Christopher Roussos
In late March, Chris Roussos was identified as one of the members of a larger DOGE contingent within the VA. He is an Army veteran himself, and he also has been a CEO of several health and fitness services. Given his experience and background, it’s likely he might be the leader of the DOGE team within the VA, where he has been working with Cary Volpert to review and eliminate a large number of VA contracts.
Positions
Appointed:
3/25/25 $27,444
Appointed:
3/25/25 $27,444
| Source: | Data Reveals Details About DOGE, Government Hiring in 2025 Bloomberg, 1/09/26 |
| Source: | Inside DOGE’s AI Push at the Department of Veterans Affairs Wired Magazine, 4/04/25 |
Events
3/25/25
Appointed:
Christopher Roussos starts at VA.
Appointed:
Christopher Roussos starts at VA.
| Appointed: | Christopher Roussos 3/25/25 |
| Salary: | $27,444 |
| Source: | Data Reveals Details About DOGE, Government Hiring in 2025 Bloomberg, 1/09/26 |
| Source: | Inside DOGE’s AI Push at the Department of Veterans Affairs Wired Magazine, 4/04/25 |
Identification:
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. This later turns out to be code that is reviewing contracts to be terminated.
Identification:
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. This later turns out to be code that is reviewing contracts to be terminated.
| Person: | Cary Volpert, Christopher Roussos, Jon Koval, Justin Fulcher, Payton Rehling, Sahil Lavingia |
| Source: | Inside DOGE’s AI Push at the Department of Veterans Affairs Wired Magazine, 4/04/25 |
| Agency: | VA |
| DOGE Project: | IT Modernization, Spending |
5/13/25
Disruption:
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.
Disruption:
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.
| Person: | Cary Volpert, Christopher Roussos |
| Source: | VA sets new rules for contracts worth more than $10 million Federal News Network, 5/22/25 |
| Agency: | VA |
| DOGE Project: | Spending |
6/25/25
Oversight:
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.
Oversight:
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.
| Person: | Cary Volpert, Christopher Roussos, Jon Koval, Justin Fulcher, Payton Rehling, Sahil Lavingia |
| Source: | House Democrat demands VA disclose any spyware, AI installed on agency computers as part of DOGE initiative Stars and Stripes, 6/27/25 |
| Agency: | VA |
| DOGE Project: | IT Modernization, Anti-Personnel |