‘Doesn’t Exist’: Why Trump’s DOGE Department Was Shut Down 8 Months Early

In a surprising turn for one of President Donald Trump’s most publicised second-term initiatives, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the cost-cutting task force once led by Elon Musk and hyped as the chainsaw-wielding answer to Washington bureaucracy, has quietly disbanded eight months ahead of its scheduled July 2026 closure.

According to Reuters, what began with viral stunts and bold promises of slashing tens of billions in spending has effectively vanished as a standalone entity, with its functions scattered across existing agencies and its high-profile staff reassigned, marking an abrupt and low-key end to a project that symbolised Trump’s pledge to radically shrink the federal government.

“That doesn’t exist,” Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor told Reuters when asked about DOGE’s current status. He added that the initiative is “no longer a centralised entity,” marking the first public acknowledgment from the Trump administration that the once-touted agency has been wound down.

The revelation comes despite an executive order signed by President Donald Trump that originally set DOGE’s mandate to run through July 2026.

Launched with dramatic flair in January 2025, DOGE burst onto the scene with Elon Musk brandishing a chainsaw at the Conservative Political Action Conference and declaring, “This is the chainsaw for bureaucracy.”

Musk and the team claimed to have slashed tens of billions in spending and promised to “delete the mountain” of federal regulations.

Yet, as Reuters reported, independent experts found it impossible to verify the savings because DOGE never released detailed public accounting.

• Rather than disappearing entirely, many of DOGE’s functions and personnel have simply been absorbed elsewhere in the government:
• The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has taken over most of DOGE’s remaining responsibilities.
• Former DOGE staffer Joe Gebbia, Airbnb co-founder, now leads the new National Design Studio, tasked with beautifying federal websites after a Trump executive order in August.
• Zachary Terrell and Rachel Riley, who once had broad access to government health systems under DOGE, now hold senior technology roles at the Department of Health and Human Services and the Office of Naval Research, respectively.
• Jeremy Lewin, who helped dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development, now oversees foreign assistance at the State Department.

Even the signature government-wide hiring freeze has been lifted. “There is no target around reductions” anymore, Kupor confirmed to Reuters.

Despite the dissolution of DOGE as a standalone entity, the administration maintains the broader goal lives on.

White House spokeswoman Liz Huston said, “President Trump was given a clear mandate to reduce waste, fraud and abuse across the federal government and he continues to actively deliver on that commitment.”  

Some regulatory-slashing efforts appear to be ongoing, with former DOGE staff using custom AI tools to identify rules for elimination.

As the federal DOGE fades, Republican-led states are stepping in. Idaho and Florida are among the states creating their own efficiency commissions modeled after the original initiative.

Meanwhile, Elon Musk has largely stepped away from day-to-day involvement after a public feud with President Trump in May, though he was spotted back in Washington this week attending a White House dinner.

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What began as one of the most publicised symbols of Trump’s second-term agenda has, according to Reuters reporting, quietly dissolved into the broader machinery of government, eight months ahead of schedule.