News Brief
Donald Trump and Elon Musk
Elon Musk has confirmed that his role as a special government employee in President Donald Trump’s administration is coming to an end, marking a conclusion to a brief but tumultuous chapter in Washington, according to a Politico report.
The billionaire entrepreneur, who led the controversial DOGE initiative aimed at reducing government spending, announced his imminent departure on social media platform X.
“As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President [Trump] for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending,” Musk wrote. “The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government.”
Musk had been serving under a designation that permits special government employees to work for a maximum of 130 days per year, a limit he appears set to reach by the end of the week.
He did not specify an exact departure date, and there has been no official comment from the DOGE office.
His departure follows a public disagreement with Trump allies over a “big, beautiful bill,” which Musk criticised for diluting the aggressive budget cuts proposed by the DOGE initiative.
Musk’s unorthodox approach to slashing federal spending caused widespread disruption within the federal bureaucracy, drawing both praise and criticism.
While Trump has remained a vocal supporter, tensions between Musk and key administration figures have become increasingly apparent.