Some experts argue that it doesn’t matter if DOGE is only an advisory arm, given Trump’s obeisance to Musk, whose campaign finance donations and heavy promotion of his candidacy on X helped ensure his victory. “Whether it’s a department is not the question here,” David Brumley, CEO of Mayhem Security, tells CSO. “Musk has access to Trump. Trump has put in a bunch of people with no experience. They’re going to need to get advice. They’re going to just follow his advice.”

DOGE-recommended cuts, if implemented, will likely significantly impact the cybersecurity efforts of most US federal agencies. “The main implication for cyber is he’s not going to go in and say, ‘We need less cybersecurity,’” Brumley says.

“That’s not what we’re going to see. We’re going to see him chipping at the edges where quality and cybersecurity are very heavily related. He will start ignoring and removing the bureaucrats responsible for enforcing cybersecurity rules and recommendations. I think Elon will get rid of people in the bureaucracy who ask questions,” just as he did with Twitter when he cut 80% of the staff, including most of the cybersecurity, trust, and safety staff after he acquired the company.