“DOGE’s over-promising and underperforming results damaged not only Musk’s reputation but also the standing of the Trump administration as a whole, and beyond that, probably the reputations and chances for success of future governmental reform cost-cutting measures,” presidential historian David Pietrusza told the Washington Examiner.

The Department of Government Efficiency, the brainchild of Elon Musk that upended Washington with its rapid-fire drive to slash thousands of federal jobs and cut costs, is effectively leaderless now that the billionaire and his deputy have stepped down,