Nate Cavanaugh
Wrecker
, coder, age 28
A former tech entrepeneur, Nate Cavanaugh was initially spotted as one of the DOGE staffers interviewing GSA federal staff to determine layoffs. Since March however, he has been the de facto leader of DOGE’s sustained attacks against multiple independent agencies such as the NEH or IMLS. These attacks begin with Nate offering IT Modernization assistance from the GSA and then escalate through the White House firing agency leadership and naming Nate (or an associate) as the new acting agency head. Once in power, he quickly places all employees on administrative leave and starts firing staff and cancelling grants. Much like a vampire, if he shows up at the door of your agency, do not let him inside.
Positions
| Position | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|
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2/03
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appointed ($120,500) Wired | |
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2/21
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likely detailed «verified via court filing» court doc | |
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2/28-4/04
removed
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detail «agency contact was earlier, but assuming MOU signed when Marocco seized power» court doc | |
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3/04-3/24
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likely detailed «verified via court filing» court doc | |
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c.3/13
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likely detailed «Verified via court filing» court doc | |
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3/22
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likely detailed «Linked to MCC by NPR, start date guessed from disruption there» NPR | |
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3/25
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appointed President «After the rest of board was ousted, Nate was named President of the agency by Marco Rubio and Pete Hegseth. Voided by court order on 2025-05-19 but restored by appeals court on 2025-06-27» court doc | |
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3/31
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likely detailed «Based on initial reports» The Handbasket | |
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c.4/09
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likely detailed «Senate Democrats note that Cavanaugh has a commerce email address. Guessing date is around detail to MBDA.» official letter | |
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c.4/09
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likely detailed «inferred from disruptions at MBDA starting» court doc | |
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4/16
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likely detailed «Spotted by media» Bloomberg | |
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4/28
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likely detailed «Spotted by media» Politico | |
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5/14
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likely detailed «Reported by media» The Handbasket | |
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5/21
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likely detailed «Email cited mentioned he was from DOGE, but assuming detail from GSA» The Handbasket |
Systems
| System | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|
|
Microsoft Entra ID
c.3/12
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c.3/12 | Microsoft Entra ID
A centralized identity provider used to support single-sign-on (SSO) and centralize access control for agencies. (NEH) admin access «inferred because he sent emails from what looks like a global admin account for Entra» court doc |
Events
| Agency | Date | Event |
|---|---|---|
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c.2/18
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Sighting:
Frank Schuler is introduced on a video call meeting at the GSA by Nate Cavanaugh
(fuzz: Exact date is not provided in the article)
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2/20
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Sighting:
IAF President Sara Aviel learns that DOGE will be visiting her agency. That afternoon, she meets Nate Cavanaugh and Ethan Shaotran who both represent they are from the GSA. They showed little interest in efficiency initiatives at the agency and just wanted access to systems.
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2/21
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Sighting:
Ethan Shaotran, Jacob Altik, and Nate Cavanaugh arrive at the agency and demand that a MOU must be signed for their detail assignment
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2/21
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Interagency:
Ethan Shaotran and Nate Cavanaugh return to the IAF with Jacob Altik, who presented himself as representing the EOP. Altik confirms that DOGE plans to reduce IAF to what he considers the statutory minimum (a board and president, a location in DC, some grants) and DOGE will be conducting a Reduction in Force of all employees and terminating all grants. The demand approval from the board and threaten the board will be fired otherwise.
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2/21
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Access:
Nate Cavanaugh and Jacob Altik then demanded immediate access to USADF systems including financial records and payment and human resources systems. They were told they had to go through standard clearance process.
