As unique a figure as the Elon Musk is, his status in the Trump administration is far from unprecedented and his government efficiency agency isn’t even new.

DOGE has gained access to government employees' sensitive information via the Office of Personnel Management, payment systems at the Treasury Department and Centers for Medicaid and Medicare this week.

Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency has moved quickly to set up shop in a critical Treasury Department office that handles the vast majority of payments made by the federal government,