Digital Service, which was created under former President Barack Obama.
What is 'Doge'? Why new government department shares its name with viral 2010s meme
What exactly is it about the term "Doge" that Musk loves so much? It's a little harder to track Musk's origins with the meme; however, Business Insider said he once cited his interest in the meme to the fact that it has dogs and "the best humor."
The meme has now become an emblem for Musk and his supporters online, with his X followers typing in the same speech pattern and photoshopping the dog into pictures with Musk.
Musk has been vocal over the years about his love of memes, flooding his social media accounts with photos and quotes from viral items. He once referred to them as 'modern art" in 2019 and the following year tweeted "Who controls the memes controls the universe."
Trump's executive order establishes the Department of Government Efficiency to implement the President's DOGE Agenda by "modernizing Federal technology and software to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity."
According to Trump himself last year, DOGE will provide advice and guidance from outside of the government, and it will partner with the White House and the Office of Management and Budget to "drive large-scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach to Government never seen before."
It's not a department, despite the name. Trump tapped Musk and former GOP presidential opponent Vivek Ramaswamy as the heads of the advisory group. Ramaswamy exited the position last month, instead running for governor of Ohio.
No, Musk is not a federal employee.
White House officials state Musk is a "special government employee." According to Reuters, Trump first floated the idea of Musk becoming an advisor to his administration in August 2024.
Musk responded to Trump by tweeting an AI-generated photo of himself in front of a podium marked "Department of Government Efficiency."
Trump's executive order earlier this month directs the federal government to implement a "workforce optimization initiative" created by DOGE, which has been moving rapidly from one department to another to slash spending and gut programs.
In an effort to downsize the U.S. government, DOGE and Trump created a buyout program promising eight months of pay and benefits to over two million federal employees in exchange for their immediate resignation.
Federal employees who chose to continue to work in the federal government are required to return to in-person work and embrace new "performance standards" and be "reliable, loyal and trustworthy" in their work, among other new "reforms" across the government.
According to USA TODAY, about 75,000 federal employees accepted Trump's buyout offer. The deadline was originally set for Feb. 6 but U.S. District Judge George O'Toole paused it to hear arguments against the offer.
According to the Intelligencer, roughly 30,000 federal workers have been fired by DOGE since it began work in January. Some of these agencies and departments include:
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Department of Agriculture
Department of Defense
Department of Education
Department of Energy
Department of Health and Human Services
Department of Homeland Security
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Department of the Interior
Department of Justice
Department of Transportation
Department of the Treasury
Department of Veterans Affairs
Environmental Protection Agency
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and National Labor Relations Board
Musk is keeping a running tally of estimated savings on its website. As of Feb. 25, DOGE estimated savings have reached $55 billion. However, USA TODAY has reported previously that DOGE's website has published misleading information on the amount of money it has claimed to save.
After stimulus payments from DOGE savings were brought up by Azoria investment firm CEO James Fishback on X, Musk responded to Fishback's post saying, "Will check with the President."
Trump announced last week he is considering the idea.
"We're considering giving 20% of the DOGE savings to American citizens and 20% to paying down the debt," Trump said at the Saudi-sponsored FII PRIORITY Summit in South Florida.
Contributing: Cheryl McCloud, USA TODAY Network-Florida
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Elon Musk's DOGE: What is it, why agency's actions are controversial
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