President Donald Trump shared an update on the future of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) after its chief architect, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, revealed last week that he plans to step down from his role as a special government employee by the end of May.
The Context
Musk is a special government employee, a category for temporary federal workers who are only supposed to work 130 days out of 365 in their roles.
On Thursday, he told Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier that he believes he can complete DOGE’s stated goal of slashing $1 trillion in government spending “within that time frame,” which would be by the end of May.
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What To Know
“Is DOGE going to keep operating even without Elon here?” a reporter asked Trump at the Oval Office on Monday.
“Well, I can’t tell you that,” Trump replied. “I can say this, that a lot of the people working with DOGE are the secretaries, the heads of the various agencies, and they’ve learned a lot.”
“They’re dealing with the DOGE people,” Trump added. “I think some of them may try and keep the DOGE people with them, but you know, at a certain point, I think it will end.”
Reporter: Is DOGE going keep operating even without Elon Musk?
Trump: I can’t tell you that. I will say this a lot of the people working with doge are the secretaries, the heads of the various agencies, and they’ve learned a lot. And they’re dealing with the doge people. I think… pic.twitter.com/O4ymDc0YrC
— Acyn (@Acyn) March 31, 2025
Musk and DOGE have drawn sharp scrutiny over their wrecking-ball approach to slashing the federal government workforce, which includes fully dismantling some congressionally approved agencies.
Their work made them the targets of a flurry of lawsuits filed by fired federal workers, advocacy groups and unions, who accuse Musk and DOGE of violating the Constitution because Musk is not a Senate-confirmed official.
DOGE has also been sued over its access to sensitive financial and personal data of millions of Americans across government agencies, though federal judges have imposed limits on or blocked off that access in some cases.
Musk’s electric vehicle company, Tesla, has also been targeted by protesters who oppose his high-profile role in leading the Trump administration’s government cost-cutting initiatives.
Tesla showrooms and factories across the country have been inundated with protests over the last few months and there have been multiple reports of people vandalizing, firebombing and otherwise damaging Tesla vehicles.
Last week, the FBI launched a task force it said will “crack down on violent Tesla attacks.” FBI Director Kash Patel also characterized the incidents as “domestic terrorism,” adding that “those responsible will be pursued, caught, and brought to justice.”
Days later, anti-Musk protesters participated in a “global day of action” across 200 Tesla showrooms and called on Americans to dump their Tesla stock to “tank” the company’s value.
Tesla lost more than one-third of its value over the first quarter and Musk’s own net worth has plunged by roughly $121 billion since December.
What People Are Saying
Musk said in Wisconsin over the weekend: “It’s costing me a lot to be in this job. What they’re trying to do is put massive pressure on me, and Tesla, I guess, to stop doing this. My Tesla stock and the stock of everyone who holds Tesla has gone in half. It’s a big deal.”
What Happens Next
Musk and his DOGE employees are forging ahead in the months leading up to when he’ll step down from his role as a special government employee. Most recently, the SpaceX CEO announced that he’s setting his sights on members of Congress who he said are “strangely wealthy.”
“It doesn’t go directly, but let’s just say that there’s a lot of strangely wealthy members of Congress where I’m trying to connect the dots of, ‘How do they become rich?'” Musk said at a town hall in Wisconsin, where he was stumping for conservative candidates for the state’s Supreme Court.
Update 3/31/25 8:11 p.m. ET: This story has been updated with additional information and context.
