The Department of Government Efficiency, President Donald Trump's controversial initiative that laid off thousands of government workers but failed to deliver on its promises to slash the federal budget, is reportedly no longer.

That's according to statements from a government official, placing the proverbial nail in DOGE's coffin after months of draw-down and public animosity between the president and the agency's former head, tech billionaire Elon Musk.

The Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Scott Kupor told Reuters earlier this month that DOGE was no longer a "centralized agency." It marks the first time an official has said DOGE has been effectively dissolved, after less than a year in operation.

When asked about DOGE's status, Kupor told Reuters: "That doesn't exist."

In response to questions from USA TODAY, OPM pointed to the director's social media post on Nov. 23

"DOGE may not have centralized leadership under @USDS," Kupor said, referring to the The United States Digital Service, which was reorganized into DOGE. "But, the principles of DOGE remain alive and well: de-regulation; eliminating fraud, waste and abuse; re-shaping the federal workforce; making efficiency a first-class citizen; etc."

Kupor said agencies will "institutionalize" the changes DOGE made.

The initiative came online on Trump's first day in office in January 2025 and swiftly upended many corners of the federal government. It seized control of information technology infrastructure, axed federal government contracts and pushed out or fired tens of thousands of workers.

Trump during the 2024 presidential election campaigned on slashing into the size of the government. However, within a few months of its establishment, DOGE faced several legal challenges and was at the center of protests from laid-off employees.

Here's what to know about the signature Trump administration agency.

Is DOGE still active?

It's not clear. According to Kupor's comments to Reuters, the Office of Personnel Management has taken over many of DOGE's functions, and the agency no longer exists.

But even after Musk's dramatic exit in May, DOGE was intended to continue operations until the summer of 2026, under an executive order Trump signed in January. As of mid-November, the agency has had about a 10-month life span.

What did DOGE do?

DOGE was in part a brainchild of Musk, who backed Trump during the 2024 election and became one of his campaign's largest funders.

The executive order setting up the agency described its goal as a reduction in spending and to eliminate “waste, bloat, and insularity” in the federal bureaucracy.

DOGE claimed to have slashed tens of billions of dollars in federal government expenditures since it was created, though the agency has not provided access to its accounting methods, and its estimates have not been independently verified.

Musk repeatedly claimed the agency would reduce the deficit by $1 to $2 trillion within its first year. But even according to the agency's own calculations published on its website, it fell short of that goal. As of Nov. 23, DOGE claims it reached $214 billion in savings − less than a quarter of its most conservative promises.

When did Elon Musk leave DOGE?

Musk's time with the government was short lived. In May, the tech mogul and former right-hand man to the president announced he was leaving the administration, rounding out under four months as a "special government employee."

Musk's role in the White House hit several speed bumps during that time. His proximity to the president sparked backlash among some Americans against his automobile company, Tesla. Musk clashed with several top Trump officials over his cost-cutting agenda, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trump's top trade adviser Peter Navarro.

But things largely turned once Musk began criticizing Trump and his signature spending and tax bill, which he called the "Big, Beautiful Bill," before Republicans narrowly passed it.

Musk made his exit late in May after publicly splitting with Trump over the legislation, which he criticized for adding to the federal deficit.

The administration didn't immediately replace Musk after his exit.

"The DOGE leaders are each and every member of the president's Cabinet and the president himself," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a May 29 briefing with reporters.

Several other top DOGE officials left the Trump administration alongside Musk, further shrinking the agency that at one point had over 100 employees.

Contributing: Joey Garrison, USA TODAY.

Kathryn Palmer is a politics reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at kapalmer@usatoday.com and on X @KathrynPlmr.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Donald Trump's DOGE is reportedly done after less than a year. What to know.

Reporting by Kathryn Palmer, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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