On March 4, 2025, Wired published an article titled “Some DOGE staffers are drawing six figure salaries,” alleging that several workers for the Department of Government Efficiency initiative were making more than $100,000, despite a claim that no salaries were paid to the workers whose goal is to reduce government spending by dramatically reducing the government workforce.
A social media post with the claim went viral on X, and Snopes readers checked our website to see if it was true.
We were unable to confirm or disprove any of the information reported by Wired, which was the source of the claim. The article provided three examples of DOGE employees with high pay rates, but did not explain how the publication obtained or verified the information — despite claiming to have confirmed at least one of the salaries. Snopes reached out to the story’s author for more information and will update this story if we receive a response.
According to the Wired article, Jeremy Lewin, who was involved in the defunding of USAID and has worked with the National Institutes of Health and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, earns slightly more than $167,000 per year. Nate Cavanaugh, a tech entrepreneur who has been interviewing employees at the General Services Administration for DOGE, earns slightly more than $120,000 per year. Finally, Kyle Schutt, a software engineer, earns the maximum annual salary for “general schedule” federal employees, which is $195,200. According to Wired and The New York Times, the General Services Administration oversees all three jobs.
Each year, the Office of Personnel Management publishes a list of pay tables for all general schedule federal employees based on their job location. A table consists of 15 pay grades, each with ten steps. An agency determines what pay grade the job requires, and a newly hired employee typically begins at step one of that grade. According to the OPM, employees can advance one step within their pay grade if they perform well and stay with the company.
Looking at the pay table for the Washington, D.C., area revealed that if Wired’s salaries are correct, Cavanaugh is likely paid at step one of grade 13, Lewin is likely paid at step one of grade 15, and Schutt is paid at least step six of grade 15.
Elon Musk, DOGE’s public face but not its official leader, announced the initiative in November 2024. In a post on his social media site X, he stated that the work would be “tedious” and the pay would be “zero.” According to Wired, some DOGE employees (including Musk, the world’s richest man) work as “special government employees,” which can be paid or unpaid, and some do not appear to receive a salary.
