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In a recent X post, tech entrepreneur Elon Musk announced the conclusion of his tenure as a Special Government Employee leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and expressed gratitude to President Donald Trump for the opportunity to contribute to government reform efforts.
“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,” Musk posted on X.
Musk has highlighted his initiatives aimed at curbing inefficiencies and cutting wasteful expenditures, aligning with longstanding calls for more streamlined government operations. Musk's departure comes after he was critical of the Trump-backed "Big, Beautiful Bill," during an interview, where he said he was "disappointed to see the massive spending bill ... which increases the budget deficit, not just decreases."
During his time at DOGE, Musk spearheaded initiatives aimed at identifying and eliminating inefficiencies within the federal government. Notably, DOGE reported approximately $55 billion in savings through various measures, per ThinkTankInsight, including:
- USAID Reductions: Approximately $30 billion saved by cutting jobs and operations within the U.S. Agency for International Development.
- Contract Cancellations: Around $15 billion saved by terminating unnecessary contracts across multiple agencies.
- Payroll Reductions: About $10 billion saved through workforce reductions and streamlining.
One of the most striking revelations from DOGE's audits was the discovery of a federal employee retirement processing center located in an old limestone mine in Pennsylvania. This facility, dubbed the "Iron Mountain," processes retirements manually, leading to significant delays and inefficiencies.
Additionally, DOGE highlighted the cost of minting pennies, noting that producing a one-cent coin costs over three cents, resulting in an annual expenditure of approximately $179 million.
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