In an unexpected turn of events, four operatives associated with Elon Musk's DOGE task force have been installed at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). According to government records reviewed by WIRED, these individuals—Luke Farritor, Rachel Riley, Jeremy Lewin, and Clark Minor—are now linked to the NIH through their email addresses. This development comes amidst a freeze on $1.5 billion in medical research funding applications as part of the NIH's $48 billion budget, raising questions about the influence of the DOGE task force in key government agencies.
The presence of DOGE operatives at the NIH is part of a broader strategy that has seen them take control of critical government entities, including the Office of Personnel Management and the General Services Administration (GSA). Luke Farritor, one of these operatives, is a former SpaceX intern and a current Thiel fellow. He possesses a working email address linking him to the GSA, further illustrating the reach of DOGE within government systems.
Internal documents reveal that Farritor, Riley, and Minor operate under the NIH Business System Department's umbrella. This department plays a central role within the NIH's Office of Management, overseeing procurement, property management, data consolidation, and financial reporting through the NIH Business System (NBS). The NBS is described as "NIH’s wallet," controlling core financial and administrative functions.
Jeremy Lewin, another key figure from DOGE, serves as an agency lead and also holds a GSA email address. According to ProPublica, Lewin has been implicated in a lawsuit affidavit for his involvement in restructuring the US Agency for International Development. Meanwhile, Clark Minor, previously an engineer at Palantir, now holds the position of chief information officer at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
The extent of DOGE's influence is highlighted by their strategic placement within the NIH's central electronic business system department. This department manages crucial aspects like finance, budget, procurement, property management, and grant-tracking systems. The internal documents reviewed by WIRED confirm that three of the four operatives are actively engaged in these areas.
Despite multiple inquiries from WIRED, the NIH has not provided any comments regarding these developments. However, an anonymous NIH employee described the NBS as instrumental to the agency's financial operations. The implications of this infiltration are significant, particularly as the NIH faces challenges from executive orders and policies enacted during the Trump administration that have already impacted domestic and international research efforts.
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