WASHINGTON, MAY 29 : Elon Musk is leaving his government role as a top adviser to President Donald Trump after spearheading efforts to reduce and overhaul the federal bureaucracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His departure, announced Wednesday evening, marks the end of a turbulent chapter that included thousands of layoffs, the evisceration of government agencies and reams of litigation. Despite the upheaval, the billionaire entrepreneur struggled in the unfamiliar environment of Washington, and he accomplished far less than he hoped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He dramatically reduced his target for cutting spending \u2014 from $2 trillion to $1 trillion to $150 billion \u2014 and increasingly expressed frustration about resistance to his goals. Sometimes he clashed with other top members of Trump’s administration, who chafed at the newcomer’s efforts to reshape their departments, and he faced fierce political blowback for his efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Musk’s role working for Trump was always intended to be temporary, and he had recently signaled that he would be shifting his attention back to running his businesses, such as the electric automaker Tesla and the rocket company SpaceX.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But administration officials were often vague about when Musk would step back from his position spearheading the Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE, and he abruptly revealed that he was leaving in a post on X, his social media website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAs my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending,\u201d he wrote. \u201cThe @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A White House official, who requested anonymity to talk about the change, confirmed Musk’s departure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Musk announced his decision one day after CBS released part of an interview in which he criticized the centerpiece of Trump\u2019s legislative agenda by saying he was \u201cdisappointed\u201d by what the president calls his \u201cbig beautiful bill.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The legislation includes a mix of tax cuts and enhanced immigration enforcement. Musk described it as a \u201cmassive spending bill\u201d that increases the federal deficit and \u201cundermines the work\u201d of his Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think a bill can be big or it could be beautiful,\u201d Musk said. \u201cBut I don\u2019t know if it could be both.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump, speaking in the Oval Office on Wednesday, defended his agenda by talking about the delicate politics involved with negotiating the legislation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m not happy about certain aspects of it, but I\u2019m thrilled by other aspects of it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump also suggested that more changes could be made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to see what happens,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s got a way to go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Republicans recently pushed the measure through the House and are debating it in the Senate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Musk’s concerns are shared by some Republican lawmakers. \u201cI sympathize with Elon being discouraged,\u201d said Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking at a Milwaukee Press Club event on Wednesday, Johnson added that he was \u201cpretty confident\u201d there was enough opposition \u201cto slow this process down until the president, our leadership, gets serious\u201d about reducing spending. He said there was no amount of pressure Trump could put on him to change his position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaker Mike Johnson has asked senators to make as few changes to the legislation as possible, saying that House Republicans reached a \u201cvery delicate balance\u201d that could be upended with major changes. The narrowly divided House will have to vote again on final passage once the Senate alters the bill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Wednesday, Johnson thanked Musk for his work and promised to pursue more spending cuts in the future, saying \u201cthe House is eager and ready to act on DOGE\u2019s findings.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The White House is sending some proposed rescissions, a mechanism used to cancel previously authorized spending, to Capitol Hill to solidify some of DOGE\u2019s cuts. A spokesperson for the Office of Management and Budget said the package will include $1.1 billion from the Corporation of Public Broadcasting, which funds NPR and PBS, and $8.3 billion in foreign assistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Musk occasionally seemed chastened by his experience working in government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe federal bureaucracy situation is much worse than I realized,\u201d he told The Washington Post. \u201cI thought there were problems, but it sure is an uphill battle trying to improve things in D.C., to say the least.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He also recently said that he’ll reduce his political spending, because \u201cI think I\u2019ve done enough.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Musk had previously been energized by the opportunity to reshape Washington. After putting at least $250 million behind Trump’s candidacy, he wore campaign hats in the White House, held his own campaign rallies, and talked about excessive spending as an existential crisis. He often tended to be effusive in his praise of Trump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe more I\u2019ve gotten to know President Trump, the more I like the guy,\u201d Musk said in February. \u201cFrankly, I love him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump repaid the favor, describing Musk as \u201ca truly great American.\u201d When Tesla faced declining sales, he turned the White House driveway into a makeshift showroom to illustrate his support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It’s unclear what, if any, impact that Musk’s comments about the bill would have on the legislative debate, especially given his departure from the administration. During the transition period, when his influence was on the rise, he helped whip up opposition to a spending measure as the country stood on the brink of a federal government shutdown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His latest criticism could embolden Republicans who want bigger spending cuts. Republican Utah Sen. Mike Lee reposted a Fox News story about Musk’s interview while also adding his own take on the measure, saying there was \u201cstill time to fix it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe Senate version will be more aggressive,\u201d Lee said. \u201cIt can, it must, and it will be. Or it won\u2019t pass.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Only two Republicans \u2014 Reps. Warren Davidson of Ohio and Thomas Massie of Kentucky \u2014 voted against the bill when the House took up the measure last week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Davidson took note of Musk\u2019s comments on social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHopefully, the Senate will succeed with the Big Beautiful Bill where the House missed the moment,\u201d he wrote. \u201cDon\u2019t hope someone else will cut deficits someday, know it has been done this Congress.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Congressional Budget Office, in a preliminary estimate, said the tax provisions would increase federal deficits by $3.8 trillion over the decade, while the changes to Medicaid, food stamps and other services would reduce spending by slightly more than $1 trillion over the same period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
House Republican leaders say increased economic growth would allow the bill to be deficit-neutral or deficit-reducing, but outside watchdogs are skeptical. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimates the bill would add $3 trillion to the debt, including interest, over the next decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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