American Bureaucracy Swallowed Elon Musk: Ex-Kyrgyz PM

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Elon Musk’s Exit from DOGE Marks a Failed Experiment in U.S. Government Reform, Says Ex-Kyrgyz PM

By TRH News Desk

NEW DELHI, June 3, 2025 – Elon Musk’s high-profile tenure as the unofficial head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has come to an ignominious end, with former Kyrgyz Republic Prime Minister Djoomart Otorbaev labelling it a failed experiment in reforming the US government.

In a detailed LinkedIn post, Otorbaev outlined the challenges Musk faced, the limited successes of DOGE, and the broader implications of this venture.

Otorbaev, reflecting on Musk’s role, wrote, “The instant Elon Musk accepted Donald Trump’s proposal to lead, though not officially, the government department focused on optimising American federal agencies, I realised he would not attain significant success in that role.” He attributed this to the entrenched resistance of Washington’s bureaucracy, noting that Trump received only 6.47% of the vote in Washington, D.C., in the last election, a clear sign of the region’s antagonism toward the president’s agenda.

“The American bureaucracy, like any other, is adept at safeguarding and advancing its interests,” Otorbaev added, concluding, “American bureaucracy ‘swallowed’ Musk.”

DOGE, established via an executive order on Trump’s Inauguration Day, January 20, 2025, aimed to streamline government functions by auditing contracts, grants, and leases, selling unneeded assets, reducing staffing, detecting fraud, and minimizing excessive paperwork and regulatory barriers.

Musk had set an ambitious target of cutting $2 trillion from the federal budget, but after 130 days, the agency managed to save only $175 billion, a far cry from its goal.

One of DOGE’s most tangible impacts was on federal staffing. Otorbaev cited The New York Times, which reported that nearly 58,600 government employees were dismissed, while 76,300 opted for voluntary resignation with compensation. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) bore the brunt of these cuts, effectively being dissolved, a move that drew sharp criticism for its potential impact on global humanitarian efforts.

Musk’s tenure was marked by constant friction with senior government officials. Otorbaev highlighted conflicts with key figures such as Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, reflecting the broader resistance Musk faced within the administration.

Otorbaev pointed to Musk’s resignation, which came shortly after Trump introduced a bill proposing significant tax cuts—a campaign promise that analysts project could add $3.8 trillion to the US deficit by 2034.

Musk publicly stated that these tax cuts would undermine DOGE’s efforts to reduce government spending, a sentiment that reportedly irked senior White House aides. This financial strain has already prompted rating agencies to act, with Moody’s downgrading the US sovereign credit rating from “AAA” to “Aa1,” following similar moves by Fitch and S&P.

At a farewell press conference at the White House, Trump and Musk exchanged compliments, with the president insisting that Musk was “not really leaving” and would continue to “come back” as an advisor.

However, Otorbaev was unequivocal in his assessment: “One conclusion can be drawn: the experiment in reforming governance in the most advanced country has failed. Bureaucracy has once again proven to be invincible.”

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