Politicians and think tanks offered analysis about the reported end of the Department of Government Efficiency.
U.S. Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor said “the principles of DOGE remain alive and well” in his agency, while confirming that it is no longer a “centralized entity.” Many interpreted this to mean that DOGE is dead.
“RIP DOGE. It was never going to amount to much more than a marketing gimmick without a president actually serious about cutting spending,” former Rep. Justin Amash wrote on X Sunday. “Only a president has the leverage to get Congress to cut, and this president—like all recent presidents—is interested only in spending more.”
“The most efficient thing DOGE has done,” the Lincoln Project wrote in response to the news.
Others piped in to imply that DOGE did not leave a legacy of saving federal dollars.
“[Tesla CEO] Elon Musk’s DOGE has effectively ceased to exist, despite having eight months left in its mandate, Reuters reported Sunday,” Republicans Against Trump wrote on X. “What did DOGE accomplish besides creating chaos and confusion?”
“DOGE saved no money, cost tens of thousands of people their jobs, decreased government efficiency, and actually led to death for people whose lives depended on certain medicines as well as food,” former presidential candidate Marianne Williamson wrote on X.
“I heard from someone close to him that Musk is actually regretful (he was high most of the time that was going on, after all). It was suggested to him that he should apologize to the nation,” Williamson added.
However, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) lamented that the department hadn’t yet reached its ultimate goal.
“DOGE fought the Swamp and the Swamp won,” he wrote on X.
During its tenure of less than a year, DOGE faced many obstacles. One lawsuit attempting to keep DOGE from accessing the Department of Labor’s data was ultimately dismissed, but another U.S. district judge ruled against the department accessing the Treasury, resulting in only four DOGE employees entering the department.
Musk, who founded DOGE as a senior adviser to President Donald Trump, resigned from his volunteer position at the department in May. He said shortly before resigning, “In the grand scheme of things, I think we’ve been effective. Not as effective as I like.”
DOGE CLOSES EIGHT MONTHS EARLY, BUT PRINCIPLES REMAIN ‘ALIVE AND WELL’
Musk has yet to comment on DOGE since Kupor’s statement.
DOGE initially aimed to accomplish all its work by July Fourth, 2026.