Tech billionaire Elon Musk has announced the end of his tenure at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). U.S President Donald Trump appointed Musk to co-lead the newly established DOGE after the 2024 U.S. presidential election.
DOGE was created to streamline federal operations by reducing bureaucracy, eliminating excessive regulations, cutting unnecessary expenditures, and restructuring federal agencies.
Musk held a role as a Special Government Employee, a temporary position limited to 130 workdays annually.
In a statement, Musk thanked the President for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending.
“As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President Trump 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,” Musk said.
Musk’s post came after he raised concerns about President Donald Trump’s sweeping tax and spending cuts package, stating in an interview with “CBS Sunday Morning” that he believes it would raise the US budget deficit and undercut efforts by DOGE.
“I was disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decreases it, and undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing,” he said in the interview.
“I think a bill can be big or it can be beautiful, but I don’t know if it can be both.”
Officials at the White House stated that Musk will start the offboarding process, which includes paperwork, on Wednesday night.
Elon Musk Criticizes Trump’s Bill
Musk’s departure came just a day after he criticized the main legislation to advance Trump’s agenda.
He expressed his disappointment towards Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” which includes tax cuts and stepped-up efforts to enforce immigration restrictions.
In an interview, Musk described the legislation as a massive spending bill that expands the federal deficit and undermines DOGE’s work.
“I think a bill can be big or it could be beautiful. But I don’t know if it could be both,” said Musk.
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DOGE Being Misused
In another interview with the Washington Post, Musk said DOGE was being unfairly blamed or punished for problems caused by others.
“DOGE is just becoming the whipping boy for everything. So, like, something bad would happen anywhere, and we would get blamed for it even if we had nothing to do with it,” he said.
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Trump Defends Bill
However, Trump defended the legislation but mentioned that additional changes or developments are likely to happen soon.
Trump said he is not happy with every part of the bill and that negotiations will occur regarding it.
“I’m not happy about certain aspects of it, but I’m thrilled by other aspects of it,” Trump said.
“We’re going to see what happens. It’s got a way to go.”
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