DOGE is no more, and in its wake, only chaos
- DOGE (Digital Government Executive Office) was dissolved eight months before its charter expires due to the power vacuum left by Elon Musk’s departure from his role as head.
- Musk’s tenure as head of DOGE was marked by controversy, including a physical altercation with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and alienating allies like Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
- After Musk’s farewell on May 30th, his right-hand man Steve Davis attempted to take control of the department but was accused of staging a coup by remaining loyalists, leading to a series of restructurings and changes in leadership.
- The White House ultimately rooted out Davis’ loyalists, putting an end to his attempt to consolidate control, and DOGE’s future was effectively decided without any further action from the administration.
- Musk’s time in Washington resulted in increased government spending, burned bridges with allies, and a legacy of chaos, leaving behind a power vacuum that ultimately led to the demise of DOGE as a centralized organization.
In April, Elon Musk began backing away from his role as head of DOGE. By June, he was more or less fully gone from DC. In his wake, he left a power vacuum and significant ill will that has apparently led to the dissolution of DOGE eight months before its charter expires.
To call Musk’s DC tenure contentious would be an understatement. As a man accustomed to getting what he wants and functioning as a powerful executive, he swept through Washington with a figurative chainsaw, slashing budgets, firing workers, and making audacious power grabs. Musk’s brash behavior angered government employees and alienated would-be allies, like Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. Eventually, the bad blood reached a fever pitch, and Musk had a minor physical altercation with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
Politico details the stunning fallout. By late May, DOGE and Musk had lost favor with President Trump, and White House aides began pushing back more forcefully against the fledgling government agency. When Musk was officially given a farewell by the White House on May 30th, it also pushed out his right-hand man, Steve Davis.
But Davis, an engineer who had worked closely with Musk for over 20 years, including at DOGE, simply refused to leave. He stepped in to try and take the reins, but this didn’t sit well with many of the remaining DOGE staffers. But others remained loyal, essentially splitting the department in two.
When those uncomfortable with Davis’ leadership, given that he was no longer a government employee, tried to plan for DOGE’s future without him, Davis accused them of staging a coup. The White House quickly rooted out his loyalists, putting an end to Davis’ brief attempt to consolidate control in less than two weeks.
What followed was a series of restructurings, changes in leadership, and ultimately, the end of DOGE as a centralized organization. When Reuters reached out to the White House to ask about the status of DOGE earlier this month, it was told, “that doesn’t exist.”
Musk rode into Washington with big ambitions of slashing government spending by trillions of dollars. Instead, during his brief time in DC, government spending actually increased, and he left behind many burned bridges.