Aabafd56 19ee 4c5d 9ec8 B3a536f29237 · 25 questions

Vought Permanently Embeds DOGE Staff Within OMB as In-House Consultants After Musk Steps Back

The FY2026 budget requests $45 million to make DOGE a permanent executive branch operation·February 5, 2026

Following Elon Musk's reduced public role in DOGE operations, OMB Director Russell Vought announced that DOGE affiliates have been permanently "institutionalized" within federal agencies as "in-house consultants." The FY2026 budget requests $45 million for 30 DOGE employees, with another 120 DOGE staffers funded through agency reimbursements. Vought's OMB has assumed direct control of DOGE's regulatory rollback agenda — canceling guidance documents, directing agencies to freeze $30 billion in spending beyond the $9.4 billion rescissions package, and reviewing agency budgets for cuts — while Vought has floated using impoundment to bypass Congress entirely.

Key facts

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was established by Trump executive order on his first day back in office, led by Elon Musk to root out government fraud and waste and conduct large-scale modernization efforts.

OMB Director Russell Vought testified in June 2025 that DOGE will become "far more institutionalized at the actual agency" even after Musk's departure, with DOGE employees embedded as in-house consultants within agency leadership.

Vought has floated using impoundment - withholding funds appropriated by Congress - to enact DOGE cuts without Congressional approval. Impoundment is illegal under the 1974 Budget Act, but Vought and Trump dispute the law.

The White House directed agencies to freeze upward of $30 billion in spending beyond the $9.4 billion in rescissions requested, targeting EPA, National Science Foundation, and other agencies.

DOGE is funded through the Information Technology Oversight and Reform appropriations, and Vought requested increased OMB funding while other agencies face drastic cuts.

Vought co-authored Project 2025 and was confirmed as OMB Director 53-47 on a party-line vote, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer calling him one of the most hard-right nominees the Senate had seen.