As Musk Prepares to Step Away From DOGE, Lawmakers Aren’t Sure His Cuts Will Stay

“Not only do we write the checks, we’re responsible for the oversight after we do write the checks. And clearly we failed,” Rep. Thomas Massie said.

Elon Musk holds up a chainsaw.
Some lawmakers are already thinking about how to reinstate some of the programs DOGE cut. Francis Chung/POLITICO/AP

If government spending is a tree with thick branches and deep roots, Elon Musk hasn’t even managed to snap off a twig.

And as Musk is preparing to step back from his duties at DOGE — without even coming close to fulfilling his dream of cutting $1 trillion — some Republican lawmakers are already thinking about how to reinstate some of the programs he scrapped.

“That’s going to be an interesting debate,” Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas said Thursday when asked if lawmakers would codify Musk’s work to dismantle America’s foreign aid programs.