Elon Musk, the billionaire, White House adviser, and face of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), announced , even as he says DOGE might persist throughout the President's second term. During a cabinet meeting this week, President Donald Trump praised “You’re invited to stay as long as you want. At some point, I guess, he wants to get back home to his cars," Trump joked.

Musk, in a wide-ranging interview with a handful of reporters, reflected on his first three months with DOGE. He admitted the initiative has been "not as effective as I like," estimating their success rate at 70 to 80%, as critics have questioned some of the group's savings. DOGE has claimed $160 billion in savings so far.

Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, emphasized the role of technology in enhancing government efficiency while speaking at a this week. Sen. Ernst heads up the DOGE caucus and says simple technological fixes could go a long way. "We all think of DOGE as slashing the waste in federal government, but we can also use it and we forget, Department of Government Efficiency, AI can make us so much more efficient across every space and every agency across our federal government," she said.

DOGE's efforts have led to significant federal workforce reductions and agency dismantling, most recently including $400 million in cuts to AmeriCorps. DOGE has faced mounting legal challenges in its first three months. Two dozen states have filed lawsuits over the AmeriCorps cuts, with Democratic Colorado Attorney General Philip Weiser leading the charge.

"When you have audits that show concerns, you address the concerns. You don't take apart an agency in its entirety," Weiser told CNN. Musk's decision to step back coincides with from the Wall Street Journal suggesting is considering options to replace him as CEO amid .

Tesla has denied these claims, with Musk labeling the report as "deliberately false."