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2/21
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2/24
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2/24
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3/04
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Disruption:
USADF CFO Mathieu Zahui receives an email from Nate Cavanaugh informing him that Peter Marocco would be coming to the office the following day as Chairman of the Board
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3/04
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Directory:
Wired reports that some DOGE staff (Kyle Schutt, Nate Cavanaugh) are being paid as full-time GSA employees, but other staff are listed as volunteers for that agency
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3/05
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Disruption:
Nate Cavanaugh sends Ward Brehm an email demanding to know by what authority he is the President/CFO of USADF
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3/06
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Disruption:
DOGE staff Jacob Altik and Ethan Shaotran return joined by Nate Cavanaugh with US marshals to force entry to the agency
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3/09
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3/12
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Disruption:
DOGE staffers Nate Cavanaugh and Justin Fox contact NEH IT for access immediately after the removal of the agency’s chair
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3/14
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Disruption:
DOGE members Kenneth Jackson, Jacob Altik and Nate Cavanaugh show up at USIP building with 2 other people claiming to be FBI agents and are refused entry. They attempted to present a document firing the USIP president.
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3/17
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Disruption:
DOGE members Kenneth Jackson, Jacob Altik and Nate Cavanaugh remove staff and president of the USIP with the help of Office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, the FBI and D.C. police
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3/20
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3/25
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Interagency:
Nate Cavanaugh contacts the administrator of the GSA to propose transferring the USIP building to them, arguing that USIP won’t need a building because the statute doesn’t mandate it has one or staffing
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3/31
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Access:
DOGE gains admin access to IMLS systems for monitoring grants and sending emails. This is likely Nate Cavanaugh.
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3/31
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4/01
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4/01
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4/02
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Disruption:
Approximately 1500 grantees receive grant cancellation emails sent from a nonstandard email address and bypassing the normal grant review process. The email address Grant_Notifications@nehemail.onmicrosoft.com suggests it was sent from a global admin account for Microsoft Entra at the agency. The Acting Director of the NEH seems unaware of the messages. Content of the message cites an incorrect executive order, suggesting it was copied from an earlier email sent to IAF or USADF grantees.
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4/03
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Disruption:
145 NEH staff members (approximately 80% of workforce) are abruptly placed on administrative leave. The remaining employees are pressured by Nate Cavanaugh and Justin Fox to formally conduct a Reduction-in-Force (RIF) as quickly as possible
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4/04
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Legal:
Sara Aviel discovers that a team@iaf.gov created for the use of Ethan Shaotran and Nate Cavanaugh had deactivated the admin access for the remaining IAF employee that day before Aviel’s return
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c.4/07
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Sighting:
Nate Cavanaugh and Justin Fox begin holding a series of meetings with MCC leadership, this eventually culminates in termination of all grants and mass layoffs
(fuzz: exact date not given, just in “last two weeks”)
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4/08
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Directory:
A partial copy of the GSA’s A-Suite access list includes multiple DOGE personnel listed as based in GSA
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4/16
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Sighting:
Justin Fox and Nate Cavanaugh are reportedly detailed from the GSA to work at the NLRB for the next few months.
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4/17
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Disruption:
According to a sworn declaration by an employee of MBDA, Nate Cavanaugh sends emails terminating MBDA grants under the authority of Keith Sonderling as acting undersecretary of the MBDA
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4/28
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Sighting:
A team of 4 DOGE personnel – Nate Cavanaugh, Jonathan Mendelson, Ethan Shaotran and Marshall Wood – arrive at the headquarters of the US International Development Finance Corporation
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4/29
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Interagency:
Nate Cavanaugh sends an email to the two remaining members of the CPB board requesting a meeting. He describes a DOGE team at GSA and cc’s several other members of DOGE
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4/30
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Oversight:
Democratic members of the US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation send a letter to Keith Sonderling requesting details on his appointment as acting undersecretary of the MBDA and other information about DOGE’s takeover and destruction of the agency.
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5/13
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Sighting:
Justin Fox emails GAO (cc’ing Nate Cavanaugh) to schedule a call to get a DOGE team assigned to the GAO. This is despite the GAO being located in the legislative branch and thus not answerable to the President.
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5/13
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5/14
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Sighting:
Nate Cavanaugh and Donald Park reportedly have email addresses and reserved office space at the Export-Import Bank of the US
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5/16
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Sighting:
Staff at the MSPB receive an email informing them that Nate Cavanaugh will be onboarded on May 21 as a detailee “from DOGE” and that he is expected to spend several weeks reviewing contracts and spending. He will be working remotely.
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