Musk officially steps down from DOGE after wrapping work streamlining government
Musk was hired as a special government employee, which only permits 130 days of employment
By Emma Colton , Elizabeth Pritchett Fox News
Published May 28, 2025 8:45pm EDT | Updated May 28, 2025 8:48pm EDT
Elon Musk is beginning the process of stepping down from his role as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
The Tesla and SpaceX CEO posted on X on Wednesday night that his time as a special government employee is coming to an end and thanked President Donald Trump for the opportunity to cut down on wasteful spending.
"The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government," Musk wrote in his post. The White House confirmed to FOX that Musk's post is accurate and offboarding will begin Wednesday night.
Musk has been the public face of DOGE since Trump signed an executive order establishing the office on Jan. 20. DOGE has since ripped through federal government agencies in a quest to identify and end government overspending, corruption and fraud.
He was officially hired as a "special government employee," which is a role Congress created in 1962 that allows the executive or legislative branch to hire temporary employees for specific short-term initiatives.
Special government employees are permitted to work for the federal government for "no more than 130 days in a 365-day period," according to data from the Office of Government Ethics. Musk's 130-day timeframe, beginning on Inauguration Day, was set to run dry on May 30.
DOGE is a temporary cross-departmental organization that was established to slim down and streamline the federal government. The group itself will be dissolved on July 4, 2026, according to Trump's executive order.
Musk and Trump have both previously previewed that Musk's role was temporary and would end in the spring.
"You, technically, are a special government employee and you're supposed to be 130 days," Fox News' Bret Baier asked Musk during an exclusive interview with Musk and DOGE team members in April. "Are you going to continue past that or do you think that's what you're going to do?"
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