As Elon Musk exits Washington, a new DOGE steps up.

Pending lawsuits against the Department of Government Efficiency. Key figures leaving. And a misalignment of DOGE and the Trump Administration. With the departure of Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk from DOGE, a wave of uncertainty has settled over the once high-profile program. 

Musk’s leave comes after a public separation with President Trump over the administration’s proposed spending bill—the “big, beautiful bill”—which Musk warned would “bankrupt America.” He furthered this disagreement by criticizing Trump’s tariff plan and alleging the appearance of Trump’s name in the Epstein files. 

Yet, the Trump administration has shown no sign of backing down. Officials are planning to significantly expand the program’s budget and grant it broader authority to identify and eliminate waste. This move would enable greater control and alignment of DOGE under Trump’s broader agenda, transforming DOGE from a loose initiative into a centralized unit within the executive office. 

The roots of these plans trace back to DOGE’s earliest days. The initiative emerged from a familiar story in American politics: candidates run for office on the promise of decreasing debt, yet, once in office, meaningful efforts to curb spending often stall. This reality reflected on the U.S economy. Despite repeated pledges from both parties, the federal deficit has continued to climb year after year, and expansions have often followed major spending bills.

Earlier efforts to address this crisis—most notably, the Budget Control Act of 2011—yielded mixed results, often leaving more work to be done. While some fiscal caps were imposed, Congress frequently circumvented them, and efforts to reduce the debt often failed to reach bipartisan support. Meanwhile, commissions like the Simpson-Bowles deficit panel proposed sweeping reforms, though similarly failed to gain enough traction. 

DOGE served as the difference. Instead of waiting for legislative agreement or congressional approval, the administration would use executive authority to identify and eliminate what it considered “waste, fraud, and abuse” across the federal government.

On January 20, 2025, the Trump administration reorganized and renamed the United States Digital Service to the Department of Government Efficiency, DOGE. However, while housed in the Executive Office of the President, DOGE is not an official government department. Instead, the organization operates as a presidential agency, giving counseling and recommendations to the president rather than wielding strong cabinet-level or statutory authority. While Amy Gleason is the official leader, Elon Musk, until recently, was the main driving force and coordinator for DOGE, functioning as the de facto leader. Under his influence, the agency’s recommendations often went straight to Trump and were swiftly enacted. 

To sidestep governmental bureaucracy, DOGE focused much of its attention on foreign aid. Reducing aid to Americans would likely incite greater scrutiny from the public, inaction from politicians, and lawsuits. So, targeting foreign aid, which lacks a strong political constituency and congressional representation, offered an easy opportunity for cuts. The targeting also aligned with the Trump administration’s focus on isolationist policies and an anti-woke agenda, which was frequently the cause. From smaller foreign aid agencies like the US Institute of Peace and the Millennium Challenge Corporation to larger ones like the United States Agency for International Development, over $60 billion was saved, according to the Trump administration. 

In addition to sweeping attacks on foreign aid, DOGE began trimming what it viewed as bloated domestic spending. Under the mission to “maximize governmental efficiency,” cuts of all sizes and statures were made. Federal funding for education grants, infrastructure repairs, housing assistance, and climate resilience programs saw sharp reductions. Programs assisting with rural hospitals, mental health services, and food assistance were slashed or consolidated. Government contracts, leases, and grants were terminated. And over 260,000 federal employees were fired. 

After 150 days in office, DOGE reports that they have saved $180 billion in cuts, though independent analysts argue that the number is closer to half. Richard Stern, a federal budget expert at the conservative Heritage Foundation, noted the downsizing as “unprecedented.”

As Musk steps out of office, the number is only going to increase, with key influence and access being given to DOGE. While Trump has downplayed the significance of the pair’s separation, he says that DOGE’s work is "not finished at all." 

Following a Supreme Court ruling, select DOGE staffers now have legal clearance to tap into vast stores of Social Security Administration data, including Social Security numbers, medical records, tax filings, and banking information. This also opens the door for algorithmic reviews and AI-led audits of programs, a theme previously seen in a DOGE-built tool to review veteran affairs, bypassing general oversight for faster, but more error-prone cuts. 

The agency has also gained a stronger foothold in the government. After Musk's split with Trump and eventual departure, several of Musk’s original appointees within DOGE transitioned from temporary government employees to full-time federal employees within spaces like the Treasury Department, the Office of Personnel Management, and the General Services Administration. Trump’s budget chief said that they function “almost like in-house consultants,” but with expanded authority and influence. 

DOGE has also benefited from a recent Supreme Court ruling that halted temporary transparency measures. By maintaining its classification as merely a presidential advisory body, the agency is currently exempt from FOIA requests. 

To account for these changes, the White House is proposing a significant increase in resources. For DOGE’s projected 2026 budget, the White House is requesting $90 million in funding, double its 2025 account. The White House has also asked for more full-time employees, expanding from 89 to 150 staffers in 2026.

With more power than ever, DOGE’s trajectory is one of permanence and evolution.