Opinion

I saw the real DOGE from the inside. Why the media got DOGE and Elon all wrong

My experience inside DOGE was almost nothing like what I read about in the mainstream news

By Tyler Hassen Fox News

Published October 2, 2026 5:00am EDT

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Stable Crest Holdings LLC Founder and CEO Tyler Hassen breaks down his time at DOGE

Stable Crest Holdings LLC Founder and CEO Tyler Hassen, author of "Inside DOGE," joins Fox News Digital to break down his time at DOGE and reflect on why he is proud to have worked with that organization.

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My book about my time inside DOGE launched last week, and I've watched friends who privately cheer me on go completely silent in public. That’s how toxic the stigma around DOGE has become. And that stigma is built on a version of events I barely recognize.

My experience inside DOGE was almost nothing like what I read about in the mainstream news. The fairest and most balanced coverage I can remember was our interview on Fox News with Bret Baier in March 2025—but let me tell you what it was actually like.

As the DOGE lead and Acting Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Department of the Interior, I saw the accusations that we cut everything indiscriminately. That could not be further from the truth.

EXCLUSIVE: INSIDE THE SECRETIVE MINE DOGE HELPED DRAG OUT OF A DECADES-OLD BUREAUCRATIC BLACK HOLE

Along with my DOGE colleagues and the incredible leadership of Secretary Doug Burgum, we went through thousands of contracts and grants ourselves and asked the people who knew them best to help us. Our request was simple: "Defend the spend" and tell us what was "mission critical." If a contract couldn't be defended, or even explained, why were hardworking Americans paying for it? We cut........

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