The initiative spearheaded by President Donald Trump to drastically reduce government size has quietly dissolved, eight months before its scheduled conclusion, despite extensive promotion from Trump, Elon Musk, and key administration figures. Known as the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), this task force was once at the forefront of bold initiatives aimed at federal budget cuts and efficiency improvements. Recently, Scott Kupor, Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), confirmed the termination of DOGE, stating succinctly, “That doesn’t exist.”

Kupor elaborated that DOGE no longer functions as a “centralized entity,” marking the first time the Trump administration has publicly acknowledged its end. Established in January, DOGE initially made significant waves in Washington by aggressively targeting federal agencies for budget reductions and redirecting their missions to align with Trump’s objectives. The OPM, responsible for managing federal human resources, has assumed many of DOGE’s responsibilities, as confirmed by Kupor and documents reviewed by Reuters. Meanwhile, at least two notable DOGE members have transitioned to the National Design Studio, a newly formed entity under an executive order signed by Trump in August.

This new body is led by Joe Gebbia, Airbnb’s co-founder, tasked with enhancing the aesthetic appeal of government websites. Gebbia was previously part of Elon Musk’s DOGE team, while DOGE’s Edward Coristine, also known as “Big Balls,” actively encouraged his followers on social media to join the initiative. The gradual fading of DOGE contrasts starkly with the intense spotlight it enjoyed for months, as Trump and his team frequently highlighted its mission on social media. Musk, initially at the helm of DOGE, often praised its accomplishments on his X platform, famously wielding a chainsaw at the Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Maryland, to symbolize bureaucracy reduction. Although DOGE claimed to have achieved significant financial savings, the lack of detailed public accounts made it difficult for external experts to verify these claims.

‘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,’ said White House spokeswoman Liz Huston. Trump administration officials have not openly said that DOGE no longer exists, even after Musk’s public feud with Trump in May. Musk has since left Washington. Trump and his team have nevertheless signaled its demise in public since this summer, even though the president signed an executive order earlier in his term decreeing that DOGE would last through July 2026. In statements to reporters, Trump often talks about DOGE, opens new tab in the past tense. Acting DOGE Administrator Amy Gleason, whose background is in healthcare tech, formally became an adviser to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy in March, according to a court filing in addition to her role with DOGE . Her public statements have largely focused on her HHS role. Republican-led states, including Idaho, opens new tab and Florida, meanwhile are creating local entities similar to DOGE.

A government-wide hiring freeze – another hallmark of DOGE – is also over, Kupor said. Trump on his first day in office barred federal agencies from bringing on new employees, with exceptions for positions his team deemed necessary to enforce immigration laws and protect public safety. He later said DOGE representatives must approve any other exceptions, adding that agencies should hire ‘no more than one employee for every four’ that depart. ‘There is no target around reductions’ anymore, Kupor said. By May, more than 200,000 federal workers had been laid off and roughly 75,000 had accepted buyouts. The organization said these cuts saved billions of dollars in expenditure, but it was impossible for experts to authenticate these claims because of the lack of public accounting.

DOGE staff have also taken on other roles in the administration. Most prominent is Gebbia, whom Trump tasked with improving the ‘visual presentation’ of government websites. So far, his design studio has launched websites to recruit law enforcement officers to patrol Washington, DC, and advertise the president’s drug pricing program. Zachary Terrell, part of the DOGE team given access to government health systems in the early days of Trump’s second term, is now chief technology officer at the Department of Health and Human Services. Rachel Riley, who had the same access according to court filings, is now chief of the Office of Naval Research, according to the office’s website.

Jeremy Lewin, who helped Musk and the Trump administration dismantle the US Agency for International Development, now oversees foreign assistance at the State Department, according to the agency’s website. Musk shortly after Trump’s election said he had a mandate to ‘delete the mountain’ of government regulations. He made undoing government regulations and remaking the government with AI two key tenets of DOGE, in addition to eliminating federal government jobs. The administration is still working toward slashing regulations.

The White House budget office has tasked Scott Langmack, who was DOGE’s representative at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, with creating custom AI applications to pore through US regulations and determine which ones to eliminate, according to his LinkedIn profile. Musk, meanwhile, has reappeared in Washington. Last week, he attended a White House dinner for Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.