President Donald Trump has hinted that it could be the end of the road for Elon Musk and DOGE as the advisory department lies on the brink of being dismantled.
Asked whether the Department of Government Efficiency would continue to operate without Musk, Trump began: “Well, I can’t tell you that... I can say this that, a lot of the people that are working with DOGE are the secretaries and heads of various agencies – and they’ve learned a lot and they’re dealing with the DOGE people.
“I think some of them may try and keep the DOGE people with them.
“But, at a certain point, I think it will end,” Trump told reporters during a press briefing in the Oval Office on Monday.
When DOGE was launched, it laid out an agenda wherein it would operate “outside of government” but would advise on layoffs within federal departments if it deemed certain personnel to be a “massive waste.”
DOGE has since overseen the removal of tens of thousands of government workers and frozen trillions of dollars in federal grant funding.
“At some point, he’s going to be going back. I’d keep him as long as I can keep him – he’s a very talented guy,” Trump told reporters during the huddle.
“You know I love very smart people. He’s very smart and he’s done a good job.”
According to its website, DOGE estimates it has saved U.S. taxpayers $140 billion as of April 1 – roughly $869.57 per taxpayer.
A former White House official recently disclosed to Fortune that Musk’s DOGE is undermining the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) technology and operations unit, creating a cluster of issues for millions of Americans trying to access their benefits.
“And at a most basic level, they can’t get through and they can’t get their benefits,” Julie Siegel, the former deputy federal chief operating officer at the Office of Management and Budget under Biden until January 2025, told the magazine.
On Friday, a federal appeals court lifted an order blocking DOGE from further slashes to the U.S. Agency for International Development, reports the Associated Press.
Meanwhile, Trump has praised Musk and his team’s “high IQ."
Trump has also condemned the attacks on Musk’s Tesla Inc. enterprise, stating, “He should not be treated that way. He’s done an incredible service for our country.”
The Independent contacted the White House and DOGE for comment.
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