Elon Musk’s plan to finish his job at the Government’s Department of Efficiency (DOGE) raises questions about the future of the cost-cutting push that defined his short but controversial tenure in the administration.
Musk revealed Tuesday that he will devote less time to Doge from next month as Tesla suffers from a blow to his work for Trump.
Doge’s general goals are widely shared among White House officials. White House officials are calling for significant cuts to the size of the federal workforce.
But with that informal leader taking a step back, Doge sits in a precarious position as it remains unclear whether the initiative has enough momentum to advance Musk’s ambitious goals in itself.
“Mask is driving this personally,” said Matt Calkins, CEO of software company Appian, who said, “I believe we’ve gathered people with similar attitudes, but there’s nothing like putting the captain on the boat.”
Musk serves in the administration as a “special government employee.” When asked last month if he would leave at the end of this period, the tech billionaire indicated that he had planned to put his work together.
“I think Musk has accomplished most of the work that was needed to reduce the deficit by $1 trillion within that time frame,” Musk told Fox News host Brett Bayer.
He confirmed his plan to finish his job with Doge on Tuesday with Tesla’s quarterly revenue call, but he suggested not leaving the administration entirely.
“My allocation of time to Doge will probably be significantly reduced next month, May,” Musk says. “I think I have to continue doing that, I have to continue doing that for the rest of my presidential term, so that waste and fraud don’t break.
Tesla’s CEO said spending one or two days a week on “government issues” will allow “to devote much more time to Tesla and establish a “Doge.”
The announcement came as a relief for investors in companies who see concerns rising as mask jobs in the Trump administration are becoming significantly more heavy in EV companies.
“The clock crashed in the middle of the night — he had to choose Tesla or Doge,” said Dan Ives, an analyst at Wedbush Securities. “The damage to a brand seen globally is that the only way it can end is if Mask takes a big step out of Doge and the Trump White House.”
“Doge took on a life of its own that even Elon thought was underestimated,” Ives added.
Tesla’s quarterly profit fell 71%, down from $1.4 billion to $409 million. EV companies’ shares have plummeted nearly 50% since December.
With its brands closely tied to musk, the company has become a target for frustration with high-tech billionaires and clumsy.
Doge has struggled to maintain public support as it moved rapidly to cut down the massive scope of government funding, and has often attracted attention and faced many lawsuits.
Musk himself has been named in several lawsuits, and while some challenge the legality of his influential role in the administration, the White House claims he is not the official leader of Doge.
Musk, who leaves Doge, said he feels pressure from the Trump team to create distance from Republicans and pressure on Musk from Tesla investors.
“He’s a hot button guy and Trump doesn’t want to own him,” they said. “The Republicans don’t want to own him. It seems like he has the convenience of having to pay attention to his business.”
“I think it was enough chatter to Republicans, Town Hall Conferences, Elon Musk, and what he’s doing, and the chaotic, sporadic nature actually bleed, and the members continued, “Why am I answering a question about a guy who doesn’t vote?”
“It permeates when you have to explain someone you don’t think a member is in political interest,” they added.
Musk is also in public and personally conflict with members of the Trump world.
Tensions between the tech billionaire and Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused Musk of failing to cut sufficient staff at the Department of State last month, according to the New York Times.
He also reportedly made a fierce exchange with Transport Secretary Shawn Duffy at the same meeting with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and air traffic controllers.
More recently, Musk cried out last week with Treasury Secretary Scott Becent in the White House in the President’s ears.
The tech billionaire restored Doj’s image last month and joined Beyer for an interview, claiming that he and his staff were careful and considerate of federal overhauls.
The interview also marked the first public release of some of the mask’s doge members embedded in various federal agencies throughout the administration.
As Calkins pointed out, they appear to primarily share the vision of the mask.
Tyler Hassen, one of Musk’s Doge staff, has been appointed deputy secretary for the Home Office’s Policy, Management and Budget. Last week, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgham gave Hassen an additional sweep authority to the agency.
Bulgham has signed an order that grants former oil executives the authority to “all necessary actions” to carry out “integration, unity and optimization” at the department and its offices.
However, according to Politico, another Doge staffer, Gavin Kliger, was recently kicked out of Bessent’s role in the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
“Even if it maintains the same spirit, it still softens [without Musk]Calkins added.
A senior White House official emphasized that Doge is an agency element and that final decisions on decisions belong to the agency head.
“Elon Musk was never the last one. He was not a decision maker in any of these agencies,” they said.
Officials explained that Doge is in “cruise control” and say the work will continue even if Musk pulls back his involvement.
“We can achieve more and more, and now we’re just starting out,” they added. “It’s very well integrated with the federal government and very integrated as a component of the White House.”
“Nothing will change when it comes to function, operation and doge goals,” the official continued.
Trump and others in the White House see the battle against bureaucracy as a core part of his agenda.
Republican strategist Chris Johnson has increasingly proposed that some of Doge’s efforts must move towards Congress. Some GOP lawmakers argued that the massive cuts that Doge is seeking would require a withdrawal package of spending passed by lawmakers.
“What they’re potentially used to, is that there are quite a lot of political runways, and now only political reality can’t last,” Johnson told Hill.
“If the president is serious about cutting spending, reducing waste and dealing with the federal embrace, it must happen through Congress,” he added.
Even if Musk retreated, another White House official dismissed the idea that this meant he was no longer a factor in the administration. Trump and Musk have close personal and political ties, and Musk is likely to still have Trump’s ears.
The president promoted Musk’s work on Wednesday, boosting Doge and his 2024 campaign. The tech billionaire spent more than $250 million on elections, but most of them supported Trump’s ground games in major swing states towards his super PAC.
“I can’t speak any individual any higher. He’s an incredible guy. He’s a great guy. He’s a great guy. He’s a great guy. And he’s been an incredible help in both the campaign and what he did with Doge,” Trump said.
“He helped this country and I want him to make sure he is in great condition,” he continued, “I told him. He’s an exceptional man.”
Brett Samuels and Alex Gangitano contributed to this report.
