DOGE Staffers' Massive Salaries Exposed, Contradicting Musk's Claim Their 'Compensation Is Zero'

christiefan915

christiefan915

Catalyst
Is anybody surprised by this?

"Despite Elon Musk's repeated claims that staffers at his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) work for "zero" compensation, an investigation has revealed that several DOGE employees are drawing six-figure, taxpayer-funded salaries.

Key figures within DOGE, the cost-cutting advisory group Musk leads under President Donald Trump, are being paid through the General Services Administration (GSA). Among them, Jeremy Lewin, tasked with dismantling USAID, is earning over $167,000 annually.

Kyle Schutt, a software engineer embedded at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, is making $195,200—the maximum salary allowed for a federal employee. Nate Cavanaugh, a 28-year-old tech entrepreneur playing a leading role in DOGE's GSA restructuring efforts, is earning $120,500.

These revelations, uncovered by WIRED, stand in direct contrast to Musk's previous statements. Last November, as he and Vivek Ramaswamy recruited for DOGE, Musk insisted that working for the agency would be "tedious" and compensated at zero dollars.

However, the investigation found that DOGE's budget has ballooned to $40 million, and its recruitment page now openly discusses "full-time, salaried positions" for engineers and other specialists.

"It does seem worth understanding what these employees are being paid," Don Moynihan, a public policy professor at the University of Michigan told WIRED. "Especially if they are being paid significantly more than technologists who have been fired, given that many of the DOGE staff have less relevant experience."

 
"Massive"?


Elon Musk did claim that DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) staffers would be unpaid. In November 2024, during the initial recruitment phase for DOGE, Musk described the work as "tedious" and stated that "compensation is zero," indicating that those joining the effort would not be paid.

This was part of his pitch to attract "super high-IQ small-government revolutionaries" willing to work long hours voluntarily.

However, later reports and statements revealed that some DOGE staffers are indeed receiving substantial taxpayer-funded salaries, contradicting his earlier claim.

For instance, in a February 2025 interview with Sean Hannity, Musk acknowledged that "some people are federal employees," implying they are paid, though he did not specify details at the time. This shift has been highlighted by various investigations showing staffers earning six-figure salaries, such as Jeremy Lewin at over $167,000 and Kyle Schutt at $195,200 annually.

Whether $167,000 and $195,200 annual salaries are considered "massive" for federal employees like Jeremy Lewin and Kyle Schutt depends on context within the U.S. federal pay structure.

Let’s break it down:

Federal employees’ salaries are typically governed by systems like the General Schedule (GS) or Senior Executive Service (SES).

The GS scale in 2025 ranges from about $22,000 (GS-1, Step 1) to $191,900 (GS-15, Step 10, without locality pay adjustments), though locality pay can push GS-15 salaries higher—up to around $221,900 in high-cost areas like Washington, D.C.

SES positions, for top executives, range from $147,649 to $221,900, with some exceptions exceeding that for specialized roles.
  • $167,000 (Jeremy Lewin): This falls within the upper GS-14 or mid-to-high GS-15 range with locality pay. For example, in 2025, a GS-14, Step 10 base pay is $142,632, but with D.C. locality pay (33.26%), it reaches $190,025. $167,000 is thus substantial but not unusual for a senior federal role requiring expertise—say, a policy analyst or manager in a high-cost area. It’s well above the median U.S. federal employee salary (around $90,000-$100,000 in recent years) but not "massive" compared to top GS or SES tiers.
  • $195,200 (Kyle Schutt): This aligns with GS-15, Step 10 plus locality pay in a high-cost region, or even an entry-level SES salary. It’s near the cap for standard GS pay and exceeds what most federal workers earn, placing it in the top 10-15% of federal salaries. Still, it’s not an outlier for high-level roles like directors or advisors, especially if tied to DOGE’s mission under political appointees or specialized contracts.
Context of DOGE: If Lewin and Schutt are federal employees under DOGE—a theoretically lean, efficiency-focused entity—these salaries might raise eyebrows given Elon Musk’s initial "unpaid" rhetoric.

Critics could call them "massive" relative to the median federal wage or the expectation of volunteerism.

However, in the broader federal landscape, they’re not extraordinary for senior roles in D.C. or similar hubs.

Private sector equivalents (e.g., consultants or executives) often earn far more—$250,000+—so compared to that, these are tame.

Verdict: Not "massive" in the absolute sense for federal pay scales, but notable given DOGE’s stated ethos and above average for government work.

Perception of "massive" hinges on whether you judge them against Musk’s zero-pay promise or typical bureaucratic norms.



@Grok
 
christiefan915 said:
@Diogenes Would you say that a salary increase from $0 to $195,200 was a massive increase? Going from zero salary to a six-figure salary is massive to me.
Click to expand...

Who told you that Jeremy Lewin and Kyle Schutt had $0 earnings before? It wasn't DOGE.

BTW, $167,000 was Lewin's stated salary.

To determine their prior salaries, one would need access to their employment history and payroll records from before they joined DOGE. For Lewin, it’s noted he was a research assistant for Laurence Tribe, a liberal legal scholar, and a Harvard Law School graduate, but no salary figures are provided for those roles. For Schutt, there’s no specific prior employment history detailed beyond his current role as a software engineer. Without additional records, their previous earnings remain unknown based on the available information.


