Doge eyes cuts to Peace Corps with in-person visit and records access

The Peace Corps is the latest federal agency to be targeted by Elon Musk’s unofficial “department of government efficiency”. It appears “Doge” could be eyeing cuts to the agency, which sends US volunteers around the world to work in local communities on health, education and environmental initiatives.

“Staff from the Department of Government Efficiency are currently working at Peace Corps headquarters and the agency is supporting their requests,” the agency said in an email to the Guardian on Friday.

One Doge representative, Bridget Youngs, visited the Peace Corps headquarters on Friday, according to two people familiar who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Those people say Peace Corps staff confirmed her identity with the White House and that she was in the building for a few hours. She asked for access to the agency’s financial records and said other Doge workers may visit the building over the weekend to continue the work, according to the two people.

In an internal email shared with the Guardian, Peace Corps administrators wrote: “We will be welcoming the Doge folks this afternoon. We have been made aware that they intend to work on the weekend, so we will need you on standby.”

The email instructs staffers to cooperate with any Doge workers and “if data from the system is requested, confirm what is required to meet their needs (data, format, etc)”.

The email adds that “under all circumstances, ensure that clear records are kept on what is requested and provided”.

In a separate agency-wide email sent to Peace Corps staffers around the world, the agency notified everyone that it received a visit from Doge on Friday and it expects “additional visits”.

Since Donald Trump was inaugurated, Musk and his allies in Doge have been steadily working to slash budgets and layoff workers in federal agencies. They’ve targeted more than 20 agencies with the mission to identify “waste, fraud and abuse”.

It’s unclear what Doge’s directive is with the Peace Corps. But obtaining access to the agency’s financial records indicates it could be looking to cut costs and cancel programs as it has done with other agencies that work on global issues and foreign aid, such as the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

Reuters first reported Doge’s visit to Peace Corps headquarters.

Musk and his top lieutenant at Doge, Steve Davis, did not return requests for comment.

The National Peace Corps Association, a nonprofit that advocates for the Peace Corps and returned volunteers, sent an email to its members on Friday also confirming Doge’s visit to the Washington DC office. “One individual from the department reported on the premises and more on the way tomorrow,” the group wrote in the email.

The Peace Corps has had more than 240,000 volunteers since its inception in 1961, when it was created by John F Kennedy. The agency’s mandate has been to send workers to the developing world to work on projects such as public health and economic development. The agency, which has an annual budget of about $400m, has long had support from Republicans and Democrats.

In its email regarding Doge’s visit, the National Peace Corps Association said: “Our community is tens of thousands strong, and will unite to champion Peace Corps ideals with courage, hope, and perseverance.”