Doge's time is over – its spirit lives on in the White House

Elon Musk's ambitious efficiency initiative, Doge, launched during Donald Trump's second presidential term, is reportedly concluding its operations. Established in January 2025 with the stated goal of reducing government expenditures through measures like staff reductions and the elimination of diversity programs and USAID, the project was mandated to cease after 18 months on July 4, 2026.

Musk, who led Doge, stepped back from direct involvement after a few months due to public disagreements with Trump. Despite his departure, he continued to support the project's core ideas, describing Doge as "a way of life, like Buddhism." The project's website, intended to track savings, has not been updated since January 1, 2026, and it remains unclear how employees have been working in recent months or what will happen now that the project has officially ended.

Politico reported that by November, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management had already absorbed several of the savings agency's duties. While Doge claimed to have saved $215 billion by November, a fraction of its $2 trillion target, a final report detailing the project's success is not planned. The Partnership for Public Service noted that Doge's radical proposals led to significant costs for the state, including expensive legal battles and layoffs that later required rehiring staff.

Despite the project's official end, former Doge employees continue to hold influential positions within the government. Jeremy Lewin, who oversaw the dismantling of USAID, is now a senior advisor to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The exact number of former Doge staff still in government roles is unknown, as their employment was never fully disclosed.

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Doge is a way of life, like Buddhism.