Elon Musk is saying goodbye to DOGE.
The billionaire adviser to President Donald Trump, whose government-slashing initiative reshaped Washington over a whirlwind four months, on Wednesday confirmed his time as a “special government employee” was concluding soon.
“As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President [Trump] for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending,” Musksaid on X. “The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government.”
Musk and Trump have signaled for weeks that the DOGE chief would soon take a step back from the White House. Muskcommitted last month to drop his DOGE duties significantly and focus on his companies amid tumbling Tesla sales and stock prices.
“Special government employees” — Musk’s executive branch designation — are only allowed to work up to 130 days per year, a deadline that comes Friday, assuming Musk worked every day since Inauguration Day. Musk did not specify an exact end date, and a DOGE spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
Musk’s apparent departure comes a day after the billionairecriticized Republicans’ “big, beautiful bill,” slamming Trump’s landmark legislation for undermining DOGE’s spending cuts.
His secretive team’s unorthodox slash-and-burn tactics have sowed chaos across Washington and touched nearly every corner of the federal government. Although Trump has remained a fierce advocate of Musk, the Tesla CEO has clashed in recent months with several top administration officials.
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