Amy Gleason has been identified as the head of DOGE, although the president claims that Elon Musk is directing the department.
The leader of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has also held a position at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), as per a recent court document.
According to a document
submitted to the U.S. court in Washington by the Trump administration, Amy Gleason, the DOGE administrator, assists HHS as an expert/consultant alongside her responsibilities at DOGE.
Gleason’s dual positions were mentioned in earlier filings, but her name was kept confidential until March 18.
Neither the White House nor HHS responded to requests for comments.
President Donald Trump has stated that Elon Musk is in charge of DOGE, which is assisting government agencies with layoffs and restructuring. The White House indicated in
February that Gleason is the acting administrator of DOGE. Officials additionally clarified that Musk is not an employee of DOGE and lacks decision-making authority.
Gleason, who has spent years in the healthcare sector, was assigned to work with HHS in February, an HHS official
reported to the federal court in Washington on March 11, without naming Gleason. Garey Rice, the official, further
stated that Gleason received access to HHS financial management systems to evaluate those programs for waste, fraud, and abuse.
In a recent court document, Gleason
stated that she is a full-time employee of DOGE tasked with managing all employees and detailees, reporting to White House chief of staff Susie Wiles. She did not reference her position at HHS.
Established by Trump in January, DOGE began its involvement in various initiatives in February, including leading the process to eliminate the U.S. Agency for International Development. Recently, a federal
judge determined that DOGE appears responsible for closing the agency’s headquarters and taking down its website, actions which the judge stated likely breach the U.S. Constitution.
Details of Gleason’s role with HHS were disclosed by government officials in a case initiated by unions, including the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, who claimed that DOGE was breaching federal law by accessing systems at certain U.S. agencies.
U.S. District Judge John Bates, overseeing the case,
ordered in February that the government must respond to inquiries from the unions, citing continued ambiguities about whether DOGE personnel are also agency employees. He additionally mandated that a DOGE worker and three other federal officials undergo depositions.
Recent requests from government lawyers asked Bates to reconsider his ruling, stating that DOGE has ceased assigning employees to any agencies.
“As a result, all individuals performing such functions will either be employees of the agencies themselves or detailees from another agency that clearly falls under the Economy Act,” they
wrote, asserting that this change “should eliminate the necessity for quick discovery before resolving a motion to dismiss.”
The attorneys also sought the judge’s permission to redact documents revealing the identities of those involved, arguing that public disclosure would subject them to harassment.
Bates
denied this request, asserting that Gleason and others have already been associated with DOGE and are senior employees within the department.
Consequently, the identities of Gleason and two others were revealed on Tuesday.
Brad Smith, one of the others, has also been collaborating with HHS alongside DOGE, according to filings. Jordan Wick is the third individual who has held dual roles at DOGE and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
