Billionaire and world’s richest person, Elon Musk, on May 28 announced he is exiting the Donald Trump-led administration, and leaving as head of the US Department of Government Efficiency, more commonly known as DOGE.
“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 spendingm. The DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government,” Elon Musk wrote on X.
A White House official confirmed Elon Musk’s departure to Reuters and said that the billionaire’s “off-boarding will begin tonight.”
Elon Musk’s Tenure as DOGE Chief
As chief of DOGE, Elon Musk was a “special government employee” — people who join the US government for a short period of time to provide specialised expertise. As per US ethics laws, special government employees cannot serve for more than 130 days in a 365-day period.
So, Elon Musk’s role in the Donald Trump administration was always temporary, with a fixed term of 130 days — from January 20 to May 30.
For US government employee’s, Elon Musk’s DOGE was an upheaval machine. The turbulent times saw thousands of layoffs, complete department shutdowns, and reams of litigation, as per an AP report. Despite the noise, the accomplishments were far few than Elon Musk may have hoped, it added.
The report noted that the billionaire “struggled” in the unfamiliar environment of Washington and increasingly expressed frustration about resistance to his goals. He also dramatically reduced his target for cutting spending — from $2 trillion to $1 trillion to $150 billion.
What happens to DOGE? Who Succeeds Elon Musk?
There is no succession plan outlined at DOGE. In an earlier interview, Elon Musk joked: “DOGE is a way of life, like Buddhism. Buddha isn’t alive anymore. You wouldn’t ask the question: ‘Who would lead Buddhism?’”
Answering reporters in April when asked about Elon Musk stepping back from DOGE to focus on his companies, Donald Trump did not have a concrete answer either. “I can’t tell you that. I will say this — a lot of the people working with DOGE are the secretaries, the heads of the various agencies, and they’ve learned a lot. And they’re dealing with the DOGE people. I think some of them may try to keep the DOGE people… At a certain point, I think it will end,” Donald Trump had said.
In an interview with the Washington Post ahead of the SpaceX launch on May 27 (which exploded), Elon Musk expressed frustration that DOGE, had become a scapegoat for criticism. “DOGE is just becoming the whipping boy for everything. Whenever something goes wrong anywhere, we get blamed even if we have nothing to do with it,” he said.
Elon Musk’s time at DOGE — An Overview
- January 20: Elon Musk takes helm of the Department of Government Efficiency or DOGE.
- February 1: US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent signs off on DOGE’s access to Treasury payment system.
- February 1: Leaders at the US Agency for International Development (USAID), Director for Security John Vorhees and Deputy Director for Security Brian McGill, put on leave.
- February 3: Politico reports that DOGE is scrutinising national broadcasters NPR and PBS for alleged “liberal bias”.
- February 3: Multiple groups, including the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), sue the US Treasury for sharing confidential data with DOGE.
- February 4: New York Times (NYT) reports that Department of Education is under DOGE review, with Donald Trump wanting to completely shut it down.
- Februuary 5: NYT reported that all USAID employees were put on paid leave from February 7, 2025.
- February 5: Energy Secretary Chris Wright granted a DOGE rep access to the Department’s IT system, CNN reported.
- February 6: Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reports that over 40,000 federal workers opt for voluntary retirement.
- February 7: Around 13 to 14 state attorneys general (mostly Democratic) file a lawsuit to stop DOGE’s access to sensitive personal information.
- February 11, WSJ reports that Donald Trump signed an Executive Order giving DOGE more authority to reduce the size of the federal workforce.
- February 12: CNN reports that federal agency leaders have been directed to work with DOGE to prepare “large-scale layoffs”.
- February 13: Reuters reports that the US’ Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in now under DOGE scanner.
- February 14: DOGE lays off 1,200-2,000 workers at the Department of Energy, including employees at a power grid office; and 3,600 probationary Health and Human Services employees.
- February 15: Bloomberg reports that Department of Homeland Security get memo to immediately stop to work connected to climate change.
- February 17: Reuters reported that DOGE fired US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) employees who were reviewing Musk’s brain implant company Neuralink.
- February 18: USA Today reports that in a court filing, the White House said Musk isn’t in charge of DOGE ‒ nor does he even work for DOGE, but is an advisor to Donald Trump.
- February 25: AP reports that almost 40 per cent of the federal contracts cancelled under cost cutting, will not save any money.
- February 27: Politico reports that a federal judge has ordered Trump administration officials involved in DOGE to testify under oath in a lawsuit seeking to block DOGE’s access to sensitive government data.
- February 28: USA Today reports that Department of Education’s HR offered employees $25,000 to quit by March 3.
- March 1: Reuters reports that DOGE has fired civil servants who helped to build the IRS’ free tax-filing service and revamp govt websites.
- March 8: CBS News reports that all employees in the HHS recieve voluntarily resignation offer for $25,000 payment, valid till March 14 to reply.
- March 26: Guardian reports that DOGE has hut down the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS), an independent federal agency that works to prevent and resolve work stoppages and disputes in the public and private sector.
- March 28: AP reports a federal judge lifted an order blocking DOGE from further cuts at the USAID.
- April 3: HHS Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, says 20 per cent of 10,000 employees fired by DOGE will be rehired, according to a CBS News report.
- April 22: Elon Musk says he is stepping back from DOGE to focus more on companies from May 2025.
- April 30: CNBC reports that Elon Musk said DOGE has saved taxpayers $160 billion — far less than his original projections.
- May 2: AP reports that Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to clear the way for DOGE to access Social Security systems.
- May 9: CBS News reports that a judge temporarily barred the Trump administration from carrying out sweeping cuts and layoffs at over a dozen government agencies.
(With inputs from Agencies)
