Sahil Lavingia (proper) was a DOGE staffer on the Division of Veterans Affairs for 55 days. He was sworn in on March 17, 2025 by the VA’s Assistant Secretary for Human Assets and Administration / Operations, Safety, and Preparedness, Mark Engelbaum.
Sahil Lavingia
cover caption
toggle caption
Sahil Lavingia
Sahil Lavingia (proper) was a DOGE staffer on the Division of Veterans Affairs for 55 days. He was sworn in on March 17, 2025 by the VA’s Assistant Secretary for Human Assets and Administration / Operations, Safety, and Preparedness, Mark Engelbaum.
Sahil Lavingia
What was it prefer to work inside Elon Musk’s DOGE? The fee-cutting initiative promised transparency, however most of its actions have been shrouded in secrecy.
For months, there have been stories of software program engineers and Trump loyalists getting into companies and accessing delicate knowledge. DOGE additionally helped the Trump administration lay off hundreds of presidency employees. NPR reporters have been making an attempt for months to get anybody from DOGE to speak on the file. Now, Sahil Lavingia, a former DOGE staffer assigned to the Division of Veteran Affairs, is talking.
In the present day, what drew Sahil to DOGE and what he realized concerning the interior workings, in a manner we have by no means heard earlier than.
For extra on DOGE and the federal workforce:
This episode was hosted by Kenny Malone and Bobby Allyn. It was produced by Sam Yellowhorse Kesler and Emma Peaslee. It was edited by Jess Jiang and fact-checked by Sierra Juarez. It was engineered by Neal Rauch. Alex Goldmark is Planet Cash‘s govt producer.
Discover extra Planet Cash: Fb / Instagram / TikTok / Our weekly E-newsletter.
Hear free at these hyperlinks: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the NPR app or anyplace you get podcasts.
Assist assist Planet Cash and listen to our bonus episodes by subscribing to Planet Cash+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney.
Music: Common Manufacturing Music – “Two Can Play,” “Heat Welcome,” and “Higher Climate”
