Topline
Elon Musk announced on Wednesday night that his stint as a “special government employee” heading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has come to an end, a month after the Tesla CEO informed the company’s shareholders that he would be cutting back on his work with the federal government and “allocating far more” time to running the car marker.
Elon Musk flashes his t-shirt that reads “DOGE” to the media as he walks on South Lawn of the White … More
Key Facts
In a post on X, Musk said: “As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President Donald Trump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending.”
The billionaire claimed the agency’s mission would “only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government.”
After taking office Trump signed an executive order to establish DOGE, and Musk was brought on as a “special government employee” to serve as the cost-cutting agency’s de facto head.
Special government employees are allowed to serve no longer than 130 days, which means Musk’s term would officially end on Thursday if he were appointed on Trump’s inauguration day.
Will Musk Continue Working With The Trump Administration?
While announcing his plan to scale back his involvement in the federal government last month, Musk had told Tesla’s investors that he could “continue to spend a day or two per week on government matters for as long as the President would like me to do so.” It is unclear if that still remains the plan, especially after Musk has come out and criticized the president’s signature policy agenda, which was passed by the House last week. Musk has not shared any details in follow up posts, but he retweeted one made by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard after she met the billionaire at her office. In her post Gabbard said the two of the discussed how we can best leverage cutting edge technological tools and public-private partnerships to increase innovation and ensure our nation’s security,” and made no mention of DOGE’s work.
What Do We Know About Musk’s Recent Criticism Of Trump’s Policies?
In an excerpt of an interview released on Tuesday night be CBS, Musk expressed his disappointment with President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful” bill passed by the House last week. The billionaire said he was “disappointed to see the massive spending bill, frankly, which increases the budget deficit, not just decreases it.” He also claimed that he bill, which is expected to add around $3 trillion to the federal deficit over the next decade, “undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing.” Musk then said he believes “a bill can be big or it can be beautiful, but I don’t know if it can be both,” before adding that it was his “personal opinion.” This was the most direct and public criticism by Musk of a signature Trump policy so far.
Further Reading
Musk ‘Disappointed’ With Trump’s Spending Bill—Says It Undermines DOGE’s Work (Forbes)
Elon Musk Gets $8 Billion Richer As Tesla Stock Rallies On ‘Mea Culpa’ —Despite Brutal Earnings (Forbes)
