Here’s a small update on an on-going stream of reporting I’ve been at work on – the hows, whys, and miscellaneous mechanics of contract terminations across the federal government. I did that piece on the contracts killed at VA and how they seemed entirely or at least heavily focused on contract code NAICS-541611, which is for “Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services.” I said earlier this week that from data in just a couple departments I had the strong impression that DOGE had made incursions into various agencies, pulled up the contracts under this heading and ordered them canceled. Usually they gave some set of either contract officers or stakeholders very brief periods to argue for a reprieve, often just a matter of a few hours. (Just how that was done seemed to vary and played a big role in what was eventually cut.) In every case I’d seen these cuts had been made with no real effort to discover what kind of contracts were being listed under that code and no effort to find out what the contracts were for.

Another example of a Republican member of Congress trying to open up some room between himself and Elon Musk, but lo-fi and only back in the district. Here it’s Rep. Jeff Hurd (R-CO), generally making out like there’s not much he can do about it, just a bystander.

This is a quick summary of the interview …

Hurd doesn’t know how many of his constituents have lost or left their jobs during these cuts, but says there are some he wishes hadn’t.

“I know there are hardworking land managers on the ground in the 3rd Congressional District who have lost their jobs that should be in those jobs and who should be working,” said Hurd. “Fortunately, we haven’t had any firefighters – public lands right away is where I go to, but certainly this is broader as well – we haven’t had any firefighters cut. But we have had some of the support services for those firefighters cut.”

I mentioned earlier this week the on-going litigation about the DOGE all-government-employee email system (GWES) that Musk micro-bros set up in their first days taking over the Office of Personnel Management. To deal with the various legal issues tied to setting up this new email system DOGE/OPM made an official Privacy Impact Statement about how the system would be used and how it wouldn’t. Mostly specifically all GWES emails would always be voluntary. You could respond or not respond. Your choice. But obviously that was a lie. (To understand all the ins and outs of the litigation definitely read the original post if you haven’t already.)

Earlier today Lt. Gen Telita Crosland, director of the Defense Health Agency, was pushed out as part of the ongoing Pentagon purge. The official internal agency communication said “retired” but I’m told she was relieved of duty or at least forced in to retirement.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth just sent an email to all Pentagon civilian employees informing them that OPM/DOGE will be sending a new “accomplishments” demand email on Monday March 3rd. Unlike the earlier guidance which requested DOD employees “pause” and not reply to the first “accomplishments” demand email, they now must reply with their 5 bullet points of accomplishments within 48 hours. “Non-compliance may lead to further review.”

New survey data out from Navigator research shows the profound public concern and anger over the cuts in the Musk wilding spree. Unsurprisingly, voters are more concerned than almost anything by Trump and Musk shutting down cancer cure research (and research into cures for other diseases) in the U.S. 71% of independents says they’re concerned or very concerned about it. 65% percent of voters over all. It’s also something they’ve heard the least about. Here’s the raw data for the poll and a powerpoint.

There are two good, big feature pieces out from the Times and the Journal this morning about the origins and rampage of DOGE. They don’t break a lot of new news, but they both bring the overall story together in compelling and new ways. And they do add some important details, especially how far back the planning for DOGE went and how Musk and associated techies were recruiting far-right stool pigeons and would-be accomplices among mid-level employees at various agencies who could be elevated to taking over agencies. Also there in spades, though not surprising, is how much Musk’s anger at federal regulators powered his dedication to the wilding spree. Neither story quite connects that thread to particulars, but you can see it specifically in the especial animus toward the FAA and CFPB.

While the Times and Journal articles certainly hold back from the language, the plain facts of what both pieces describe make clear that the best conceptual model for DOGE is something between an “insider threat” action and a terrorist operation. The emphasis on secrecy, misdirection and illegality is all there, the focus on seizing control of central nodes of power and destroying things before the true stakeholders can figure out what happened. Both good reads.

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“Let’s be clear, the Democrat demand is really simple,” Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) told TPM, with a mocking emphasis on the word “demand” on Thursday. “It’s that the President commits to following the law. That’s it. It’s not a big deal.”

Emine Yücel has more here.

It’s not precisely a town hall event as we normally describe it. But a staffer for Rep. Jeff Hurd (R-CO) was set to appear a League of Women Voters town hall event at the Dolores Public Library in Montezuma County. But when she arrived and saw the crowd, she literally bolted and apparently then also left town. Here’s a write-up in the Durango Herald.

Thanks for TPM Reader EO for flagging this news to our attention.