In an internal review of efforts to identify waste within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), sources have described difficulties encountered by members of Doge, a government task force assigned to cutting costs and reducing inefficiencies. The VA, which manages an extensive network of 170 medical centers and 1,100 outpatient facilities staffed by over 370,000 medical professionals, presented a complex challenge for those charged with scrutinizing its operations.

One Doge member reportedly struggled to find a systematic approach for targeting waste within the department, resorting instead to keyword searches through a database of approximately 45,000 contracts. Terms such as "diversity," "homeless," "gay," and "gender" were used as filters to locate programs considered politically sensitive or potentially opposed by leadership. This approach has drawn criticism for its lack of strategic efficiency.

Among the Doge team was Sahil Lavingia, a former University of Southern California dropout who joined the task force after learning about it at a Silicon Valley event. He later became the only member to be dismissed from Doge after publicly acknowledging the difficulties inherent in uncovering waste, fraud, and abuse within federal government agencies. Lavingia characterized the level of mismanagement he encountered as marked by "degree of ignorance," though details on specific incidents were not disclosed.

Meanwhile, resistance within the government was personified by individuals labeled as "blockers" by insiders. These employees, many of whom had lost their positions by the time of interviews, were described by some as protecting the interests of public service against external disruption. Among them was Colin O’Brien, formerly chief security officer at the U.S. Institute of Peace, a federally funded nonprofit organization. O’Brien was responsible for safeguarding around 400 employees operating in volatile environments such as Haiti and Ukraine. He expressed surprise at the challenges posed by actions from a U.S. government department, specifically citing an incident on March 14, 2025, when Doge team members, identified by their casual attire including skinny jeans, sought access to facilities.

Observers noted that initial reactions from the "blockers" were cautious and uncertain, but many reportedly reconsidered their stance as they reflected on the potential consequences of the reform efforts. While Doge aimed to bring transparency and efficiency, resistance from within underscored the complexities of reforming large government institutions.

Efforts to streamline operations at the Department of Veterans Affairs continue to face both logistical and institutional hurdles, reflecting broader challenges in managing sprawling federal agencies with diverse responsibilities.