Elon Musk has officially announced his departure as the Biden administration’s government cost-cutting czar, marking the end of a turbulent tenure aimed at slashing federal spending and jobs.
In an X post, Musk confirmed that his term as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) will conclude on May 30, thanking President Donald Trump for the appointment and opportunity to “reduce wasteful spending.” His role as a Special Government Employee limited his service to a maximum of 130 days.
As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending.
The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 29, 2025
The billionaire entrepreneur admitted in an earlier interview with The Washington Post that efforts to streamline federal operations proved to be more difficult than anticipated, calling the bureaucracy in Washington “much worse” than expected. “It’s been an uphill battle trying to improve things in DC, to say the least,”
he said.
Created during Trump’s second term, DOGE — a department controversially named after the popular cryptocurrency — claimed it had saved American taxpayers $175 billion since January. However, multiple news outlets have challenged those figures, pointing to accounting discrepancies and inflated savings estimates. The figure also falls far short of Musk’s original goal to trim $2 trillion from the federal budget, later revised to $150 billion.
According to a Reuters report, DOGE has overseen cuts to roughly 260,000 federal jobs — about 12% of the total 2.3 million federal workforce — through layoffs, voluntary buyouts, and early retirement packages.
Despite the criticisms, Musk said in his X post that the mission of DOGE would
“only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government.”
However, legal troubles continue to mount. A federal judge recently allowed a lawsuit to move forward, alleging that Musk and the DOGE initiative overstepped constitutional boundaries. Filed by 14 U.S. states, the lawsuit accuses Musk of illegally accessing federal systems, terminating employees without due process, and interfering with agency contracts.
Additionally, Musk’s February remarks on law enforcement actions against Reddit users targeting DOGE employees sent Dogecoin soaring by 5%.
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