Trump installs new GSA acting administrator, sidelines DOGE leaders

Source: Politico

Trump installs new GSA acting administrator, sidelines DOGE leaders

It’s the most significant public step that the White House has taken to diminish the role of Musk loyalists following the tech mogul’s exit.

By Sophia Cai
07/21/2025 01:27 PM EDT

President Donald Trump has appointed Mike Rigas as acting administrator of the General Services Administration, effectively layering DOGE-aligned Stephen Ehikian and Josh Gruenbaum atop the agency.

Rigas, a Trump administration veteran who has served as deputy secretary of State for Management and Resources and as acting director of the Office of Personnel Management, announced the move in a message to GSA staff on Monday morning.

“Today, at the direction of President Donald J. Trump, I have assumed the responsibilities of Acting Administrator of GSA,” Rigas wrote.

GSA staffers and people close to the Department of Government Efficiency view this appointment as a strategic move by the White House to rein in Ehikian, the former acting administrator, and Gruenbaum, the commissioner of the Federal Acquisition Service within GSA. They were chosen by DOGE’s former operational lead, Steve Davis, to lead DOGE after Davis and Elon Musk left government, according to three people familiar with the internal workings of DOGE and GSA and granted anonymity to speak candidly.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/21/trump-installs-new-gsa-acting-administrator-sidelines-doge-leaders-00465468