Elon Musk Pulls Back—But His Federal Overhaul Machine Rolls On

Elon Musk’s influence within the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is gradually diminishing, yet the agency’s sweeping reforms continue to reshape the federal landscape.

Despite Musk’s diminishing presence, DOGE has already rooted itself in multiple agencies and launched projects ranging from IT overhauls to constructing a centralized data system intended to bolster fraud detection and immigration enforcement, CNN reports.

In the early months of Trump’s second term, DOGE helped facilitate layoffs affecting more than 120,000 federal workers.

Others took early retirements or relocation packages amid a flurry of program cuts and departmental shake-ups.

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These actions have caused confusion and discontent among public employees, some of whom described significant operational disruptions and morale dips across agencies.

Although Musk has confirmed he will refocus his attention on Tesla Inc. TSLA, he plans to remain peripherally involved in the federal initiative.

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Administration officials and lawmakers close to DOGE insist the agency’s work will go on uninterrupted, citing a deeply embedded structure that now spans nearly every executive department.

Many DOGE staffers occupy positions with long-term contracts or renewable terms, while others have assumed roles traditionally viewed as permanent.

This workforce includes engineers and advisers drawn from SpaceX, X, and Musk’s affiliated companies.

Some Cabinet officials, such as Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, have reportedly resisted what they see as DOGE’s overreach into their jurisdiction.

Critics say DOGE’s tactics mirror Silicon Valley’s disrupt first approach, with some initiatives lacking clear legal parameters.

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