4 days Ago
Writing in a message on his social platform X, Musk thanked President Donald Trump for giving him the chance to "lead Doge", saying that although his "official term is over" the mission to "accelerate the federal government's move to a more effects-oriented meritocracy" would go on.
Exit Comes After Criticism on Budget
Musk's departure was anticipated, as special government employees are limited to 130 work days in a year. But the timing is interesting—it came just one day after Musk publicly ridiculed Trump's massive budget bill, complete with huge tax cuts and enormous defense spending hikes.
Musk spoke with disappointment in the interview, calling the bill harmful to the federal deficit and that it "undermines the work" that Doge has done. "A budget bill can be 'big' or 'beautiful,'" he said, "but I doubt it can be both," taking a dig at Trump's characterization of the legislation as the "big, beautiful bill."
Doge's Impact and Future
No detailed breakdown has been released, but Musk claimed Doge had "contributed to the elimination of thousands of jobs for the federal government as part of our cost-cutting efforts". It was conceived as a response to bureaucratic inefficiency and waste.
Musk, who is also CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, finished his post with:
The @DOGE mission will only expand its hold over time as it becomes integrated into the culture of the entire government.
The White House started the offboarding process Wednesday night, but officials said Musk's departure was always part of their plan.
