As Musk steps back, DOGE looks to Congress to finish what it started

Elon Musk arrived at the White House prepared to take a chainsaw to the federal government, promising to slash $2 trillion in spending. A little more than 100 days later, the world’s richest man is retreating from Washington far short of that goal after an often painful education in the mechanics of the U.S. government. As Musk prepares to return to his private companies, he and his allies are increasingly pressing for Congress to take up the mantle of their government cost-cutting. But that effort faces an uncertain future in a largely frozen Congress that has passed few bills since President Donald Trump took office in January. In a meeting with reporters, Musk boasted about the U.S. DOGE Service’s success but appeared sober about its future. He estimated the project will save $160 billion in fiscal year 2026, but that tally lacks many specific details. Musk said those savings are “pretty good,” even though it was only a fraction of his initial promise, which he said would take a long road to reach. “How much pain is the Cabinet and this Congress willing to take?” Musk said. “Because it can be done, but it requires dealing with a lot of complaints.”