Billionaire and Tesla chief Elon Musk has stepped down from his function as head of the Division of Authorities Effectivity (DOGE), wherein he was charged with lowering federal spending, as he nears the utmost restrict for his tenure as a particular authorities adviser.
His departure comes simply after his first main public disagreement with President Donald Trump over the administration’s much-touted tax-and-spending budget bill, which was passed by the Republican-controlled US Home of Representatives on Could 22 by a single vote.
In a submit on X on Wednesday, Musk mentioned his time with the administration had “come to an finish”.
“I wish to thank President Donald Trump for the chance to scale back wasteful spending,” the SpaceX founder wrote.
As my scheduled time as a Particular Authorities Worker involves an finish, I wish to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the chance to scale back wasteful spending.
The @DOGE mission will solely strengthen over time because it turns into a lifestyle all through the federal government.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 29, 2025
Musk, who was appointed by Trump to guide DOGE, has seen his tenure within the White Home marred by controversy, particularly sparked by his try to dismantle the US Agency for International Development (USAID), an company devoted to distributing overseas support.
With Musk’s departure, what is going to change into of DOGE? And what legacy does the Tesla CEO go away behind?
How lengthy was Musk at DOGE?
Musk’s time period as a “particular authorities worker” within the Trump administration meant he was solely entitled to serve for 130 days in any 365-day interval, and is barred from utilizing authorities roles for any financial achieve.
Musk’s time period has lasted simply over 4 months, a number of days in need of the utmost authorized restrict.
In late April, Musk mentioned he would quickly shift his focus again to his personal enterprise enterprises and that his “time allocation” at DOGE would “drop considerably” beginning in Could.
Nevertheless, Musk did word that he would spend “a day or two per week on authorities issues for so long as the President would really like me to take action, so long as it’s helpful”.
Why does Musk disagree with Trump’s tax-and-spending invoice?
In a clip from an interview with information channel CBS’s Sunday Morning programme, launched on Tuesday, Musk revealed he was “dissatisfied to see the huge spending invoice”.
In keeping with him, the wide-ranging funds invoice, also referred to as the “One Large Lovely Invoice”, will increase the funds deficit and undermines his work at DOGE.
“I feel a invoice may be large or it may be lovely. However I don’t know if it may be each. My private opinion,” Musk informed journalist David Pogue.
On Wednesday, Trump staunchly defended the invoice. “We might be negotiating that invoice, and I’m not joyful about sure features of it, however I’m thrilled by different features of it,” Trump informed reporters on the White Home. “That’s the way in which they go.”
The funds invoice spans greater than a thousand pages and descriptions numerous home coverage objectives favoured by the Trump administration.
Amongst its provisions are measures that extend tax cuts launched throughout Trump’s first presidential time period in 2017. The invoice additionally boosts funding for Trump’s proposed “mass deportation” initiative and for safety alongside the US-Mexico border.
The disagreement over the tax-and-spending invoice was considered one of a number of challenges Musk has encountered throughout his time on the White Home.
What else has Musk disagreed with the Trump administration about?
Musk ran afoul of a number of Trump officers throughout his stint on the White Home, together with the president’s chief commerce adviser, Peter Navarro, whom he known as a “moron” over Trump’s sweeping enhance in commerce tariffs throughout the globe. Musk has additionally stated publicly that he could be extra in favour of “predictable tariff constructions”, along with “free commerce and decrease tariffs”.
In April, the SpaceX founder expressed hopes for “a zero-tariff situation” between the US and Europe. As a substitute, Trump has threatened to impose a 50 % tariff on imported items from the European Union until the 2 sides can conform to a commerce deal.
What’s going to occur to DOGE now?
Trump established DOGE by govt order the day he was sworn into workplace on January 20. With Musk’s departure, it’s unclear what destiny awaits the company, as Trump has but to nominate anybody to interchange him.
Musk was given a mandate to scale back federal funding, which included downsizing the federal government’s workforce, terminating authorities contracts and trying to close down entire agencies. In February, he and Trump each claimed that they had unearthed billions of {dollars} price of fraud associated to range and local weather schemes throughout the authorities. This was proved to be largely untrue or misleading.
In his submit on Wednesday, Musk mentioned: “The DOGE mission will solely strengthen over time because it turns into a lifestyle all through the federal government.”
Nevertheless, Colleen Graffy, a former US diplomat and professor of regulation at Pepperdine College in California, mentioned DOGE’s future was on shaky floor. “The ability of DOGE got here from the world’s richest man, Musk, having the ear of the world’s strongest particular person, Trump,” she informed Al Jazeera. “DOGE will seemingly battle alongside for some time, however with out Musk, and with pending court docket instances towards it, its days are numbered. It might be a poisoned chalice appointment for anybody to take. Trump’s tax cuts will dwarf any financial savings.”
What’s going to Musk’s DOGE legacy be?
Musk’s function within the Trump administration has sparked a considerable amount of controversy.
He has overseen major reductions within the variety of federal staff and the dismantling of multiple government-funded programmes – strikes which have drawn widespread criticism.
“Elon Musk’s DOGE was like considered one of his rockets exploding quickly after liftoff, thereby demonstrating how to not do issues,” Graffy informed Al Jazeera.
“The distinction is that for one, the training expertise is paid in cash; for the opposite, the value is paid in human lives,” she added.
A serious level of criticism directed at Trump and Musk centred on their resolution to severely cut back USAID’s operations.
By late February, the principle workplaces of the company in Washington, DC, had been primarily shut down.
Following the dismissal of roughly 1,600 staff and the location of roughly 4,700 extra on go away, workers got simply quarter-hour to assemble their belongings and exit the constructing.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio later revealed that 83 % of all contracts managed by USAID had been closed.
In March, a federal decide in Maryland said that DOGE had “likely violated” the US Structure by trying to dismantle the company. The decide authorised a short lived injunction to cease DOGE from continuing with USAID-related workers reductions, constructing closures, contract terminations, or the destruction of USAID supplies.
Lisa Gilbert, co-president of Public Citizen, a client rights advocacy group, described DOGE as a “mantra of destruction”.
“The legacy of Elon Musk is misplaced livelihoods for vital authorities staff, hindered American training, lack of funding for scientists and the violation of Individuals’ private privateness, all within the service of corrupt tech-bro billionaire particular pursuits,” she informed Al Jazeera.
“The carnage is much more horrifying internationally, as Musk’s chainsaw will result in the pointless and unnecessary deaths of seemingly hundreds of thousands of individuals within the creating world.”
Max Yoeli, senior analysis fellow within the US and the Americas Programme at Chatham Home, mentioned Musk’s temporary tenure has “irrevocably altered US authorities”.
“DOGE’s weakening of state capability and disruption of America’s analysis and growth ecosystem pose lasting dangers to US financial prospects and resilience, at the same time as courts nonetheless grapple with authorized points his strategy raised,” Yoeli informed Al Jazeera.
