The government’s now-defunct Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE and once championed by Elon Musk, has quietly disappeared after just ten months, leaving behind sweeping damage to federal agencies and LGBTQ+ communities worldwide. When asked about the status of DOGE, White House personnel chief Scott Kupor told Reuters, “That doesn’t exist.” Yet he later insisted online that “the principles of DOGE remain alive and well.” DOGE had promised up to $2 trillion in savings. Its own, widely challenged estimates claimed $214 billion. What isn’t disputed is the fallout: 300,000 federal workers fired, including roughly 25,000 queer employees.
The dissolution of USAID alone cost nearly 2,000 staff and more than 640,000 lives globally, many tied to abrupt losses of HIV medication and LGBTQ+ legal protections. One former administrator told The Advocate, “we had entire regions losing access to lifesaving medication because of a political decision made in Washington.” Cuts extended to LGBTQ-focused research, with more than 270 NIH grants eliminated and millions stripped from HIV prevention programs for youth and communities of color. A lawsuit from the American Public Health Association alleges DOGE directly drafted the cancellation notices.
