Introduction

The Department of Government Efficiency is unique compared to other federal agencies. It is relatively new and not an official department. In January 2025, DOGE was created by Donald Trump’s executive order. Their main goal is to cut 1 trillion dollars from the federal budget, upgrade the government’s IT systems, and provide recommendations from an outside perspective. It’s important to note that unlike most advisory committees, DOGE is housed within the executive branch because the U.S. Digital Service will now be transformed into the DOGE’s control. Although highly controversial, DOGE believed that the Social Security Administration was incorrectly distributing its allocated funding. Even more interesting, the White House claims that neither Musk nor Ramaswamy is DOGE’s leader. Rather, Trump asked Elon to oversee the operations of DOGE. 

Elon Musk’s Term

After a 130-day term, Musk has decided to step down from his role in leading the DOGE. He claims to have saved the government $175 Billion during his term. His leave doesn’t come as a shock because this comes after weeks of Musk’s declining influence and increasing tension with Trump and shareholders of his own private companies. USA Today says “By some calculations, the workforce reduction efforts totaled more than 100,000 layoffs, though the Trump administration is facing ongoing legal challenges to the swift cuts.” The agencies affected by these layoffs include the Department of Veteran Affairs, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Internal Revenue Service, and more. This is detrimental to not just the workforce, but the lives of every American. For instance, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration(NOAA) is responsible for things like weather forecasting. These layoffs have left no one to cover the overnight shifts at the National Weather Service. Because it’s their role to issue warnings about any major weather events like tornadoes, hurricanes, and floods this can lead to delays or failures in warning signs. This puts lives at risk. 

Government Crackdown?

Well, why did Musk leave? As stated earlier, Musk was hired by Trump as a “special government employee”. These specific types of employees are only permitted to serve 130-day terms, which expired for Musk on May 30, 2025. In addition, Musk has publicly stated that his intention is to pivot back to his businesses. DOGE's claims of significant government savings were reportedly overstated and inaccurate, which may have contributed to a less impactful tenure than initially anticipated. His departure from DOGE leaves a lot of uncertainty. For instance, there have been many lawsuits filed against DOGE. Some lawsuits question the legality of Elon Musk's role as the head of DOGE, arguing that it violates the Appointments Clause of the Constitution. They claim that Musk is exercising significant government authority without the necessary Senate confirmation. It seems that the actions of DOGE cannot be reversed. 

The Road Ahead 

So who is leading DOGE now? According to NPR, the acting administrator of DOGE is Amy Gleason, a healthcare technology executive who served under Presidents Trump and Biden. The distinction between Gleason and Musk’s roles are currently unknown. It’s important to note that their timelines overlap. Musk was the advisor during the period where Gleason became the acting administrator. Despite legal challenges, concerns about impact, and other uncertainties, President Trump has not stated the future of DOGE. Some federal employees are hopeful that DOGE will lose power within the administration after its early push to slash funding and fire employees. Here is what we know: While the temporary organization was initially slated to end in July 2026, there are indications that its work could be transferred to individual agencies sooner. For instance, their work in streamlining government technology could be transferred to another federal agency. The work of DOGE could also lead to more Government-Private sector partnerships, such as other tech companies/leaders. John D. Donahue from Harvard’s Kennedy school says “The Department of Government Efficiency won’t be a department.” And that, in some ways, might be a good thing — allowing its more promising initiatives to be absorbed by permanent agencies without the baggage of DOGE’s controversial legacy, while also signaling a return to more traditional, accountable forms of governance. Take the work of DOGE as a cautionary tale for future efforts to control federal operations. DOGE’s rise and uncertain future show what happens when bold tech-driven visions clash with the need for stable, accountable governance. As DOGE moves into a post-Musk era, the lesson is clear: lasting reform can’t depend on celebrity leadership—it must be built on institutional trust and democratic principles.