Elon Musk serves as top adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump after efforts to reduce and overhaul the federal bureaucracy.
His departure was announced Wednesday night, marking the end of a turbulent chapter that included thousands of layoffs, elimination of government agencies and litigation lawsuits. Despite the turmoil, the billionaire entrepreneur struggles in the unfamiliar environment of Washington, and his achievements are far less than he hopes.
He drew his target of reducing spending significantly, from $2 trillion to $1 trillion to $150 billion, and was frustrated with resisting his goal. Sometimes he clashes with other senior members of the Trump administration, who are shocked by the efforts of newcomers to reshape their departments and face a fierce political fightback for their efforts.
Musk's role at Trump has always been temporary, and he recently said he will turn his attention to running his own businesses, such as electric car maker Tesla and rocket company Spacex.
But government officials often vague about its ambiguity, of when Musk took a step back from his position to be responsible for government efficiency (called Doge), and he suddenly revealed that he would stay on his social media site X.
“As my scheduled time as a special government employee ends, I would like to thank President @realdonaldtrump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending,” he wrote. “The @doge mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life for the entire government.”
A White House official asked to talk about the change anonymously, confirming Musk's departure.
Criticism of the “Mass Spending Act”
Musk, who announced his decision a day after CBS released an interview, criticized the heart of Trump's legislative agenda, said he was “disappointed” by what the president called “big and beautiful Bill.”
Over the weekend, U.S. federal workers submitted five bullets to justify their work in the past week or on the achievement of termination. The initiative led by Elon Musk and his team at the Department of Administration Efficiency (DOGE) has Republican support, Democratic opposition and warnings, and warns of future legal challenges.
The legislation includes tax cuts and enhanced immigration enforcement. Musk described it as a “mass spending bill” that increased the federal deficit and “destroyed the Governor's work.”
“I think the bills could be big, or they could be pretty,” Musk said. “But I don't know if it can be both.”
Trump spoke in the Oval Office on Wednesday, defending his agenda about the delicate politics associated with legislative negotiations.
“I'm not happy with some aspects of it, but I'm excited about other aspects of it,” he said.
Trump also suggested that more changes could be made.
“We're going to see what happens,” he said. “There's still a way out.”
Republicans recently pushed the measure through the U.S. House of Representatives and debated in the U.S. Senate. Some Republican lawmakers shared Musk's concerns.
“I feel sympathy for Elon,” said Sen. Ron Johnson, Wisconsin.
Speaking at the Milwaukee News Club event on Wednesday, Johnson added that he had “enough opposition” to slow the process until our leadership president takes the reduction of spending seriously. He said Trump did not put pressure on him to change his position.
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson asked Senators to make as few changes to legislation as possible, saying House Republicans reached a “very delicate balance” that could be subverted with major changes. Once the Senate changes the bill, narrow-sense homes will have to vote again in the last paragraph.
On Wednesday, Johnson thanked Musk for his work and promised more spending cuts in the future, saying: “The house is eager and ready to take the Doge's findings.”
