He is better known around the world as the father of Tesla and SpaceX companies. But in a few months, Elon Musk is set to tackle U.S. government spending. VOA correspondent Carolyn Presutti explains what skills Musk will bring to the newly established Department of Government Efficiency.
Elon Musk, known as the brain behind SpaceX and Tesla, will focus on government spending in a new entity called the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an acronym that coincidentally matches the name of a cryptocurrency.
“We’re going to take the government off your back and out of your pockets,” Musk declared.
The new agency, DOGE, aims to cut approximately $2 trillion in spending, about one-third of the government’s budget, and reduce the federal workforce by three-quarters.
“The future is going to be amazing!” Musk said.
While Musk lacks government experience, much like Donald Trump did when he first ran for office, his companies, SpaceX and Tesla, have proven to be highly efficient, especially with the reorganization of Tesla’s production lines. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Musk relocated Tesla’s headquarters from California to Texas, blaming excessive regulations and high costs.
He and the new agency’s co-chair, billionaire entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, are expected to follow a similar approach and eliminate many federal regulations. To reduce costs, DOGE will recommend closing some agencies and take steps to encourage massive resignations of federal employees by ending popular work-from-home programs and relocating some offices outside of Washington, D.C.
“They’re going to have to learn and understand that the president is not a king — or at least he’s not supposed to be in this country — and they will face constitutional problems. They will face laws and the need for authorization from Congress,” said union leader Steve Lenkart from the National Federation of Federal Employees.
To this end, Musk and Ramaswamy recently visited Congress. Many lawmakers support the declared goal of the DOGE entity to cut government spending but are likely to resist cuts that impact their voters. Others know that the two entrepreneurs have a direct line of communication with the elected president.
Musk and his mother celebrated Thanksgiving with elected President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago, while Ramaswamy posted on Instagram during Thanksgiving about how the budget should be reduced.
“I don’t know if you’ve met Elon yet, but he doesn’t come with a chisel. He comes with a chainsaw. And we’re going to use it on the bureaucrats,” Ramaswamy said.
The new DOGE entity was created as an external advisory commission that will recommend spending cuts to the Trump administration and Congress, which will have the final authority on any decision.
Musk and Ramaswamy will not receive a salary from the government. /VOA
