His 130 days are up.
Elon Musk is preparing to conclude his temporary role leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a position he’s held since President Donald Trump established the office earlier this year.
On Wednesday night, Musk announced via X that his tenure as a special government employee is wrapping up, expressing gratitude to President Trump for the opportunity to combat government inefficiency. “The @DOGE mission will only grow stronger over time as its principles become embedded across the federal government,” Musk posted. The White House later confirmed the statement and noted that Musk’s offboarding process would begin that evening.
DOGE was created through an executive order signed on January 20, with Musk appointed as a high-profile advisor to lead its efforts. The office has worked to uncover and eliminate wasteful federal spending, fraud, and bureaucratic redundancy. Musk was hired under the classification of a “special government employee,” a designation created by Congress in 1962 for short-term assignments. Such employees may only serve up to 130 days within a one-year period, a term that for Musk ends on May 30.
According to Trump’s executive order, DOGE is a temporary interagency task force that is scheduled to be dissolved by July 4, 2026. Both Trump and Musk had previously indicated that Musk’s involvement would be time-limited and focused on launching the initiative.
During an April interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier, Musk confirmed the short-term nature of his assignment. When asked whether he planned to continue beyond the 130-day window, Musk responded, “I believe we’ll have made enough progress to reduce the deficit by a trillion dollars within that period.”
Trump also addressed Musk’s limited role during remarks to the press on March 31. “He’s incredible, but he has major responsibilities with his companies,” Trump said. “I’d keep him longer if I could—he’s brilliant and has done excellent work. DOGE has uncovered inefficiencies no one imagined.”
Musk reiterated his plans to reduce involvement in DOGE during Tesla’s April 22 earnings call. “Beginning next month, I’ll significantly cut back my time with DOGE,” he said. “That said, I’ll likely continue supporting government efforts a day or two each week to ensure the progress we’ve made sticks. Waste and fraud will quickly return if not monitored.”
He added, “Now that DOGE is well-established, I’ll be shifting more of my focus back to Tesla.”
Despite his high-profile involvement, Musk’s role at DOGE has attracted criticism from Democrats and activist groups, some of whom have targeted Tesla’s stock and operations in protest.
Though Musk has been the public figurehead of DOGE, he does not hold a formal position within the United States DOGE Service, as clarified in a March court filing. Amy Gleason, DOGE’s acting administrator, wrote in a legal declaration that Musk is not part of the agency’s internal reporting structure. “Elon Musk does not work at USDS. I do not report to him, and he does not report to me. As far as I know, he is a Senior Advisor to the White House,” she stated.
Gleason, formerly with the U.S. Digital Service—established in 2014 by President Obama—now oversees the renamed DOGE service, which Trump reorganized through his January executive order.
According to a February court filing, Musk serves solely as a senior advisor to the president and holds no formal decision-making authority within the federal government.
