Highlights:
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DOGE, the Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency, dissolved eight months ahead of schedule.
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OPM chief confirms DOGE “doesn’t exist” as a centralized entity.
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Created under President Trump and co-led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.
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More than 200,000 federal employees laid off under DOGE’s restructuring programs.
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Senior DOGE officials reassigned across federal agencies after the shutdown.
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a federal reform office created by the Trump administration and jointly led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, has been dissolved months before its original mandate expired. The office, launched through an executive order on Trump’s first day in office, faced sustained public scrutiny, operational instability, and internal departures throughout 2025 before its quiet removal from the federal system.
With eight months remaining before its scheduled end date in July 2026, DOGE now appears to have been shut down without a formal announcement. The move brings to a close a turbulent period that reshaped federal staffing at unprecedented scale and generated intense political and legal debate.
Confirmation of the dissolution emerged indirectly earlier this month when Office of Personnel Management (OPM) director Scott Kupor told Reuters that DOGE “doesn’t exist” as a centralized entity. His statement confirmed longstanding speculation within Washington that the Musk-led office had already stopped functioning, even in the absence of a formal statement from the White House.
Musk’s Role in DOGE and the Office’s Rapid Decline
DOGE had been introduced as a central component of Trump’s federal overhaul strategy. The president assigned Musk, the tech billionaire and White House senior adviser, and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to lead what was described at launch as “large-scale structural reform” across federal operations. The department was promoted by Trump officials as a mechanism to reduce bureaucracy and streamline government services.
Despite Musk’s repeated public claims that DOGE operated with full transparency, the office became the focus of consistent criticism. Federal employees, labor groups, and policy analysts raised concerns over the department’s opaque practices. Reports noted that DOGE agents often declined to identify themselves during agency visits and offered minimal documentation explaining decisions that resulted in large-scale layoffs. Experts said the absence of transparency made it difficult to independently assess DOGE’s repeated assertions that its work saved taxpayers billions.
By mid-2025, DOGE’s internal challenges began to escalate. Rumors of its collapse intensified during the summer after Politico reported that staffers had packed personal belongings and bedding from DOGE headquarters. Many had reportedly been sleeping onsite since February. The outlet also noted that employees were seeking new housing following signs that the office was winding down.
The slowdown followed a public fallout between Trump and Musk, which created uncertainty among DOGE staff about potential legal exposure connected to the department’s reduction of federal roles.
Musk-Led DOGE Linked to Major Workforce Reductions
By May 2025, more than 200,000 federal workers had been laid off under DOGE operations, and approximately 75,000 employees had accepted buyouts. The scale of the changes was unlike any federal workforce shift in recent administrations.
Internal trust also deteriorated sharply. A former DOGE official told Politico that by mid-year, directives from supposed DOGE personnel were treated skeptically: “Now, if somebody from Doge… asked me to do something, I wouldn’t just blindly do it,” the official said. The comment reflected the widespread confusion that marked DOGE’s final phase.
While the administration has avoided commenting directly on DOGE’s end, Reuters reported that OPM has assumed many responsibilities previously handled by the Musk-guided office. Trump has also shifted to referencing DOGE in the past tense in public comments, and Musk’s departure from Washington in May contributed to speculation that the agency had already been abandoned.
Where Senior DOGE Leaders Moved After Musk’s Office Ended
Even as DOGE faded, its senior officials moved into new positions across government.
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Amy Gleason, DOGE’s acting administrator, became an adviser to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in March.
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Zachary Terrell was appointed chief technology officer at the Department of Health.
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Rachel Riley transitioned to head the Office of Naval Research.
One of the most visible reassignments was that of Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia, whom Trump tasked with improving federal website design. Following the shutdown, Gebbia launched initiatives supporting law enforcement recruitment in Washington, DC, and promoting the administration’s drug-pricing policies.
