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The Department of Government Efficiency, also commonly known as DOGE, was not considered a success. It did not achieve the $1 trillion in savings that proponents had projected. The budget deficit is still on track to reach $2 trillion this year. But the Elon Musk-led initiative was not entirely wasted, as it partially accomplished one of President Donald Trump’s decade-long promises: draining the swamp.
DOGE and the Swamp
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released the April nonfarm payrolls report on May 8. The headline reading showed a better-than-expected 115,000 new jobs and an unemployment rate of 4.3%. But it also highlighted that the current administration is on track for reprivatizing the economy, meaning more of the private sector and fewer civil servants.
Indeed, the widely watched employment snapshot reaffirmed the year-long trend of shrinking federal payrolls amid DOGE’s efforts. Government jobs declined by 8,000 last month.
A total of 345,000 federal positions have been erased since President Trump returned to the White House for his second term. By comparison, Trump 1.0 added 84,000 people to the federal workforce throughout his four years. Additionally, his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, expanded personnel by 116,000.
As of April 2026, with 2.665 million strong in the federal government, employment is at its lowest level since May 1966. This is indeed an incredible accomplishment, saving an estimated $29 billion. It also highlights the Swamp's steady expansion over the last several decades, whether led by Republicans or Democrats.
Outside of the monthly jobs report, other data indicate little appetite to fill government positions. For example, the bureau’s Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey shows three trends over the past year: job vacancies declined by 46,000, new hires fell by 9,000, and total separations (quits, layoffs, discharges, retirements, and deaths) were little changed.
If DOGE failed to achieve substantial cost savings, at least it scaled back the public works-style jobs campaign. Contract terminations, hiring limits, strict attrition rules, and artificial intelligence-driven automation were some of the measures employed by the short-lived entity. Whether this trend can persist heading into the 2028 election remains to be seen.
Long Live the Private Sector
The administration's goal has been to ensure economic growth is driven by the private sector. So far? Mission accomplished. Well, at least somewhat.
Over the last 16 months, private payrolls have rocketed by more than 700,000. The headline number is superb. However, as with the previous administration, much of the private-sector job creation has been centered in health care, which relies heavily on taxpayer funding.
The good news, however, is that the April jobs report highlighted broad-based employment gains across transportation, warehousing, and retail, for instance. If the United States can widen job creation, the Republicans could make a solid economic case heading into the November midterms. If the numbers remain volatile as they were in the first three months of the year, Democrats could present the data under their leadership.
Right to be Skeptical
The Swamp is a place that can never be fully drained. Everybody is spending someone else’s money, so it is big business to reside and be employed in the nation’s capital. While everyone knows the fruits of their labor are being wasted, the electorate lost faith that anyone could rein it in. That is, until billionaire Elon Musk said it could be done. The guy who caught rockets in midair.
"Your money is being wasted, and the Department of Government Efficiency is going to fix that. We’re going to get the government off your back and out of your pocketbook," he told a rally at Madison Square Garden in October 2024.
Musk acknowledged DOGE did not work out as he expected. And if he could do it again, he probably would not. Still, amid today’s government largesse, etching away at the Leviathan counts as a win.
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