- The Department of Government Efficiency aiming to make sweeping changes to the federal workforce.
- Several top government officials have left their roles after pushing back against DOGE.
- The task force’s work to reshape Washington is causing major disruptions.
The Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, was envisioned by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk as a way to streamline government operations and reduce the size of the federal bureaucracy.
As the hard-charging task force has made its imprint on the government, several high-profile officials have either stepped down from their roles or have been dismissed from their positions.
Here’s a look at some of the major departures that have come as a result of DOGE’s work.
Michelle King, Social Security Administration head
King, the acting commissioner of the Social Security Administration, stepped down from her post at the agency on Sunday following a dispute with the Department of Government Efficiency, people familiar with the matter told The Washington Post.
After serving more than 30 years at the SSA — which manages programs related to retirement, survivors, and disability benefits for millions of Americans — King became its acting commissioner last month, according to her LinkedIn.
Nancy Altman, the president of political advocacy group Social Security Works, told NBC News that several SSA officials informed her of King’s departure. Altman told the outlet that King had refused to provide sensitive data including bank information, Social Security numbers, and medical records to the DOGE team.
In a statement shared with Business Insider, White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said that the agency will be led by “a career Social Security anti-fraud expert” until Trump’s pick to lead the SSA, Frank Bisignano, is confirmed.
“President Trump is committed to appointing the best and most qualified individuals who are dedicated to working on behalf of the American people, not to appease the bureaucracy that has failed them for far too long,” Fields said in the statement.
The SSA did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, nor did King.
Jim Jones, head of the FDA’s food division
Jones, the head of the US Food and Drug Administration’s food division quit his role on Monday, according to a resignation letter obtained by Bloomberg.
Jones said in the letter that he was leaving his post because the cuts DOGE has made to the FDA will make it too difficult to do his job. Combined with the Trump administration’s “disdain for the very people” needed to implement the changes it wants to see, Jones wrote that it would be “fruitless” for him to continue in his role.
When asked to confirm Jones’ departure, the White House shared a statement from Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt saying “there are a number of bureaucrats who are resistant to the democratic process and mandate delivered by the American people.”
“President Trump is only interested in the best and most qualified people who are also willing to implement his America First agenda on behalf of the American people,” Leavitt continued in the statement. “It’s not for everyone and that’s okay.”
The FDA did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
David Lebryk, top US Treasury official
Lebryk for years was the top civil servant at the Treasury Department and he briefly served as acting Treasury secretary. In those roles, he oversaw over a billion payments made by the government annually before he announced his retirement in late January.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent gave approval for DOGE to access the system, which had generally been operated by career civil service employees.
Lebryk was put on administrative leave after pushing back against DOGE’s attempts to access the expansive federal payment system, according to The Washington Post.
Lebryk joined the Treasury Department in 1989 as a presidential management intern and served as the fiscal assistant treasury secretary from 2014 until January 2025. From the start of Trump’s second term until Bessent was confirmed as Treasury secretary days later, Lebryk served as the acting Treasury secretary.
Business Insider reached out to the Treasury Department for comment.
Paul Martin, USAID inspector general
Martin, the inspector general at the US Agency for International Development, was fired in February after his office issued a report describing what they saw as the downfalls of the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle the agency.
The dismissal of Martin — who had served as USAID’s inspector general since 2023 — came in the form of an email from the White House Office of Presidential Personnel, per NBC News.
“On behalf of President Donald J. Trump, I am writing to inform you that your position as Inspector General of the United States Agency for International Development is terminated, effective immediately,” deputy director of the Office of Presidential Personnel Trent Morse wrote in the email. “Thank you for your service.”
Business Insider has reached out to the USAID Inspector General’s office for comment.
