After his election, President Donald Trump announced the selection of the world’s richest billionaire, Elon Musk, and near billionaire, Vivek Ramaswami, to create a new body of the government called the “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE). Its purpose is to reduce the size of the federal government and promote a work force optimization initiative. Musk and Ramamswami have already promised massive cuts to take away federal agencies that Republicans think are unnecessary.
They plan to cut out $500 billion a year from the federal budget and fire about 5% of federal employees, claiming that the federal government has been filled with employees who won’t be needed, saving federal budgets. Although employees might likely start to protest, something called “reduction in force” allows the government to cut off positions without proving employee wrongdoing. Trump says DOGE will provide advice and guidance from outside of the government. Its main objective is to reduce wasteful spending, eliminate excessive regulations and provide to the White House on spending cuts.
DOGE came to be through one of Trumps executive orders, which intended to operate as an advisory body with at least 4 employees assigned to each department. The other part of DOGEs mission is IT upgrades aimed for efficiency boost. Regardless of some people thinking it may have potential impact; DOGE has encountered legal obstacles, allegations of conflicts of interest and fears that it may cause more damage than bring positive reinforcement.
To answer many people’s questions as to whether or not Elon Musk is a government employee, the answer is YES. Although Musk initially said he would perform this role as an outside volunteer, the White House announced he was operating as an unpaid, special government employee. It is an official designation, as those working for the government for 130 days in a year or less in a year. Musk said he wants to end “bureaucracy.” He hopes to save as much as $2trillion a year, but later tempered this estimate. Although unclear, DOGE has been in action already and has managed, according to their reports, some funding that they believed was somewhat fraudulent and unnecessary. One of the main halts DOGE has ordered is the cutting of USAID, America’s main foreign aid organization that funds projects in dozens of countries. This has resulted in job losses in many countries and a pause to funds or projects surrounding USAID. Also, Musk attempts to control and possibly shut down The Consumer Protection Bureau.
Both Trump and Musk believe this is one of the main moves to “Make America Great Again.” However political opponents and other government officials are accusing DOGE of acting without transparency and spreading misinformation about government spending. They are also accusing Musk of overstepping authority, although the President seems to be very confident in him. Multiple groups and some state attorneys have argued Trump’s decisions and threaten to sue over their plans. Democrats are accusing Republicans of tampering with funding approved by Congress, which is outside of the president’s scope. Some courts have stepped in to halt the cost cutting moves.
The President and Musk are reassuring the public that there is nothing to worry about and believe Federal spending has been abused and must be stopped.
