Veterans Administration

A representative from DOGE was given access to contracting systems as well as information on VA operations and information technology systems.

A day after a conservative activist flagged it on X, DOGE posts it has removed gender identity options from a VA form

Bloomberg publishes some background information on Justin Fulcher, the DOGE staffer working quietly at the VA

Senate Democrats send letter to VA Secretary demanding information about DOGE’s activities there

Tech staffers and contractors noticed a new DOGE staffer, Sahil Lavingia, was pushing code to a repo in the VA’s Github instance. He also appeared to be using an AI tool to write code.

Fast Company runs an interview with Sahil Lavingia, who is promptly fired by DOGE the following day.

A new memo from the acting principal director for acquisitions at the VA declares that all new contracts for information technology and professional services or any other contract for more than $10 million must be approved first by either Christopher Roussos or Cary Volpert. In addition, they are now required to send weekly reports to both of the DOGE representatives.

ProPublica analyzes public code by Sahil Lavingia for an AI-powered tool to evaluate contracts at the VA and determine which ones are “munchable” (meaning they should be canceled). The analysis finds the AI was given poor instructions and lacks context to correctly make these decisions.

Democratic Congressman Mark Takano sends an angry letter to Secretary Collins of the VA demanding answers about DOGE activities including if they have installed spyware on agency machines, if they have been piloting AI, and if they have accessed medical records. He also asks for detailed information on DOGE staff at the agency.

An unidentified DOGE team member used the official DOGE VA account on X.com to send a direct message ridiculing a Republican donor who had proposed the imaginary “DOGE Dividend Check” for turning against Musk and creating an anti-Musk SuperPAC. According to the administration, that person no longer works for the VA.