Elon Musk is leaving the Donald Trump administration after a sweeping campaign to cut government spending. He eliminated several federal agencies but failed to deliver the promised savings. It is reported Reuters.
A White House representative confirmed Musk's dismissal from the government on May 28.
Musk took to his social media platform X to thank President Donald Trump. He stated, that his time as a special civil servant at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is coming to an end.
His departure was swift and unceremonious. He did not have a formal conversation with Trump before announcing his departure, according to a source familiar with the situation. The source added that the resignation was decided “at the senior staff level.”
Reasons for resignation
While the exact circumstances of his resignation are still unclear, Musk is leaving his position a day after criticizing Trump's tax bill, calling it too costly and a measure that would undermine his work at DOGE.
According to a source familiar with the situation, some senior White House officials, including Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, were particularly irked by the comments, and the White House was forced to convene Republican senators to reaffirm Trump's support for the package.
Although Musk remains close to the president, his departure came after a gradual but steady decline in his approval ratings.
Since Trump’s inauguration, the billionaire has quickly become a powerful force in his orbit: high-profile, unabashedly brash, and unfettered by traditional norms. At the Conservative Political Action Conference in February, he brandished a red metal chainsaw to thunderous applause. "This is a chainsaw for bureaucracy," he declared.
During the campaign, Musk claimed that DOGE could save at least $2 trillion in federal spending. DOGE currently estimates that its efforts have saved $175 billion, a figure that cannot be verified.
Musk has made no secret of his hostility toward federal employees and has said that eliminating the “COVID-era privilege” of remote work will trigger a “wave of voluntary layoffs.”
But some members of the administration grew wary of his tactics, the sources said. They eventually became more assertive in opposing his cuts, emboldened by Trump’s reminder in early March that personnel decisions rest with department secretaries, not Musk.
Opponents in the administration
Musk faced three of the most senior members of Trump's cabinet — Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant.
Musk has recently begun to hint that his tenure in government is coming to an end, while occasionally expressing frustration that he cannot cut spending more decisively.
During a Tesla conference call on April 22, he made it clear that he would significantly reduce his government work to focus on his business.
Inefficient DOGE
Musk’s 130-day mandate as a special government official in the Trump administration was set to end around May 30. The administration has said that DOGE’s efforts to restructure and downsize the federal government will continue.
Several cabinet ministers are already discussing with the White House how to proceed without further alienating Republicans in Congress. But even if department heads retain some DOGE infrastructure, they are likely to try to regain control over budgets and personnel, sources told Reuters.
According to a Reuters review of agency layoffs, Trump and DOGE have managed to cut nearly 12%, or 260, of the 2,3 million federal civil servants, largely through threats of layoffs and offers of early retirement.
At the same time, DOGE has faced a number of obstacles, with federal courts sometimes upholding reserve agencies shortly after DOGE took steps to dismantle them. In some cases, staff and funding cuts have led to increased costs and an exodus of scientific and technological talent.
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