Elon Musk is stepping down as head of the Department of Government Efficiency, often called DOGE. He held the job for only 130 days. During his short time in office, Musk tried to trim waste and use new tech to speed up federal work. His team said they could save billions, but watchdog groups claimed those numbers were too high and several plans got tied up in court.
In a recent interview with CBS News, Musk explained why he is leaving. He took aim at President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” a huge spending package that squeaked through the House last week. The bill would keep the 2017 tax cuts, pour more money into defense and border security, and add tougher rules for food assistance programs. Musk says the measure undercuts everything DOGE tried to do to control costs.
“The bill explodes the deficit and makes our job meaningless,” he told CBS. The Congressional Budget Office agrees that the plan would add about 3.8 trillion dollars to the national debt over the next ten years. Musk believes that is a step backward.
The bill now moves to the Senate, where lawmakers in both parties say they will push for big changes. Meanwhile, Musk will return to running his private companies. Deputy Director Sarah Martinez will take over DOGE on an acting basis.