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Leader of the Department of Government Efficiency Elon Musk wears a shirt that says “Tech Support” as he speaks during the first cabinet meeting of US President Donald Trump’s second term.
JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images
On Tuesday, 21 employees working under DOGE resigned in protest. In an anonymous letter, they wrote, “We will not use our skills as technologists to compromise core government systems, jeopardize Americans’ sensitive data, or dismantle critical public services.”
She used to work for U.S. Digital Service, which was launched in 2014 to improve how the federal government delivered information online to Americans. On his first day in office this term, President Trump signed an executive order changing the name to the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
D.K. once worked in the private sector, but wanted to dedicate her skills to helping people.
“When I found United States Digital Service, it seemed like the perfect fit,” she told All Things Considered host Ari Shapiro. “The ability to go out and use my knowledge and expertise to help make the government systems better was the biggest draw.”
The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Interview highlights
I realized that my actions would, if I stayed, would just further legitimize DOGE and potentially cross extreme ethical and legal lines.
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This episode was produced by Mia Venkat.
It was edited by Natalie Winston, Ben Swasey, Courtney Dorning and Nadia Lancy, with audio engineering by Ted Mebane.
Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.