White House thanks Elon Musk

The White House has officially thanked Elon Musk for his contributions as a special government employee at the Office of Government Effectiveness.

The announcement came after Musk announced he was ending his 130-day term and stepping back from politics to focus on companies like Tesla and SpaceX.

“We thank him for his service. We thank him for starting DOGE. The effort to cut waste, fraud, and abuse will continue,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a press briefing on May 29, referring to billionaire Elon Musk.

Ms. Leavitt noted that most of the talent Mr. Musk recruited for DOGE will remain.

Mr. Elon Musk.

In a post on the X platform, billionaire Musk expressed gratitude to former President Donald Trump for giving him the opportunity to participate in the effort to cut government spending. He wrote: ” I would like to thank President Donald Trump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending. DOGE’s mission will continue to grow over time as it becomes part of the government’s way of life.”

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt confirmed that Musk’s departure began on Wednesday evening (May 28) and emphasized that DOGE’s mission will continue under the leadership of other cabinet members.

“DOGE leaders are each a member of the President’s cabinet, as well as the President himself – a person committed to eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse in our government,” said Ms. Leavitt .

“The entire cabinet recognizes the need to cut waste, fraud, and abuse. Every secretary in their respective agencies is committed to that goal. That’s why they’ve worked closely with Elon Musk. And they will continue to work with DOGE employees — political appointees — in all of these federal agencies,” she added.

“So the mission of DOGE will certainly continue and many of the DOGE employees are now political appointees and employees of our government,” the White House press secretary said.

President Trump in January appointed billionaire Musk, a close ally and the largest donor to the election campaign, to lead DOGE in an effort to reform the government and save money.

Reuters’ assessment shows that DOGE has managed to cut nearly 12% of its apparatus, equivalent to 260,000 civil servants and government employees, mainly through threats of dismissal or offers of early retirement.