Washington , 29 May (H.S.): Space and technology billionaire Elon Musk announced the end of his term as the chief of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), expressing gratitude to the US President for the chance to minimize wasteful government spending. Musk suggested that DOGE's mission will eventually become a way of life within the government. His resignation follows his first public criticism of Trump, where he argued that the President's significant spending bill exacerbates the budget deficit and hampers DOGE's objectives.

“As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President@realDonaldTrump 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, Musk posted on X.

Musk, previously a prominent supporter and donor to Trump, faced challenges in implementing cost-cutting measures as he sought super high-IQ small-government revolutionaries to join him in DOGE's ambitious restructuring efforts. This led to massive personnel reductions across various departments, although Musk eventually encountered resistance from other senior officials within the Trump administration. By late April, he withdrew somewhat from DOGE, citing it had become a “whipping boy” for dissatisfaction with the government while admitting he fell short of his initial goals.

Additionally, Musk faces a lawsuit concerning allegations of misuse of power as the head of DOGE. His focus has recently shifted back to his businesses, especially as Tesla deals with threats like arson and declining share prices, and SpaceX faces mission failures, including the recent explosion of Starship. Furthermore, operational issues on the social media platform X prompted Musk to highlight the need for improvements.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar