By admin 
The US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has been requested to allocate millions of dollars to fund positions in Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a controversial initiative aimed at modernizing federal operations.
Funding Request for High-Paying Roles
A draft agreement obtained by CNN reveals that the funding request covers 20 full-time positions from January 20 to July 4, 2026, with costs potentially exceeding $4 million. The agreement states that OPM must provide advance monthly payments for DOGE’s work, with a clause allowing potential reimbursement if less work is completed than expected.
The 20 roles at DOGE would receive salaries at the highest of 15 federal pay grades, starting at $141,817 annually and reaching up to $189,950 in the Washington, DC area. Over 17.5 months, the total payroll cost would amount to approximately $4.1 million.
DOGE’s Role in IT Modernization
According to the draft, DOGE’s primary task would be to modernize OPM’s IT systems, citing an “immediate and critical need” for upgrades that OPM lacks the resources to handle alone. As part of the agreement, DOGE would gain access to OPM’s data and systems, with the agency required to provide operational and technical support.
Despite DOGE’s stated mission, concerns have been raised internally. An OPM employee, speaking anonymously to CNN, expressed frustration over the arrangement:
“Some people think they are working for free. No, we are paying. It’s like having a contract with an entity to perform services, except this is forced on us, so we are forced to do an agreement to retain their services.”
Questions Over DOGE’s Budget and Oversight
DOGE’s funding sources and budget details remain unclear. The department operates under the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), shielding it from federal public records laws.
The White House has clarified that Musk is not the administrator of DOGE but serves as an adviser to President Donald Trump, a role protected under executive privilege. However, questions remain about the financial burden on taxpayers.
Musk, speaking to Fox News host Sean Hannity, emphasized that DOGE employees are making financial sacrifices:
“Some people are federal employees. But it’s fair to say that the software engineers at DOGE could be earning millions of dollars a year and instead are earning a small fraction of that as federal employees.”
Musk’s Views on Government Spending
Musk has been outspoken on government spending. In a previous podcast with Joe Rogan, he criticized government-funded NGOs, calling them “a nightmare” and suggesting they were a loophole for financial gain.
DOGE has framed its work as a necessary effort to curb wasteful spending, arguing that the US government loses $2 trillion annually due to inefficiencies and failed audits. Musk cited an example where a $12 billion allocation to the Navy reportedly resulted in no extra submarines.
As scrutiny grows over DOGE’s operations, transparency concerns and its financial impact on taxpayers continue to fuel debate.
Gill Bikram Singh