White House officials have confirmed a major shift in leadership within the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) amid ongoing questions about the agency’s chain of command. Sources indicate that although billionaire Elon Musk has been widely reported as overseeing the agency’s cost-cutting initiatives, he does not hold a formal administrative role. Instead, the acting administrator has been named to be Amy Gleason, a seasoned executive with extensive experience in healthcare technology and federal crisis management.
According to a White House spokesperson, while Musk was “tasked with overseeing the DOGE effort,” the day-to-day operations are managed by career officials and political appointees. The spokesperson noted that this dual structure had been designed to fulfill President Trump’s directive to identify and eliminate government waste across federal agencies. The restructuring follows an executive order that rebranded the United States Digital Service as DOGE, with the goal of streamlining operations and enforcing fiscal discipline.
Gleason’s appointment, which comes in an acting capacity, has surprised many within the agency as former US Digital Service staff were reportedly left in the dark about the leadership change, resulting in the resignation of 21 employees who had been integrated into DOGE. These employees expressed their frustration in a letter to the White House, voicing concerns over the unclear leadership structure and the rapid pace of internal changes. Gleason, who had previously served with the US Digital Service from 2018 to 2021 and returned following President Trump’s reentry into the Oval Office, declined to comment on her new role when contacted by reporters.
The agency’s transformation has also raised questions about the division of responsibilities. Despite Musk’s high-profile involvement as a special government employee and senior adviser to the president, a recent court filing emphasized that due to the fact that he is not an official DOGE employee, he lacks the formal authority to implement government decisions. Musk is scheduled to attend President Trump’s first Cabinet meeting, highlighting his ongoing, albeit limited, role in the broader cost-cutting initiative.
Observers believe that her leadership could bring much-needed stability to DOGE as it strives to fulfill its mandate to root out waste, fraud, and abuse within federal agencies.
