DOGE Days Are Over as Trump Disbands Elon Musk’s Federal Cost-Cutting Team

The Trump administration has officially shut down the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a controversial federal cost-cutting task force previously led by Elon Musk, despite the group still having months left in its mandate.

Reuters first reported over the weekend that DOGE had been dissolved, bringing an end to the months-long effort by Musk and his associates — many of whom were drawn from his private companies — to eliminate what they claimed was fraud, waste, and unnecessary federal staffing. DOGE was established through an executive order signed by President Trump in January and was expected to operate for nearly two years.

As of early November, “DOGE doesn’t exist,” said Scott Kupor, director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, the federal government’s central HR agency.

Kupor wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday that while DOGE “may not have centralized leadership” anymore under the U.S. Digital Service, “the principles of DOGE remain alive and well: de-regulation; eliminating fraud, waste and abuse; re-shaping the federal workforce; making efficiency a first-class citizen.”

Amy Gleason, named earlier this year as the “official” acting administrator of DOGE, posted a Doge meme on LinkedIn shortly after Kupor’s comments with the caption, “I’m alive.”

During its operation, DOGE claimed it saved taxpayers billions of dollars by cutting federal waste. Critics, however — including members of Congress — argue that the task force dismantled critical government programs without delivering measurable savings.

DOGE’s actions have also been linked to global humanitarian fallout, including countless deaths following the shutdown of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which had played a significant role in disaster relief and humanitarian assistance. Additionally, DOGE accessed several federal databases containing highly sensitive personal information on millions of Americans and was accused of substantial security lapses that exposed this data to potential adversaries.

Musk left DOGE earlier this year after a highly publicised falling-out with President Trump.

According to Politico, members of the now-defunct task force fear they could face federal charges in the future — especially without Musk’s involvement, which they believed could have helped secure presidential pardons if needed.

Some former DOGE staffers have since moved to other federal agencies, Reuters reported, while others have exited government entirely. Edward Coristine — known online by the nickname “Big Balls” — posted on X in June that he is “officially out” of DOGE.