Elon Musk exits Trump administration: Here’s a look at his work at DOGE—tall $2 trillion cut promise, mass layoffs, more

Billionaire Elon Musk on May 28 announced that he is exiting the Donald Trump-led administration and stepping down from his role as head of the US Department of Government Efficiency, more commonly known as DOGE.

“As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President@realDonaldTrump 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,” Elon Musk wrote on X.

A White House official confirmed Elon Musk’s departure to Reuters and said that the billionaire’s “off-boarding will begin tonight.”

Elon Musk’s Tenure as DOGE Chief

As chief of DOGE, Elon Musk was a “special government employee” — people who join the US government for a short period of time to provide specialised expertise. As per US ethics laws, special government employees cannot serve for more than 130 days in a 365-day period.

So, Elon Musk’s role in the Donald Trump administration was always temporary, with a fixed term of 130 days, from January 20 to May 30.

For US government employees, Elon Musk’s DOGE was an upheaval machine. The turbulent times saw thousands of layoffs, complete department shutdowns, and reams of litigation, as per an AP report. Despite the noise, the accomplishments were far fewer than Elon Musk may have hoped, it added.

The report noted that the billionaire “struggled” in the unfamiliar environment of Washington and increasingly expressed frustration about resistance to his goals. He also dramatically reduced his target for cutting spending, from $2 trillion to $1 trillion to $150 billion.

What happens to DOGE? Who Succeeds Elon Musk?

There is no succession plan outlined at DOGE. In an earlier interview, Elon Musk joked: “DOGE is a way of life, like Buddhism. Buddha isn’t alive anymore. You wouldn’t ask the question: ‘Who would lead Buddhism?’”

Answering reporters in April when asked about Elon Musk stepping back from DOGE to focus on his companies, Donald Trump did not have a concrete answer either.

“I can’t tell you that. I will say this — a lot of the people working with DOGE are the secretaries, the heads of the various agencies, and they’ve learned a lot. And they’re dealing with the DOGE people. I think some of them may try to keep the DOGE people… At a certain point, I think it will end,” Donald Trump had said.

In an interview with the Washington Post ahead of the SpaceX launch on May 27, Elon Musk expressed frustration that DOGE had become a scapegoat for criticism.

“DOGE is just becoming the whipping boy for everything. Whenever something goes wrong anywhere, we get blamed even if we have nothing to do with it,” he said.

Elon Musk’s Time at DOGE — An Overview

• January 20: Elon Musk takes the helm of the Department of Government Efficiency or DOGE.
• February 1: US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent signs off on DOGE’s access to the Treasury payment system.
• February 1: Leaders at the US Agency for International Development (USAID), Director for Security John Vorhees and Deputy Director for Security Brian McGill, put on leave.
• February 3: Politico reported that DOGE is scrutinising national broadcasters NPR and PBS for alleged “liberal bias”.
• February 3: Multiple groups, including the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), sued the US Treasury for sharing confidential data with DOGE.
• February 4: The New York Times (NYT) reported that the Department of Education is under the DOGE review, with Donald Trump wanting to completely shut it down.
• Februuary 5: NYT reported that all USAID employees were put on paid leave from February 7, 2025.
• February 5: Energy Secretary Chris Wright granted a DOGE rep access to the Department’s IT system, CNN reported.
• February 6: The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that over 40,000 federal workers opted for voluntary retirement.
• February 7: Around 13 to 14 state attorneys general (mostly Democratic) filed a lawsuit to stop DOGE’s access to sensitive personal information.
• February 11: WSJ reports that Donald Trump signed an Executive Order giving DOGE more authority to reduce the size of the federal workforce.
• February 12: CNN reported that federal agency leaders had been directed to work with DOGE to prepare “large-scale layoffs”.
• February 13: Reuters reported that the US’s Internal Revenue Service (IRS) was under the DOGE scanner.
• February 14: DOGE laid off 1,200-2,000 workers at the Department of Energy, including employees at a power grid office, and 3,600 probationary Health and Human Services employees.
• February 15: Bloomberg reported that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) received a memo to immediately stop work connected to climate change.
• February 17: Reuters reported that DOGE fired US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) employees who were reviewing Musk’s brain implant company, Neuralink.
• February 18: USA Today reported that in a court filing, the White House said Musk is not in charge of DOGE, nor does he even work for DOGE, but is an advisor to Donald Trump.
• February 25: AP reported that almost 40 per cent of the federal contracts that were cancelled under cost-cutting will not save any money.
• February 27: Politico reported that a federal judge ordered Trump administration officials involved in DOGE to testify under oath in a lawsuit seeking to block DOGE’s access to sensitive government data.
• February 28: USA Today reported that the Department of Education’s HR offered employees $25,000 to quit by March 3.
• March 1: Reuters reported that DOGE fired civil servants who helped to build the IRS’s free tax-filing service and revamp government websites.
• March 8: CBS News reported that all employees in the HHS received a voluntary resignation offer for $25,000 payment, valid till March 14 to reply.
• March 26: The Guardian reported that DOGE had shut down the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS), an independent federal agency that works to prevent and resolve work stoppages and disputes in the public and private sectors.
• March 28: AP reported that a federal judge lifted an order blocking DOGE from further cuts at the USAID.
• April 3: HHS Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr said 20 per cent of 10,000 employees fired by DOGE will be rehired, according to a CBS News report.
• April 22: Elon Musk says he is stepping back from DOGE to focus more on companies from May 2025.
• April 30: CNBC reported that Elon Musk said DOGE has saved taxpayers $160 billion,  far less than his original projections.
• May 2: AP reported that the Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to clear the way for DOGE to access Social Security systems.
• May 9: CBS News reported that a judge temporarily barred the Trump administration from carrying out sweeping cuts and layoffs at over a dozen government agencies.