The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been quietly dissolved, eight months before its charter was set to expire, according to reports citing the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). OPM Director Scott Kupor told Reuters that DOGE, the cost-cutting initiative led by billionaire Elon Musk that shaped the early months of President Donald Trump’s second term, “doesn’t exist,” noting that most of its functions have now been absorbed into OPM, the federal government’s human-resources agency.
Kupor said DOGE is no longer the “centralized entity” it was when Trump appointed Musk to lead the office in January.
Authorities Respond To Reports Of DOGE Shutdown
Hours after his comments to Reuters, Kupor appeared to distance himself from the framing of the story, though he did not dispute any factual points.
“The truth is – DOGE may not have centralized leadership under the [U.S. DOGE Service]. But 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,” he wrote on X.
He added that OPM and the Office of Management and Budget would work to “institutionalize” the reforms launched under DOGE.
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Elon Musk And DOGE
Musk’s collaboration with the Trump administration drew intense scrutiny, both for the level of access he received as a “special advisor” and for the scale of the cuts implemented across federal departments.
Under his direction, DOGE slashed federal grants, carried out mass dismissals of federal workers, shut down entire agencies, and canceled contracts. Musk also positioned staff throughout the government in pursuit of access to sensitive data, framing the effort as necessary to make the federal system more “efficient.”
Musk’s departure from government had long been anticipated. His 130-day contract as a special government employee expired on Friday, May 30. By the time he left, Musk had fallen far short of the $1 trillion target. DOGE’s website reports $214 billion in federal savings, but multiple investigations have found that the office inflated, revised, or exaggerated these figures.
Elon Musk Returns to the White House for State Dinner
Despite his public fallout with Trump earlier this year, Musk returned to the White House on Tuesday night for a state dinner honoring Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. It marked his first public appearance at the presidential residence since leaving the administration.
A video circulating on X showed Trump entering alongside First Lady Melania Trump and the Crown Prince. As he walked by, the President noticed Musk in the audience and briefly tapped him on the arm. Musk acknowledged the gesture with a short series of nods.
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
