‘Delete DOGE Act’ Cuts All Federal Funding for Key Government Digital Teams and Halts Specific Executive Orders

The newly introduced Delete DOGE Act is a bill with a razor-sharp focus: completely severing the financial lifeline for a set of government operations known collectively as “DOGE.” This isn’t about trimming a budget; it’s a total shutdown, banning the use of any Federal funds to implement, manage, or enforce several specific executive orders (EO 14158, 14210, and 14222) and the entities established to carry them out, including the United States DOGE Service and related teams (Sec. 2). Essentially, if you’re a government initiative tied to these specific EOs, the money stops flowing immediately.

The Digital Service Freeze-Out

One of the most immediate impacts hits the United States Digital Service (USDS). While USDS isn't completely defunded, the bill severely restricts its future work. The USDS can only spend Federal money to continue the digital service work they were doing exactly as of January 19, 2025. Crucially, they are banned from using any funds for new projects or initiatives started by any of the covered DOGE entities after January 20, 2025 (Sec. 2). Think of it like this: if you’re a developer at USDS working on a new platform to streamline veteran benefits, and that project was initiated by a DOGE team after the cut-off date, your funding dries up. This provision essentially puts a hard freeze on modernization efforts linked to these groups, potentially stalling critical updates to government technology that people rely on.

Who Is a ‘Covered Individual,’ and Why Should They Care?

The bill defines a “covered individual” broadly: anyone—officer, employee, contractor, or volunteer—associated with a DOGE entity on or after January 20, 2025. The restriction on these individuals is sweeping and could cause administrative chaos. Federal funds cannot be used by any covered individual, even if they are using equipment (like a laptop or phone) that was originally bought with Federal money (Sec. 2). Furthermore, no Federal funds can be used to carry out any instruction or recommendation given by a covered individual while they are acting in their official capacity. Imagine a project manager (a covered individual) recommending a software update; technically, no federal money could be spent to follow that instruction, even if the update is necessary for an unrelated agency to function. This level of restriction could paralyze basic government functions if the targeted entities have broad operational reach.

The Real-World Friction

For the average person, this bill translates into potential disruption and a sudden stop to certain government services or improvements. If the targeted executive orders focused on things like improving access to specific federal benefits or streamlining permit applications—and we don't know the exact scope of those EOs without reading them—then those improvements stop dead. For federal employees and contractors associated with these teams, this is a financial and operational earthquake. Not only are their projects defunded, but the broad restrictions on “covered individuals” mean that a large number of people could find their ability to perform any task using federal resources severely compromised, raising questions about how they are even supposed to transition out of their roles or complete existing, non-DOGE-related tasks.