Government Efficiency Officials Join Department of Labor
Recent changes at the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) have introduced three new officials associated with the White House’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The new appointees—Marko Elez, Aram Moghaddassi, and Miles B. Collins—have drawn attention due to their backgrounds, particularly Collins’s involvement in the fertility industry and connections to the pronatalist movement.
Elez and Moghaddassi, who previously worked for a well-known tech entrepreneur at various ventures including a social media platform, an artificial intelligence firm, and a brain-interface startup, are among the new appointments at DOL. Collins, meanwhile, is a startup investor and entrepreneur linked to a fertility clinic in Los Angeles. While their specific roles within DOGE remain undisclosed, their presence at DOL has been confirmed by three current employees. None of the appointees have responded to inquiries regarding their positions, and White House DOGE spokeswoman Katie Miller has declined to comment on their appointments.
Collins’s Fertility Business and Pronatalist Connections
Collins and his wife, Brittany Collins, acquired the Pacific Fertility Center of Los Angeles in 2019. Collins served as president while his wife held the position of CEO before transitioning to executive chairman last year. Their connection to the fertility industry has raised further questions about the potential influence of pronatalist ideologies within government offices.
Collins’ brother, Malcolm Collins, and his wife, Simone Collins, are well-known advocates of the pronatalist movement. The couple has openly discussed their goal of having between seven and thirteen children while selecting embryos for desired traits. Simone Collins also previously held a leadership role at Dialog, an organization founded by a prominent investor. Past reports have suggested that individuals connected to this investor have been involved with DOGE.
Meanwhile, the Pacific Fertility Center has been the subject of legal disputes in California. Lawsuits have accused the clinic of underpaying employees and denying them mandated breaks. Amid the New Appointments at DOL, the company has denied any wrongdoing and alleged that one lawsuit was based on fabricated claims. Lawyers representing the clinic have indicated that a settlement may resolve the legal challenges, though no further details have been disclosed. Attorneys for the employees did not respond to requests for comment.
Controversies Surrounding DOGE and Labor Department Oversight
Marko Elez and Aram Moghaddassi have been at the center of additional controversies. Elez, previously employed at an artificial intelligence firm, resigned from DOGE last month after reports emerged of racist social media posts. However, within a day of his departure, he was reinstated following a social media post from a high-profile tech entrepreneur.
Moghaddassi, whose now-deleted LinkedIn profile listed experience at a social media company and a brain-interface startup, has also faced scrutiny. Following the recent election, he posted online about the excessive number of federal agencies. Though the account has since been taken offline, the post was archived and has continued to circulate.
Additionally, several labor unions have filed lawsuits against the administration over the new appointments at DOL and their access to government data. The lawsuits claim that DOGE’s reach into labor department records could lead to privacy violations and provide unfair advantages to certain businesses. Specifically, concerns have been raised over the office’s potential access to trade secrets and ongoing labor investigations involving major corporations. The administration has dismissed these concerns as unfounded, asserting that DOGE officials are subject to federal information security regulations.
