Last year, Elon Musk made a controversial commitment to cut nearly a third of the federal budget, a pledge made during a rally for Donald Trump at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

This unexpectedly ambitious promise has become a significant burden for Musk.

Six months after Trump's official announcement of the formation of Musk's cost-cutting initiative, known as the Government Efficiency Department (Doge), there has been little progress in achieving the initial savings goals.

While Doge claimed on its website to have realized $170 billion in savings, investigations suggest that only a fraction of this amount is verifiable.

Evidence indicates that inflated estimates have been used to embellish these figures, and savings from contracts already nearing expiration are being presented as recent successes.

Meanwhile, data from the U.S. Treasury show no decline in overall government spending.

As Doge struggles to make tangible progress, it continues to portray an optimistic picture by merging permanent job reductions with temporary or one-off revenues from asset sales and contract cancellations.

Experts suggest the actual savings may be significantly less than Musk's initial goals, with one analyst indicating Doge cannot be seen as a successful deficit reduction effort.

Musk and the White House have not responded to requests for comment.

Musk's premature exit from his leadership role at Doge, which he was expected to hold until next summer, follows mounting pressure from members of Trump's cabinet and ongoing protests from Congress.

His political ventures have reportedly diminished Tesla's share value by hundreds of billions of dollars and led to a rupture with his satellite internet provider, Starlink.

Initially, Musk's goals received unexpected bipartisan support, with Senator Bernie Sanders suggesting he might back parts of Doge's agenda, particularly those aimed at reducing the substantial U.S. defense budget.

Public sentiment indicated a significant belief that federal government operations were rife with corruption and inefficiency.

Research indicated that prior to Trump's inauguration, approximately two-thirds of respondents felt that government spending was wasteful, with long-standing studies suggesting that nearly 60 cents of every dollar in federal spending is considered wasted.

Musk's early decision to significantly reduce staffing at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) garnered widespread approval amidst public frustration over foreign spending, even as misleading claims circulated on social media.

However, goodwill diminished as newly hired young programmers from Musk's team began appearing across various governmental agencies seeking access to sensitive data, resulting in the suspension of tens of thousands of 'probationary' civil servants—including experienced employees who had recently been promoted—causing chaos nationwide.

National park rangers were furloughed in states like Wyoming and Iowa, while cancer researchers and mental health providers for veterans were also let go, leading to local outrage and stirring even Republican Congress members to voice dissent against the layoffs.

While some agencies have been legally compelled to reinstate suspended workers, the rapid and chaotic nature of these layoffs has angered the public.

Polling suggests that while there is still a belief in waste within federal spending, the manner in which Doge approached reductions seemed reckless to many.

Doge's outreach often lacked a clear understanding of agency operations, which reportedly troubled some within the White House.

The Trump administration had to intervene to halt layoffs at the National Nuclear Security Administration, responsible for the U.S. nuclear arsenal.

Musk's media allies were compelled to advocate for the reversal of hasty decisions, with media figures calling for the reinstatement of a laid-off veteran as a part of defense cutbacks.

Reports of cuts at the Federal Aviation Administration raised concerns following a deadly plane crash near Reagan Airport in Washington, D.C. Observers note that while there were potential advantages to Doge, better comprehension of government operations prior to implementing cuts may have yielded more effective outcomes.