White House officials confirmed with Fox News that while billionaire Elon Musk is overseeing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an acting administrator has been appointed to the role.
Amy Gleason, who is a low-profile executive with an expertise in healthcare technology, has been appointed as the acting leader of DOGE, the department responsible for gutting many federal agencies while locating and cutting billions of dollars in government waste.
Gleason’s identity was revealed after a reporter pressed White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on who is actually running DOGE.
CBS News’ Nancy Cordes pointed out to Leavitt that President Donald Trump’s executive order to create DOGE called for the naming of a DOGE administrator. She then asked the president’s spokesperson who is serving as the DOGE administrator.
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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during the daily briefing in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House Tuesday. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)
“So, the president tasked Elon Musk to oversee the DOGE effort,” Leavitt said. “There are career officials and there are political appointees who are helping run DOGE on a day-to-day basis.
“There are also individuals who have onboarded as political appointees at every agency across the board to work alongside President Trump’s Cabinet to find and identify waste, fraud and abuse, and they are working on that effort every day.”
Cordes quickly asked, “So, is Elon Musk the administrator?” as Leavitt twice called on another reporter.
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Elon Musk and protesters against DOGE and its work auditing various federal agencies. (Getty Images)
After the exchange, Fox News learned of Gleason’s temporary appointment.
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Gleason, 53, worked from 2018 through 2021 for the United States Digital Service, an agency that has been renamed the US DOGE Service, according to her LinkedIn profile. In that role, she worked with the White House on the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Gleason returned to the agency after Trump’s return to the Oval Office in January.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
