It’s emblematic of DOGE’s retreat from the center of the Trump administration’s orbit. The once-feared crew that barged into offices and slashed jobs at an unprecedented pace is a shell of its former self, owing to departures, lawsuits, bureaucratic roadblocks and, crucially, the loss of its chainsawer-in-chief: Musk.

Eight senior staff members from DOGE, the internal Trump-era department tasked with cutting down federal waste, have officially left their posts to continue