WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Trump administration’s splashy experiment in “cutting waste and fraud” — The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has effectively vanished.
Office of Personnel Management (OPM) director Scott Kupor confirmed in an interview that DOGE “doesn’t exist” as a centralized entity anymore, even though it’s charter was supposed to run until July 2026. Many of its remaining functions have been folded or absorbed by OPM and other agencies.
A surprisingly quiet end for a project launched with big promises and media attention. Led by Elon Musk and backed by Donald Trump (before their very messy break-up where the two exchanged social posts demonizing each other) pitched a way to save up to $1 trillion by firing workers and canceling contracts. It seems the promise of a DOGE check to the American people may be under water.
From “cutting waste” to cutting watchdogs
From the beginning, critics argued that DOGE was less about efficiency and more about power and protection for Musk’s business empire.
Key points from congressional reports, watchdog groups, and major outlets:
Agencies that had been investigating or regulating Musk’s companies — from auto safety to finance and environmental rules — were among the ones hit hardest by DOGE-driven cuts and Trump personnel purges.
A House fact sheet documented that “several federal agencies that were investigating Elon Musk’s companies became early targets” of DOGE and Trump’s downsizing push.
A Senate investigative memo found that before Trump’s second term, Musk’s companies faced billions in potential liability from enforcement actions. Many of those cases were later stalled, narrowed, or dropped as DOGE and Trump appointees reshaped agencies.
Watchdog groups like Public Citizen and POGO argued DOGE created glaring conflicts of interest: Musk was both a major federal contractor (SpaceX, Tesla, Starlink, etc.) and a “special government employee” with sway over agencies that oversee those same companies.
A conveniently and quietly timed exit after months of restless coverage can only let people speculate the effectiveness of DOGE, and the absolute blessing of Musk’s legal inquiries essentially buried.