On Monday, 31 April 2025, President Donald Trump held a press conference in the Oval Office. During the meeting, the topic of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) came up and whether or not it would continue.
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The President, who recently claimed he'd like a third term, explained that he can’t give many details, but he does believe that at some point, the department will be dismantled. For the time being, Elon Musk, one of the President’s close advisors, is the head of DOGE. The tech guru has also responded to questions about the department and the role he plays as a ‘special government employee’.
President Donald Trump reveals DOGE will end
As reported by The Independent, President Donald Trump explained during a press conference that DOGE will eventually come to an end. When asked about the department, Trump said he ‘can’t tell’ the room whether or not DOGE would continue without Elon Musk but added:
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.
With all the talk about the Department of Government Efficiency, you may be wondering what it is. According to Newsweek, DOGE was first launched through an executive order the day after Donald Trump took office for his second presidency.
The department’s main goal is to ‘cut $1 trillion in federal spending within 18 months’. As previously mentioned, Elon Musk is currently the team leader, overseeing cost audits, agency consolidations, and digital overhauls across government departments.
According to The Independent, DOGE has ‘overseen the removal of tens of thousands of government workers and frozen trillions of dollars in federal grant funding’.
The DOGE website claims it has already saved American taxpayers $140 billion as of April 1 – roughly $869.57 per taxpayer.
As reported by Newsweek, DOGE is set to end on 4 July 2026. As Elon Musk is a ‘special government employee’, he can only be in office for a total of 130 days per calendar year under federal law. This means that Musk’s role will end in late May.
During the Monday press conference, President Trump was also asked if Elon Musk would still play a role in his presidency after his time is up. Trump said that ‘he’s going to be back’ and that he plans to ‘keep him as long as I can’.
You know I love very smart people. He’s very smart and he’s done a good job.
Elon Musk also addressed his role as DOGE leader
Elon Musk sat for an interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier to talk about his plans as DOGE leader. The Tesla CEO told Fox News that they want to ‘reduce the spending by 15 percent’.
We want to reduce the spending by eliminating waste and fraud, reduce the spending by 15 percent, which seems really quite achievable.
Musk was then asked by Bret Baier whether or not he would continue after his 130 days were up. Musk responded that he believes they will ‘accomplish most’ of the department’s goals within the given time frame.
I think we will have accomplished most of the work required to reduce the deficit by a trillion dollars within that time frame.
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Sources used:
The Independent: ‘Trump says Musk’s role with DOGE could be coming to an end’
Newsweek: ‘When Will Elon Musk Step Down From DOGE? What He's Said’
