Some people assigned to DOGE-related government work were reported to have six-figure salaries, even though Elon Musk’s November 2024 recruitment message described the work as “tedious” and said “compensation is zero.” Those statements refer to different things: a recruiting message did not establish that every person later associated with DOGE worked without federal pay. The available reporting documents specific salary listings and a separate, assumption-based estimate—not a complete payroll for everyone involved.
What salaries were reported for named DOGE-associated staffers?
WIRED reported on March 4, 2025, that three people associated with DOGE had six-figure annual salary listings:
| Person | Annual salary reported by WIRED | Assignment described in the report |
|---|---|---|
| Jeremy Lewin | Just over $167,000 | Assigned to the General Services Administration’s Office of the Administrator |
| Kyle Schutt | $195,200 | Assigned through GSA to the Office of the Deputy Administrator |
| Nate Cavanaugh | Just over $120,500 | Listed as a GSA employee |
These are individual annualized salary listings as reported at that time. They do not show how much each person ultimately received over a particular period, establish current salaries, or represent every DOGE-affiliated worker. WIRED also reported that some other named people associated with DOGE drew no salary through their GSA assignments; it said it was not known whether they received salaries through other government roles. WIRED’s March 4, 2025 report described both paid personnel and volunteers.
Why the “zero compensation” statement does not settle the question
WIRED described Musk’s November 2024 recruiting message as calling the work “tedious” and saying “compensation is zero.” That was recruiting language from before the reported salary listings. The cited reporting does not establish that the message was a binding promise covering every person who later joined or worked on DOGE-related efforts, regardless of their employment arrangement or agency assignment.
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The distinction matters: a person may be associated with an initiative while being employed and paid through a federal agency, while another person may volunteer or receive no salary through a particular assignment. The available reporting therefore supports neither the claim that all DOGE workers were paid nor the claim that all served without pay.
What the Senate staff estimate measured
A July 31, 2025 report by minority staff of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations estimated compensation costs for a defined group of 107 agency DOGE team members over a defined period. It estimated $6,810,473.69 in adjusted salary costs from February 26 through July 18, 2025, plus $2,587,980 in benefits, for an estimated total of $9,398,453.69.
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These are model-based estimates, not an audited total of actual payroll payments. The staff assumed the 107 people held senior nonsupervisory positions below the Senior Executive Service, were eligible for Washington, D.C.-area locality pay, and were paid at the lowest rate in the assumed pay band. It used the 2025 GS-15, step 1 annual rate of $167,603, adjusted the calculation for eight reported departures or transfers, and estimated benefits separately. The report says it excluded some operating-cost categories and cautions that its estimate likely undercounts DOGE operating costs. The Senate minority staff report, “The $21.7 Billion Blunder”, explains its scope and assumptions. The $167,603 benchmark is also listed in the Office of Personnel Management’s 2025 General Schedule table, effective January 2025; it is an input to the estimate, not a verified salary for each team member.
How to read the two kinds of evidence
- Named salary listings: WIRED’s figures identify specific individuals and annualized amounts reported on March 4, 2025. They show that some DOGE-associated personnel had reported federal salaries, but do not establish a complete roster or total initiative-wide cost.
- Aggregate estimate: The Senate staff report models compensation for 107 agency team members over February 26–July 18, 2025, using stated pay and staffing assumptions. Its estimate is broader in scope than the individual listings but is not a verified, final payroll for every person associated with DOGE.
What remains unknown
The cited sources do not provide a comprehensive, current list of every DOGE-affiliated worker and all compensation paid through every agency. They do not establish current salaries for the named individuals in October 2026, nor do they show that Musk’s earlier recruiting statement applied as a universal pay policy. WIRED specifically noted uncertainty about whether people with no salary through their GSA assignments were paid elsewhere; the Senate estimate covers a defined group and period under explicit assumptions.
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