Did DOGE actually end?

The U.S. DOGE Service charter formally terminated on July 4, 2026, exactly as written into the January 2025 executive order. The centralized organization is gone, but its policies live on: the 4-to-1 hiring ratio and Strategic Hiring Committees were made standing policy at OPM and OMB and were not repealed.

Which agencies are hiring federal employees again?

IRS (fast-track authority for ~8,000), HHS (~12,000 sought), VA (actively recruiting with ~6,000 net adds requested for FY27), SSA (1,000+ customer service), State (new Foreign Service classes), Energy, NEH, DoD, NASA, and CFPB, among others. Federal job postings rose from about 68,900 to over 104,000 year over year.

If I took the deferred resignation or a buyout, can I come back?

You can apply and compete, but you have no selection priority. VSIP takers may have to repay the full buyout if reemployed within the repayment window. RIF-separated employees have the strongest path back through the RPL and ICTAP priority programs.

Does the 4-to-1 hiring rule still apply after DOGE?

Yes. Executive Order 14356 made the 1-hire-per-4-departures ratio standing policy in October 2025, and DOGE's sunset did not repeal it. Agencies hire under the cap until their Annual Staffing Plan is approved, with exemptions for national security, immigration enforcement, and public safety.

DOGE Is Over: 12 Agencies Now Hiring Again (Tracker)

Last Updated: July 5, 2026

The U.S. DOGE Service charter expired on July 4, 2026, on schedule and without ceremony: no closing report, no transition plan, no farewell. What matters for federal employees is what's happening on the other side of the sunset. Federal job postings have climbed from roughly 68,900 to more than 104,000, and agencies that spent 2025 cutting are now recruiting. Here's the agency-by-agency picture, what still blocks hiring, and the paths back for separated feds.

The Reopen Tracker: Who Cut, Who's Hiring

FedTools compilation from NOTUS, Federal News Network, GAO-26-108583, and agency releases, July 2026:

Agency	2025 cut	2026 reopen action	Hiring for
IRS	~27% of workforce	Fast-track authority for ~8,000; IT hiring resumed	Enforcement, cloud/data/AI
HHS	~10,000 laid off	Seeking ~12,000 staff	Public health, operations
VA	~30,000 via attrition	Actively recruiting; ~6,000 net adds in FY27 request	Clinical roles
SSA	Lost 1,727 service reps	1,000+ new employees	Call centers
State	Hundreds of diplomats out	New Foreign Service Officer classes	FSOs
Energy	Cuts across offices	Rehiring for nuclear mission	Nuclear cleanup
NEH	Lost ~2/3 of staff	Staffing back up	Program staff
Defense	~78,000 employees	"War Force" recruitment launch	Civilian workforce
NASA	~25% of workforce	Rebuilding	Technical/mission
CFPB	Near-elimination fights	Recruiting attorneys, litigation leadership	Legal
Immigration/USSS	Exempt from cap	Net increases throughout	Enforcement
DOGE itself	Members quit in protest	Backfilling; "Tech Force" 125 of 1,000 hired	Tech talent

Figures reflect the latest public reporting and will move as FY27 budgets finalize.

What Ended, Exactly

The January 2025 executive order that created the U.S. DOGE Service wrote its own expiration date, and July 4, 2026 arrived without an extension. The wind-down was mostly complete long before: Ramaswamy left on day one, Musk after 130 days, and acting administrator Amy Gleason moved to CMS. OMB Director Russ Vought, asked about a final accounting, said "We have no plans to do kind of a closing DOGE report."

Whether it "really" ended depends on which DOGE you mean. OPM's Scott Kupor said DOGE "doesn't exist" as a centralized entity, while a DOGE spokesperson insisted to Federal News Network that it "remains." Both are half-right. The org chart is gone. The philosophy was absorbed into OPM and OMB, where the hiring controls it spawned are now permanent furniture.

The Cap That Survived: Why Hiring Is Real but Throttled

Executive Order 14356 (October 2025) made the 1-hire-per-4-departures ratio standing policy, and DOGE's sunset didn't touch it. Until an agency's Annual Staffing Plan clears OPM and OMB, it hires one person for every four who leave, with carve-outs for national security, immigration enforcement, and public safety. Every agency also runs a Strategic Hiring Committee that signs off on hires.

Two more policy facts worth knowing:

The RIF moratorium expired January 30, 2026. New RIFs are legally possible again, though the administration's posture has shifted from "reduce" to "reshape." No new government-wide RIF wave has been announced.
The hiring-freeze lift and merit-hiring framework target roughly July 15, 2026, which should widen the reopen beyond the fast-track authorities in the tracker above.

The Bill for the DOGE Era

GAO's accounting (GAO-26-108583) settles the workforce numbers: the government shrank by a net ~256,000 employees, 11.3%, between December 2024 and January 2026, on ~386,800 gross departures. About 92.5% of separations were voluntary; roughly 17,000 came by RIF. Education fell more than 45%, and 18 of 22 major agencies shrank by double digits.

The deferred resignation program's price tag ran $11 to $15 billion, much of it salary for work never performed during months of paid administrative leave. We broke down the per-head math in what each resignation actually cost: about $117,000 per departure.

Getting Back In: Not All Separations Are Equal

For the hundreds of thousands who left, the return path depends entirely on how you left:

RIF'd (involuntary): the strongest position. You can sit on your former agency's Reemployment Priority List for up to 2 years, and ICTAP gives you selection priority at other agencies for positions where you're well-qualified. Agencies must work through CTAP and RPL candidates before most outside hires.
DRP or resignation: no priority, no automatic reinstatement. Prior career tenure may allow noncompetitive reinstatement eligibility, but nobody is required to reach for your resume first.
VSIP (buyout) takers, read this twice: reemployment with the government generally triggers repayment of the full buyout within the repayment window. Price that against the new salary before accepting an offer.
Recalls are happening quietly. Managers are sending welcome-back outreach for mission-critical roles, but it's discretionary and role-specific, not a program.

Our companion guide to federal rehiring after the DOGE cuts covers the mechanics of court-ordered reinstatements and how a service gap affects FERS and FEHB. And anyone still weighing a separation offer in the reshape era should run the Severance Pay Calculator before signing anything.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is DOGE gone or rebranded?

The centralized organization is gone; its charter expired July 4, 2026. Its policies, chiefly the 4-to-1 hiring cap and hiring committees, were institutionalized at OPM and OMB and continue.

How much did the workforce actually shrink?

Net ~256,000 (11.3%) per GAO, December 2024 to January 2026, on ~386,800 gross departures. Announced-layoff counts near 300,000 measure something different and shouldn't be mixed with GAO's net figure.

Which agencies are hiring fastest?

IRS (fast-track for ~8,000), HHS (~12,000 sought), VA, SSA call centers, and State's new Foreign Service classes lead the tracker above.

I took the DRP. Do I get priority to come back?

No. DRP and other voluntary separations carry no reemployment priority. RIF-separated employees hold RPL and ICTAP rights.

Could RIFs come back?

Legally, yes, since the moratorium expired January 30, 2026. Practically, the posture has shifted to reshaping, and no new government-wide wave has been announced.

Federal Rehiring After the DOGE Cuts: Reinstatement mechanics, back pay, and benefits after a gap.
What the $15B DRP Actually Bought: The per-employee cost math.
RIF Survival Guide 2026: RPL, ICTAP, and your rights if reshaping reaches you.
Severance Pay Calculator: Price any separation offer before you sign.

Sources: NOTUS, GAO-26-108583, E&E News/Politico, EO 14356, Federal News Network, FedWeek.