Overview
- On a podcast released Dec. 9, Elon Musk told host Katie Miller that DOGE was only “a little bit” successful and said he would not lead it again.
- Musk said he should have focused on his companies, pointing to backlash that included vandalism of Tesla vehicles during his government stint.
- OPM Director Scott Kupor told Reuters the initiative has been disbanded and no longer exists as a centralized entity despite an earlier mandate running into 2026.
- Independent reviews undercut DOGE’s savings claims, with Politico verifying about $1.4 billion against far larger totals boasted on the project’s site, and earlier New York Times reporting flagged dramatic revisions to ICE and USAID figures.
- The high-profile cost-cutting drive triggered sweeping agency disruptions, major workforce reductions and civil-service resignations, prompting legal challenges and sustained criticisms over transparency.