A member of DOGE last week emailed the Vera Institute of Justice — an independent nonprofit organization that advocates for lower incarceration rates — to schedule a meeting about “getting a DOGE team assigned to the organization,” according to a copy of the email that was reviewed by The Washington Post.
“If I do not hear from you, I will assume you do not plan to comply with the President’s Executive Order,” said the email from DOGE representative Nate Cavanaugh, referencing an executive order from President Donald Trump that called on DOGE to modernize government efficiency and productivity.
U.S. DOGE Service representatives told leaders of a nonprofit group Tuesday that it wants to assign members of its team to work at all institutes or agencies that receive federal funds, highlighting its aggressiveness as it attempts to reshape the federal government, according to several people familiar with the matter.
A 20-minute phone call involved two members of DOGE and attorneys for the Vera Institute of Justice, with DOGE representatives revealing plans to potentially attach its team members to more organizations and institutes that receive government funding, according to representatives of the institute. DOGE, led by Trump administration ally Elon Musk, stands for Department of Government Efficiency.
According to institute representatives, a man who identified himself as Cavanaugh said on the phone call that DOGE wants to have teams assigned to every institute and agency that receives federal funds through the congressional appropriations process. He did not specify if this included all organizations that received federal grants.
He said DOGE would work with leadership at these groups to better understand their operations.
At the meeting Tuesday, Vera Institute leaders said the Justice Department this month revoked $5 million in federal grants that the institute was receiving to develop programs related to reducing recidivism rates and supporting victims of violent crimes, according to Nick Turner, head of the Vera Institute.
When DOGE members learned that the Vera Institute was no longer receiving federal funds, he started to wrap up the meeting, realizing it was no longer necessary.
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