Musk’s DOGE Reforms Locked In as State Department Faces Historic Overhaul

Elon Musk has left his post as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), but the sweeping changes he spearheaded at the State Department are here to stay, according to a senior official. Musk’s 130-day tenure as a special government employee ended with a farewell post on X, signaling the close of a transformative chapter.

Under Musk’s leadership, DOGE slashed inefficiencies with surgical precision, dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), cutting staff, and axing foreign aid programs plagued by poor oversight. These reforms, bold and unapologetic, aimed to streamline a bloated bureaucracy. Now, Secretary Marco Rubio is doubling down with a massive reorganization, targeting over 300 of the State Department’s 700 offices for consolidation or elimination—a 40% cut that’s the largest restructuring since the Cold War.

“We have too many offices,” a senior official quipped, emphasizing the push to shrink rather than expand. The White House echoed this, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirming that DOGE’s mission will persist under new leadership, with many DOGE staff transitioning to permanent roles in the Trump administration. Jeremy Lewin, a Musk associate, has also landed a key State Department position, though he denies direct ties to DOGE’s work.

Musk’s exit marks the end of a whirlwind, but the State Department’s leaner, meaner future is just beginning.