2 DOGE staffers say 'no' regrets for people losing income, didn't reduce the deficit: Depositions [View all]

Source: ABC News

March 14, 2026, 5:04 AM


One year after Elon Musk began an unprecedented attempt to eliminate swaths of the federal government, newly released deposition videos are providing a never-before-seen look at two of the people responsible for the largest mass termination of federal grants in the National Endowment for the Humanities' history.

According to the depositions and other materials released as part of a civil lawsuit related to the funding cuts, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) relied on ChatGPT to identify more than $100 million in grants related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) that were later cancelled.

When President Donald Trump returned to office last January, he empowered Musk to slash federal spending as a lead adviser in the newly created DOGE. Within days, all agencies were directed to put DEI staff on leave and related programs were shuttered. In lengthy depositions, two DOGE employees -- Justin Fox and Nate Cavanaugh -- defended the effort to cut "useless agencies" as part of DOGE's attempt to reduce the federal deficit.

"You don't regret that people might have lost important income ... to support their lives?" an attorney asked Cavanaugh about the grant cancellations. "No. I think it was more important to reduce the federal deficit from $2 trillion to close to zero," Cavanaugh said. "Did you reduce the federal deficit?" the attorney asked. "No, we didn't," Cavanaugh said.

Read more: https://abcnews.com/Politics/2-doge-staffers-regrets-people-losing-income-reduce/story?id=131050170