Elon Musk, chief of the rebranded Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), announced on Wednesday that his initiative to reduce the federal workforce has achieved savings of $160 billion. This figure, while significant, falls short of his initial expectations as Musk prepared to step back from his close involvement with President Trump’s Cabinet.
In his remarks at the White House, Musk expressed gratitude, stating, “It’s been an honor to work with your incredible Cabinet.” He continued, “I would just like to say thank you to everyone. It was an honor to work with you, so thank you for everything.”
Musk emphasized the progress made during the administration’s first 100 days, claiming, “A tremendous amount has been accomplished… more than has been accomplished in any administration before. Ever. So this portends very well for what happens, for the rest of the administration.”
According to a report from The New York Post, Musk has ceased working from the West Wing, though his DOGE team continues operations from the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, which is located on the White House grounds.
During the meeting, Trump acknowledged Musk’s contributions, saying, “We all want to thank you for your help. You really have sacrificed a lot. You’ve been treated very unfairly.”
Musk responded humorously, “Well, they like to burn my cars, which is not great,” alluding to recent acts of vandalism against Tesla vehicles since the onset of the DOGE program.
In solidarity, Trump added, “But the vast majority of people in this country really respect and appreciate you,” prompting applause from Cabinet members in the room. “And you know, you’re invited to stay as long as you want.”
Following Trump’s assertion that DOGE had “saved” $150 billion through spending reductions and workforce cuts, Musk interjected, “$160 billion, but who’s counting?” This comes in the wake of Musk’s previous claim that DOGE aimed to cut “at least $2 trillion” from the federal budget.
In a January interview, Musk had tempered those expectations, suggesting that while a push for $2 trillion was ambitious, he believed achieving a trillion dollars in savings was a realistic outcome.
However, experts caution that the savings figure could be even less than the $160 billion Musk cited. The non-profit Partnership for Public Service has projected that costs related to DOGE’s restructuring efforts—including “firings, re-hirings, lost productivity, and paid leave”—could reach upwards of $135 billion in the current fiscal year, according to The New York Times.
During the recent Tesla earnings call, Musk affirmed his commitment to DOGE for as long as President Trump seeks his involvement, stating, “I’ll be allocating far more of my time to Tesla now that the major work of establishing the Department of Government Efficiency is done.”
