The tech mogul spearheaded the DOGE task force aimed at reducing expenditures.
Elon Musk, the tech entrepreneur leading the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has announced his departure from his government role. This announcement follows reports of growing tension between Musk and President Donald Trump.
Trump created DOGE to identify and cut wasteful spending, aiming to make the federal government more responsive. Musk’s organization, while not a traditional federal agency, has overseen the elimination of grants and programs, as well as government job terminations. Trump has also utilized DOGE to dismantle the Department of Education and USAID.
“As my tenure as a Special Government Employee concludes, I want to thank President Trump for the chance to decrease wasteful expenditures,” Musk posted on X Wednesday evening.
“The DOGE mission will only become stronger as it becomes ingrained in government operations,” he added. The New York Times reports that special government employees are appointed to “provide important, yet limited, services to the government, either paid or unpaid, for a maximum of 130 days.”
A White House official, speaking anonymously to Reuters on Wednesday, confirmed Musk’s departure and stated that his “off-boarding will commence tonight.”
Musk recently expressed his dissatisfaction with Trump’s tax and spending bill, claiming it would increase the deficit and undermine DOGE’s objectives. He also mentioned last week his desire to reduce his political involvement, stating he has “done enough.”
Trump defended the bill passed by the House last week, although he acknowledged on Wednesday that he was “not happy about certain aspects.”
According to DOGE’s website, the task force estimates it has saved $175 billion in taxpayer money. Democrats have criticized the initiative, and some of its actions have been blocked by courts.
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