JUN 16, 2025 JLM 65°F 01:04 AM 06:04 PM EST
WATCH: Musk officially steps down from DOGE after wrapping work streamlining government

Musk was hired as a special government employee, which only permits 130 days of employment

Elon Musk is beginning the process of stepping down from his role as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO posted on X on Wednesday night that his time as a special government employee is coming to an end and thanked President Donald Trump for the opportunity to cut down on wasteful spending.

"The DOGE‬ mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government," Musk wrote in his post. The White House confirmed to FOX that Musk's post is accurate and offboarding will begin Wednesday night.

Musk has been the public face of DOGE since Trump signed an executive order establishing the office on Jan. 20. DOGE has since ripped through federal government agencies in a quest to identify and end government overspending, corruption and fraud.

He was officially hired as a "special government employee," which is a role Congress created in 1962 that allows the executive or legislative branch to hire temporary employees for specific short-term initiatives.

Special government employees are permitted to work for the federal government for "no more than 130 days in a 365-day period," according to data from the Office of Government Ethics. Musk's 130-day timeframe, beginning on Inauguration Day, was set to run dry on May 30.

DOGE is a temporary cross-departmental organization that was established to slim down and streamline the federal government. The group itself will be dissolved on July 4, 2026, according to Trump's executive order.

Musk and Trump have both previously previewed that Musk's role was temporary and would end in the spring.

"You, technically, are a special government employee and you're supposed to be 130 days," Fox News' Bret Baier asked Musk during an exclusive interview with Musk and DOGE team members in April. "Are you going to continue past that or do you think that's what you're going to do?" 

"I think we will have accomplished most of the work required to reduce the deficit by a trillion dollars within that timeframe," Musk responded. 

Trump hinted at Musk's departure in comments to reporters on March 31 when he was asked if he wants Musk to remain in a government role for longer than the predetermined 130 days.

"I think he's amazing. But I also think he's got a big company to run," Trump said in March. "And so at some point he's going to be going back."

"I'd keep him as long as I can keep him," Trump said. "He's a very talented guy. You know, I love very smart people. He's very smart. And he's done a good job," the president added. "DOGE is, we've found numbers that nobody can even believe."

More recently, Musk said during a Tesla earnings call on April 22 that he will take a step back from his work as DOGE's leader. 

Across Musk's tenure as a special government employee, Trump has praised the tech billionaire for his efforts to streamline the government and cut it of overspending, including during his first address to a joint session of Congress since his second inauguration.

"Thank you, Elon. He’s working very hard. He didn’t need this. He didn’t need this. Thank you very much. We appreciate it. Everybody here, even this side, appreciates it, I believe. They just don’t want to admit that," Trump said in March during his address, quipping that Democrats were even grateful for Musk's work at DOGE. 

Source: FOX News  PHOTO and VIDEO: Use according to Section 27 A

 

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