DOGE suddenly disbanded! Elon Musk's "Chainsaw Plan" fizzled out after 8 months, Trump administration confirms for the first time

After US President Trump took office in January this year, he made a high-profile move to establish the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to downsize the government. Despite there being 8 months left in its term, the department has already been dissolved. Led by Musk, this agency was established in January and carried out sweeping reforms in Washington, rapidly shrinking the size of federal agencies. According to an executive order signed by Trump after taking office, DOGE was supposed to operate until July 2026, but it has now come to an early end.

Musk’s Chainsaw Plan: From Hype to Dissolution

The gradual demise of DOGE stands in stark contrast to months of government efforts to promote it. Trump, his advisors, and cabinet members all posted about it on social media. Musk, the founder of DOGE, repeatedly promoted the agency’s work on his X platform, even once brandishing a chainsaw to advertise his initiative to cut government jobs.

“This is the chainsaw of bureaucracy,” Musk said, holding the tool at the Conservative Political Action Conference held in National Harbor, Maryland, in February. This dramatic image became DOGE’s most iconic symbol, representing a determination to enact sweeping reforms in the federal government. The chainsaw was not just a visual symbol, but also embodied Musk’s promise of radical cuts.

However, this boisterous reform movement quietly ended after just 8 months. DOGE claimed it had saved tens of billions of dollars, but external financial experts could not verify this as the department did not provide detailed public accounts. This lack of transparency has raised questions about DOGE’s actual effectiveness. Critics say the plan produced little measurable savings.

White House spokesperson Liz Houston told Reuters in an email, “President Trump has a clear mandate to reduce government waste, fraud, and abuse, and he remains actively committed to delivering on this promise.” This official response deftly avoided the fact of DOGE’s dissolution, instead emphasizing that the Trump administration is still working toward downsizing the government.

Official First Confirmation: DOGE No Longer Exists

Even after Musk’s public dispute with Trump in May, Trump administration officials had never publicly stated that DOGE no longer existed. Afterward, Musk left Washington. The specific details of the dispute were not made public, but it clearly marked a turning point in the relationship between Musk and the Trump administration, and may have signaled the beginning of the end for DOGE.

Although President Trump signed an executive order early in his term stipulating that DOGE would continue until July 2026, since this summer, Trump and his team have publicly indicated that DOGE was on its way out. Trump often referred to DOGE in the past tense in speeches to reporters, these subtle changes in language hinting at the agency’s fate.

Cooper’s public statement is the first formal confirmation by the Trump administration that DOGE has been dissolved. “It doesn’t exist,” this brief but direct answer draws a line under DOGE’s short history. According to Cooper and documents reviewed by Reuters, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has since taken over many of DOGE’s functions.

This transfer of power means that DOGE’s work has not completely stopped, but has instead been incorporated into the regular government structure. Perhaps this is the real reason for DOGE’s dissolution: as an independent, high-profile temporary agency, it completed the initial shock reforms, and the subsequent work was more suitable to be handed over to regular government departments.

Hiring Freeze Ends, DOGE Core Policies Reversed

Cooper stated that the government-wide hiring freeze—another hallmark of DOGE—has also ended. On his first day in office, Trump ordered federal agencies to stop hiring new employees, except for positions necessary to enforce immigration law and maintain public safety. He later stated that any other exceptions would require DOGE representative approval, and added that for every four employees who left, agencies could hire at most one new employee.

“There are now no reduction targets,” Cooper said. This statement marks the end of DOGE’s core policies. The hiring freeze was one of DOGE’s main tools for reducing the size of government, limiting new hires and allowing attrition to gradually shrink the federal workforce. The cancellation of this policy means DOGE’s core philosophy has been abandoned.

DOGE Core Policy End Markers

Hiring Freeze Lifted: Federal agencies have resumed normal hiring procedures, no longer requiring DOGE approval

Reduction Targets Abolished: The mandatory “4 out, 1 in” downsizing policy is no longer enforced

Centralized Structure Dissolved: DOGE no longer operates as an independent agency, and its functions are dispersed among various departments

These policy reversals reflect an adjustment in the Trump administration’s governance strategy. The radical cuts made a splash early on, but long-term enforcement could impact normal government operations. Therefore, after achieving certain symbolic goals, the government chose to return to a more pragmatic management approach.

Former DOGE Employees’ New Roles Revealed

DOGE employees have also taken on other government positions. Most notably, Gebbia was appointed by Trump to improve the “visual presentation” of government websites. At least two well-known DOGE employees are now working at the National Design Studio, a new agency established under an executive order Trump signed in August and led by Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia.

Gebbia was a member of Elon Musk’s DOGE team, and DOGE employee Edward Koristin (nickname “Bold”) encouraged fans to apply on his X account. So far, his design studio has launched a website for recruiting law enforcement officers to patrol Washington, D.C., and a site promoting the president’s drug pricing plan.

Zachary Terrell, another member of the DOGE team, gained access to the government’s healthcare system early in Trump’s second term. He is now Chief Technology Officer of the Department of Health and Human Services. According to court documents, Rachel Riley also has the same level of access. The Navy Research Office’s website shows she is now the office’s director.

According to the US Agency for International Development website, Jeremy Levin, who helped Musk and the Trump administration dissolve USAID, is now responsible for foreign aid work at the State Department. These personnel arrangements show that although DOGE has been disbanded, its core members have not left the government but have instead been distributed across important positions to continue advancing the reform agenda.

Musk Returns to Washington, AI Regulatory Reform Continues

Meanwhile, Musk has reappeared in Washington. This week, he attended a dinner at the White House with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. This public appearance suggests that Musk’s relationship with the Trump administration may be on the mend, or at least some level of cooperation remains.

The government is still working to reduce regulation. According to Scott Longmark’s LinkedIn profile, the White House Office of Management and Budget has tasked him with developing custom AI applications to scrutinize US regulations and determine which should be abolished. Longmark previously represented DOGE at the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Republican-led states, including Idaho and Florida, are establishing local entities similar to DOGE. This indicates that while DOGE’s concept has ended at the federal level, it is spreading at the state level. These state versions of DOGE may continue to experiment with government downsizing.