Elon Musk to exit DOGE in May?
Tesla owner Elon Musk, the billionaire ally of US President Donald Trump, has indicated plans to step down from his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) role by May-end, after achieving the target of cutting US government spending by $1 trillion.
In an interview with Bret Baier of Fox News, Musk said that “he’s done with the cost-cutting initiative”, further adding that his team is reducing waste and fraud at a rate of ‘$4 billion a day’.
DOGE would bring total federal spending down to $6 trillion, which Musk insists will not affect critical services of the US government.
“I think we will accomplish most of the work required to reduce the deficit by a trillion dollars within [130 days],” said Musk, adding, “Unless this exercise is successful, the ship of America will sink.”
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Musk was appointed by Trump as a special advisor to lead DOGE’s aggressive push to cut government’s wasteful expenditure. Musk claims DOGE’s work, including workforce reductions, asset sales, and contract cancellations, saved $115 billion as of March 24.
“The government is not efficient, and there is a lot of waste and fraud, so we feel confident that a 15% reduction can be done without affecting any of the critical government services,” Musk said.
DOGE’s core team, including seven members—Aram Moghaddassi, Steve Davis, Brad Smith, Anthony Armstrong, Joe Gebbia, Tom Krause, and Tyler Hassen—has slashed costs across multiple federal agencies, shutting down the 10,000-employee USAID and cutting the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s workforce from 1,700 to near-zero.
“The critical programmes that people depend upon will work, and it’s going to be a fantastic future. And are we going to get a lot of complaints along the way? Absolutely.”
Musk shared his plan as Tesla faces mounting challenges and its shares fell by more than 5% last Monday as nationwide protests against it intensified.
“I’m stretched pretty thin. I have like 17 jobs,” Musk had admitted while speaking to Tesla employees, adding that the backlash against Tesla “feels like Armageddon” when watching media coverage.
“There are rocky moments, a little bit of stormy weather… But the future is incredibly bright and exciting, and we’re going to do things that no one has even dreamed of,” he added.
Musk’s aggressive cost-cutting measures have triggered a series of lawsuits accusing DOGE of overreach and privacy violations. Critics argue the department is dismantling essential government functions without legal authority. Musk and his team have dismissed these concerns. They argue that outdated record-keeping and payment systems are hindering efficiency and promise to implement more modern, tech-driven solutions.
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As the May deadline approaches, Musk remains defiant: “We are succeeding. Our goal is to reduce the waste and fraud by $4 billion a day, every day, seven days a week.”
“Our goal is to reduce the waste and fraud by $4 billion a day, every day, seven days a week. And so far, we are succeeding…Unless this exercise is successful, the ship of America will sink,” he added.
That could mean that Musk’s work of spearheading the DOGE operation could finish as soon as the end of May.
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