Elon Musk, along with tech bro Vivek Ramaswamy, is already dispatching DOGE agents across the U.S., before he even plants himself in the White House.
The two billionaires have hired around 50 staffers and sent representatives for their nongovernmental "Department of Government Efficiency" to 12 federal agencies so far, including the IRS, the Treasury Department, Homeland Security, and Department of Veterans Affairs, according to The Washington Post.
Musk's new hires are currently working out of his SpaceX offices, and he plans on beefing up the DOGE team to 100 minions by January 20, when he and sidekick Donald Trump are inaugurated. Musk's goal is to slash federal spending by at least $1 trillion (down from the "unrealistic" $2 trillion he proposed in the fall). But who, exactly, pays for the DOGE operation remains unclear.
From The Washington Post:
While much about DOGE remains unclear — including who is paying the salaries of these staffers or exactly how DOGE representatives work with the formal transition team — the agency outreach reflects intensifying efforts by Musk and Ramaswamy to propose what they say will be"drastic" cuts to federal spending and regulations. Even asthe scale of their project grows, Musk and Ramaswamy are encountering a slew of obstacles, including reluctance among congressional Republicans to approve deep budgetcuts and a skeptical career civil service.
Two government employees said remarks Musk and Ramaswamy have made about the civil service have made them wary of the entire DOGE effort. Longtime civil servants — some who have built their careers learning the intricacies of the federal bureaucracy — are an awkward fit with Silicon Valley's fast-moving and disruptive culture. Many in Washington regard the tech entrepreneurs as arrogant or naive about the complexity of reining in government. …
[T]he uncertain status of DOGE relative to the rest of the Trump transition team has raised new questions about who precisely is speaking for the incoming administration. …
As Musk's emissaries begin to make contact with federal officials, critical questions remain unresolved about the group's authority and responsibilities. The two federal employees expressed confusion about what DOGE is assigned to do — including whether it has Trump's full backing.
Previously: Musk abandons DOGE's $2 trillion pledge to cut costs
