Former members of Elon Musk's controversial Department of Government Efficiency — including one known as “Big Balls” — are reportedly developing a new government services website for the public that will be powered by artificial intelligence.
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that → include → intelligence
The planned America.gov site is set to be unveiled by the end of September, with some Trump administration officials hopeful it will give Republican congressional candidates a talking point to boost their campaigns ahead of the crucial midterm elections, The Washington Sun reported Thursday.
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Sun → set → elections
The site is slated to feature a chatbot interface and allow users to perform tasks that include filing tax returns and renewing passports, the Sun said, citing unidentified current and former officials familiar with the plans.
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Sun → slat → plans
The tax-filing feature would essentially replace a free online program, called Direct File, that the Biden administration launched in March 2024 for the 2023 tax-filing season.
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administration → replace → season
The Trump administration canceled Direct File in November 2025.
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administration → cancel → November
We actually built one, Direct File, and people loved and trusted it, but it took careful work,” former Direct File deputy Merici Vinton told the Sun.
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Vinton → build → Sun
“Then DOGE killed it.”
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DOGE → kill → it
Vinton, now a senior fellow at the progressive Center for American Progress think tank, also noted the complexities of the tax code and warned, “In a moment where the public is already skeptical about AI in government, this could undo trust instead of building it.”
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this → note → it
Neither the White House, Treasury Department, State Department nor General Services Administration immediately returned inquiries Thursday from The Independent.
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House → return → Independent
The Sun said the White House declined to comment for its report.
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House → say → report
The America.gov website is being developed by the White House's National Design Studio, led by Airbnb co-founder and former DOGE official Joe Gebbia, according to the Sun.
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website → develop → Sun
Other National Design Studio projects, including the TrumpRx and Trump Gold Card websites, suffered from early accessibility problems, the outlet said.
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outlet → include → problems
The America.gov team reportedly includes 20-year-old Edward Coristine, a college dropout and early DOGE staffer who made headlines in part due to his “Big Balls” nickname.
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who → include → nickname
Coristine — whose father, Charles Coristine, is CEO of the LesserEvil snack company — also had a limited work history that reportedly included getting fired from a cybersecurity internship for allegedly leaking inside information to a rival company.
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that → have → company
Officials are considering using the federal Login.gov identity-verification website for access to America.gov, which would be overseen by the General Services Administration, according to the Sun.
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which → consider → Sun
Another former DOGE official, Sam Corcos, is reportedly involved in Login.gov and was recently given several roles at the GSA.
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official → involve → GSA
Musk initially claimed DOGE would cut as much as $2 trillion in government spending, but its online “Wall of Receipts” listed only $215 billion in estimated savings before the ad hoc government agency was shut down in July.
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agency → claim → July
Last month, the Government Accountability Office said that it couldn't verify 96 percent of DOGE's reported savings and that DOGE's claim of having saved $110 billion on contracts, grants and leases was artificially inflated because some leases “were already in process for termination.”
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leases → say → termination
Another GAO report released Tuesday also said a DOGE-inspired drive to reduce the federal workforce paid government employees about $9.5 billion not to work, with $6.7 billion going to people who eventually retired or resigned.
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who → release → people
Billionaire Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has also criticized a move by Musk, who has an estimated net worth of $939 billion, to effectively shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development, which had a budget of about $40 billion a year.
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which → criticize → billion
“The picture of the world’s richest man killing the world’s poorest children is not a pretty one,” Gates told the Financial Times last year.
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Gates → kill → children
Musk called Gates a “huge liar” in response to the accusation.
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Musk → call → accusation
The Aporia
