DOGE disbanded: Elon Musk’s Cost-Cutting Project Quietly Ended Ahead of Schedule
By ABC news
Washington, D.C. – The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), once promoted by President Donald Trump and initially led by Elon Musk, has disbanded eight months before its mandate expired, ending a high-profile effort to slash federal bureaucracy that officials now admit “doesn’t exist” as a centralized entity. The initiative, launched in January and extended through July 2026 by executive order, faded this summer despite Trump’s repeated claims that DOGE had saved tens of billions of dollars — figures experts say were never independently verifiable.
Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor said OPM has absorbed many DOGE functions and confirmed there is now “no target around reductions,” signaling a quiet retreat from DOGE’s more aggressive goals. White House spokesperson Liz Huston said Trump “continues to reduce waste,” but the administration has stopped publicly defending DOGE’s existence following Musk’s departure earlier this year after a feud with Trump.
DOGE’s early months drew enormous attention as Musk brandished a chainsaw at CPAC and declared the unit “the chainsaw for bureaucracy.” The department made dramatic moves to shrink agencies, redirect work, and impose hiring restrictions. But the administration provided no detailed public accounting of claimed savings, and DOGE’s visibility evaporated as staff shifted into new roles.
Several high-profile DOGE alumni now hold senior government positions: Zachary Terrell became CTO at Health and Human Services; Rachel Riley now leads the Office of Naval Research; Jeremy Lewin oversees foreign assistance at the State Department; and Joe Gebbia, now running the National Design Studio, has been tasked with overhauling federal website design.
Republican-led states such as Idaho and Florida are creating DOGE-inspired local entities, while the White House budget office has reassigned DOGE figure Scott Langmack to develop AI tools that identify regulations for elimination.