@Grok
 
Diogenes said:
Who told you that Jeremy Lewin and Kyle Schutt had $0 earnings before? It wasn't DOGE.

BTW, $167,000 was Lewin's stated salary.

To determine their prior salaries, one would need access to their employment history and payroll records from before they joined DOGE. For Lewin, it’s noted he was a research assistant for Laurence Tribe, a liberal legal scholar, and a Harvard Law School graduate, but no salary figures are provided for those roles. For Schutt, there’s no specific prior employment history detailed beyond his current role as a software engineer. Without additional records, their previous earnings remain unknown based on the available information.


@Grok
Click to expand...
Did Musk say all his flunkies would be working for no salary, yes or no?

ANSWER, Leggiecrite. :devilish:
 
Diogenes said:
Grok already answered that question, and I posted it ITT.

Are you drunk?
Click to expand...
Yes, this is the answer to that question. It appears that Grok can answer yes or no even though you can't. :ROFLMAO:

Elon Musk did claim that DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) staffers would be unpaid. In November 2024, during the initial recruitment phase for DOGE, Musk described the work as "tedious" and stated that "compensation is zero," indicating that those joining the effort would not be paid.
 
christiefan915 said:
Yes, this is the answer to that question. It appears that Grok can answer yes or no even though you can't. :ROFLMAO:

Elon Musk did claim that DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) staffers would be unpaid. In November 2024, during the initial recruitment phase for DOGE, Musk described the work as "tedious" and stated that "compensation is zero," indicating that those joining the effort would not be paid.
Click to expand...
Seems all the magats are pretending not to see this.
 
Magats_Love_NHB said:
Seems all the magats are pretending not to see this.
Click to expand...

Since I posted it, FAGAT, looks like you're wrong.

Diogenes said:
"Massive"?


Elon Musk did claim that DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) staffers would be unpaid. In November 2024, during the initial recruitment phase for DOGE, Musk described the work as "tedious" and stated that "compensation is zero," indicating that those joining the effort would not be paid.

This was part of his pitch to attract "super high-IQ small-government revolutionaries" willing to work long hours voluntarily.

However, later reports and statements revealed that some DOGE staffers are indeed receiving substantial taxpayer-funded salaries, contradicting his earlier claim.

For instance, in a February 2025 interview with Sean Hannity, Musk acknowledged that "some people are federal employees," implying they are paid, though he did not specify details at the time. This shift has been highlighted by various investigations showing staffers earning six-figure salaries, such as Jeremy Lewin at over $167,000 and Kyle Schutt at $195,200 annually.

Whether $167,000 and $195,200 annual salaries are considered "massive" for federal employees like Jeremy Lewin and Kyle Schutt depends on context within the U.S. federal pay structure.

Let’s break it down:

Federal employees’ salaries are typically governed by systems like the General Schedule (GS) or Senior Executive Service (SES).

The GS scale in 2025 ranges from about $22,000 (GS-1, Step 1) to $191,900 (GS-15, Step 10, without locality pay adjustments), though locality pay can push GS-15 salaries higher—up to around $221,900 in high-cost areas like Washington, D.C.

SES positions, for top executives, range from $147,649 to $221,900, with some exceptions exceeding that for specialized roles.
  • $167,000 (Jeremy Lewin): This falls within the upper GS-14 or mid-to-high GS-15 range with locality pay. For example, in 2025, a GS-14, Step 10 base pay is $142,632, but with D.C. locality pay (33.26%), it reaches $190,025. $167,000 is thus substantial but not unusual for a senior federal role requiring expertise—say, a policy analyst or manager in a high-cost area. It’s well above the median U.S. federal employee salary (around $90,000-$100,000 in recent years) but not "massive" compared to top GS or SES tiers.
  • $195,200 (Kyle Schutt): This aligns with GS-15, Step 10 plus locality pay in a high-cost region, or even an entry-level SES salary. It’s near the cap for standard GS pay and exceeds what most federal workers earn, placing it in the top 10-15% of federal salaries. Still, it’s not an outlier for high-level roles like directors or advisors, especially if tied to DOGE’s mission under political appointees or specialized contracts.
Context of DOGE: If Lewin and Schutt are federal employees under DOGE—a theoretically lean, efficiency-focused entity—these salaries might raise eyebrows given Elon Musk’s initial "unpaid" rhetoric.

Critics could call them "massive" relative to the median federal wage or the expectation of volunteerism.

However, in the broader federal landscape, they’re not extraordinary for senior roles in D.C. or similar hubs.

Private sector equivalents (e.g., consultants or executives) often earn far more—$250,000+—so compared to that, these are tame.

Verdict: Not "massive" in the absolute sense for federal pay scales, but notable given DOGE’s stated ethos and above average for government work.

Perception of "massive" hinges on whether you judge them against Musk’s zero-pay promise or typical bureaucratic norms.



@Grok
Click to expand...
 
Gld6tLDWIAAkzOt




:bigthink:​
 
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