The DOGE mindset is still central to the Trump administration's agenda as 2025 ends

Earlier this year, Elon Musk wielded what he called a "chainsaw for bureaucracy" during the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Oxon Hill, Maryland, on February 20, 2025. While Musk no longer leads DOGE, the idea of trimming the federal government remains.

The Department of Government Efficiency effort was one of the most consequential and controversial – if not entirely successful – changes the Trump administration made in 2025.

(Image credit: SAUL LOEB)