Blitz Bureau
Billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk thanked US President Donald Trump as his time as a special Government employee as part of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) came to an end, reported Indian daily Hindustan Times . “As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President Donald Trump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending. The DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the Government,” Elon Musk posted on X. A White House official, who requested anonymity to talk about the change, confirmed to news agency Associated Press that Elon Musk was leaving.
“Elon Musk is leaving the administration is accurate and his off-boarding will begin tonight,” the official said. Elon Musk’s 130-day mandate as a special Government employee in the Trump administration was set to expire around May 30. The administration has said DOGE’s efforts to restructure and shrink the federal Government will continue.
‘Big beautiful Bill’
The Tesla CEO’s departure came a day after he criticised the centrepiece of Donald Trump’s legislative agenda, saying he was “disappointed” by what the President calls his “big beautiful Bill”.
The legislation includes a mix of tax cuts and enhanced immigration enforcement. While speaking to CBS, Musk described it as a “massive spending Bill” that increases the federal deficit and “undermines the work” of his Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE. “I think a Bill can be big or it could be beautiful,” Musk said. “But I don’t know if it could be both.” Musk’s CBS interview came out on May 27 night. Donald Trump, speaking in the Oval Office on May 28, defended his agenda by talking about the delicate politics involved with negotiating the legislation.
“I am not happy about certain aspects of it, but I am thrilled by other aspects of it,” he said. Trump also suggested that more changes could be made. “We are going to see what happens,” the US President said, adding that “it’s got a way to go”. Republicans recently pushed the measure through the House and are debating it in the Senate. Musk’s concerns are shared by some Republican lawmakers. “I sympathise with Elon being discouraged,” said Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson.
More spending cuts
Speaking at a Milwaukee Press Club event, Johnson added that he was “pretty confident” there was enough opposition “to slow this process down until the President, our leadership, gets serious” about reducing spending. He said there was no amount of pressure Trump could put on him to change his position.
On May 28, Johnson thanked Musk for his work and promised to pursue more spending cuts in the future, saying “the House is eager and ready to act on DOGE’s findings.”
