Elon Musk's high-profile 'efficiency' drive across the US federal government, known as the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), left agencies in disarray and achieved far less than promised, according to a report. The billionaire, who had no government experience, was tasked by President Donald Trump with cutting waste and spending after contributing over $250m to his 2024 re-election campaign.
Musk initially claimed savings of at least $2tn, but later scaled back to $1tn. As of December, Doge reported $214bn in savings, but analyses have found these figures riddled with errors and exaggerations. The Brookings Institution recorded 26,511 instances where the administration fired employees and then rehired them, highlighting the chaos caused.
Elaine Kamarck, a former White House official who led a similar reform under President Bill Clinton, criticised the approach. 'They sowed chaos to no avail,' she said. 'Doge was done in an incredibly careless way, without regard for what the agencies did.' Kamarck noted that her own successful cuts of 420,000 jobs were spread over seven years and aligned with agency missions.
Musk abruptly exited the effort after four months, and Doge was later reported to be defunct. In a podcast, he described the initiative as 'a little bit successful' and said he would not do it again. Experts pointed out that existing bodies like the Government Accountability Office already provide oversight, having saved $1.45tn since 2002.
