Musk Steps down from Trump’s gov’t efficiency role after criticizing budget plan

Elon Musk has announced his departure from the Trump administration after playing a key role in a chaotic effort to downsize the US government, which resulted in the elimination of thousands of federal jobs.

In a message on his social media platform X, the wealthiest individual in the world expressed gratitude to Trump for the chance to oversee the Department of Government Efficiency, referred to as Doge.

According to the BBC, the White House started the process of “offboarding” Musk as a special government employee on Wednesday evening.

Although his position was temporary and his exit was anticipated, it follows a day after Musk voiced his criticism of the main legislative focus of Trump’s agenda.

“As my time as a Special Government Employee concludes, I want to extend my thanks to President @realDonaldTrump for the chance to help cut down on wasteful spending,” Musk shared on X.

“The @DOGE initiative will only grow stronger over time as it becomes ingrained in government operations.”

The tech mogul, originally from South Africa, was classified as a “special government employee,” which permitted him to hold a federal position for 130 days each year.

What exactly is Doge, and why is Musk stepping away? How significant have Elon Musk’s Doge cuts been?

Starting from Trump’s inauguration on January 20, he would reach that limit by late May.

However, his exit comes just a day after he expressed his “disappointment” regarding Trump’s budget proposal, which includes multi-trillion dollar tax cuts and increased defense spending.

In an interview with CBS, a partner of the BBC in the US, the SpaceX and Tesla CEO remarked that the “big, beautiful bill,” as Trump describes it, would lead to a rise in the federal deficit.

Musk also indicated that he believed it “undermines the efforts” of Doge.

“I believe a bill can be either big or beautiful,” Musk stated. “But I’m not sure it can be both.”

Musk, who had private disagreements with some officials at the cabinet level in Trump’s administration, initially committed to cutting “at least $2 trillion” from the federal budget, later reducing this goal to $150 billion.