After his term as a special government employee expired, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, was no longer allowed to represent the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Efforts to reduce expenditure, government programs, and the federal workforce totaling $2 trillion have been underway under Musk’s leadership since January as head of DOGE.
Now that Musk is out of the picture, how will the Trump administration perceive DOGE?
Even though former DOGE personnel are now spreading across the Trump administration, there has been no indication that DOGE is being destroyed or that its initiatives would be undone. Plus, without going into detail, President Trump hinted that Musk may return in some form.
“Elon’s really not leaving,” Trump stated in his Friday remarks from the Oval Office. Since it is his child, he will vacillate between the two. A lot of things, in my opinion, will be happening with him. But in the annals of modern times, Elon’s devotion to the United States stands alone.
A May 26 post on DOGE’s website states that asset sales, contract cancellations, fraudulent payment cutbacks, and other cost-cutting measures have resulted in savings of around $175 billion. According to the website, it amounts to almost $1,086.96 in savings per taxpayer.
At the same time, Musk made it clear that DOGE would keep growing and is now an integral element of the federal government, even if he is leaving as a special employee.
In reality, this marks the beginning of DOGE, not its demise. On Friday, Musk said in the Oval Office that his tenure as a special government appointment had to come to a close. Time will only make the DOGE squad stronger. The impact of DOGE will only intensify. It reminds me of a Buddha figure, in a way. It’s so pervasive that it’s becoming a way of life in the government. And I’m convinced that in the long run, we’ll save $1 trillion while cutting $1 trillion in waste and fraud.
Following Musk’s resignation, the White House has stated that members of Trump’s Cabinet will continue to run DOGE.
During a press briefing on Thursday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt informed reporters that the president and every member of his cabinet are “the DOGE leaders” because the president is “wholly committed” to eliminating government waste, fraud, and abuse.
“The entire Cabinet understands the need to cut government waste, fraud and abuse,” added Leavitt. “And that is something that every Cabinet secretary is dedicated to in their own agency. This is why they were collaborating closely with Elon Musk. Additionally, they will maintain cooperation with the DOGE staff members who have been appointed as political appointees to each of these departments. Since many former DOGE personnel are now government officials or political appointees, we can be certain that the organization’s mission will live on.
According to a senior White House official who spoke with HeadlinesForever Digital earlier, DOGE is now ingrained in the federal government’s “DNA” and will carry on as before.
“The DOGE employees at their respective agency or department will be reporting to and executing the agenda of the president through the leadership of each agency or department head,” according to the source.