Tyler Hassen, a businessman known for turning companies around, doesn’t exactly align with the stereotype of DOGE members, who are often seen as young individuals in hoodies looking to cut costs.
Now, he’s making his case with his new book “Inside DOGE: The Real Story from a Senior Insider” (Republic Book Publishers, just released).
“A lot of the DOGE story has been told by those who weren’t on the inside,” the 43-year-old Hassen said. “We were there to do our job, not to engage in media or share our narrative.”
At a time when the national debt has reached a staggering $40 trillion, he emphasizes that the achievements of DOGE were more substantial than people realize, particularly regarding the spending cuts.
Hassen argues that DOGE redefined government spending practices by canceling contracts that were likely to renew, consolidating purchasing through the OneGov initiative instead of allowing separate agency negotiations with the same vendors, and implementing new controls over money transfers by adding tracking codes to previously unmarked payments.
Despite the rising national debt, he remains a strong supporter of DOGE’s philosophy: “take care of the billions, and the trillions will handle themselves.”
Having been one of fewer than 100 DOGE team members, he felt compelled to tackle the deficit right after Trump’s election.
“I wanted to be able to look my kids in the eye one day and say I made an effort,” he explained, mentioning his desire to create a better future for his young daughter. “In the end, the bill will need to be paid. The key question is whether we face it ourselves or pass it on to the next generation with an excuse.”
Upon receiving his job offer, Hassen left his position as CEO at Basin Holdings in Houston and headed to Washington, eager to apply his experience to reduce waste in government.
He arrived in the capital with just three suitcases and a mission to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse. Handed a laptop and basic instructions to explore the Commerce Department, he was tasked with presenting several ideas to Musk aimed at cutting costs and improving efficiency.
This would evolve into a weekly routine. Hassen, even after shifting departments to Interior, kept attending DOGE meetings with Musk, which often dragged on late into the night.
Weekends were frequently even busier, as Interior Secretary Doug Burgum would come in to discuss contracts and spending cuts due to his weekday travel schedule.
Hassen’s narrative challenges the perception that DOGE simply hacked away at government budgets without thought. Instead, he details a thorough review process, highlighting that he often devoted 14-hour days analyzing awards, grants, and any agency expenditures exceeding $50,000 down to the smallest detail.
When asked about possibly feeling discouraged by being so deep in the minutiae, sometimes making cuts amounting to only hundreds of thousands while the government battles with trillions, he remained unfazed.
“Consider that an American pays around five hundred thousand dollars in taxes over their lifetime… when we terminate a $4 million contract, that could equate to saving eight families in Texas from having to pay income taxes for their entire lives,” he noted.
While DOGE claims to have saved over $200 billion, this figure is under scrutiny and pales in comparison to their original goal of cutting $2 trillion.
More importantly, Hassen believes that the influence of DOGE goes beyond canceled contracts; it has sparked a ripple effect promoting oversight in both federal and state governments.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has set up a fraud task force, led by Vice President JD Vance, while investigative journalists, like Nick Shirley and Katie Daviscourt, have highlighted issues regarding taxpayer funds misused in fraudulent daycare operations and Medicare schemes.
