Top Democrats are launching a probe into Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) employees embedded across Federal agencies and their alleged conversion to permanent positions.
“Although Elon Musk has departed, his influence remains, as DOGE and its employees attempt to become a permanent part of the federal government, scattered across agencies where they can continue to sabotage key functions from within,” wrote a coalition of three Democrats who sent a letter to Office of Personnel and Management OPM) Director Scott Kupor and Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought on August 6.
The Democrats, led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., pointed to a report from NPR that said some DOGE employees had been converted to full-time positions that would allow them to continue their work in the Federal government after the Trump administration leaves office.
In addition to Sen. Warren, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., who serves as the ranking member on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, signed the letter.
“The conversion of DOGE appointees to career federal service roles – even as most agencies are under a hiring freeze – could potentially run afoul of laws that explicitly ban political considerations and loyalty tests in hiring practices,” they wrote, pointing out that it is also “unclear who newly embedded DOGE staff are accountable to and if they truly serve within the chain of command of the agencies they work for.”
Cementing DOGE’s status through permanent career positions also demonstrates a decision “influenced by overtly political and loyalty-based considerations,” the Democrats noted, adding that it raises “questions about compliance with civil service laws,” especially while the Federal government continues to remain under a civil service hiring freeze.
OPM’s Kupor pushed back against the lawmakers’ letter, claiming that it “misconstrues the civil service hiring process.”
“OPM’s Office of Merit Systems Accountability and Compliance reviews all requests to appoint current or recent political appointees to career roles for compliance with merit systems principles and civil service laws,” said Kupor in a post to X.
“In addition, all federal hires undergo required background checks, ethics reviews, and suitability screenings,” he added. “No DOGE-affiliated individuals have ‘unlawfully burrowed’ into career roles. We welcome oversight grounded in facts.”
Burrowing refers to the practice of a political appointee shifting into a permanent civil service role – often near the end of an administration – allowing them to stay on after their appointing officials leave. While the process is legal, it has long been viewed as controversial.
The lawmakers asked for numerous details on DOGE, such as the total number of DOGE employees with a breakdown by agency, whether their potential conflicts of interest were reviewed, who they report to, and if they were hired for competitive Federal positions. The letter also asked whether there were any specific conflicts of interest tied to former White House senior advisor Elon Musk, who helped lead and develop DOGE.