What is Doge and why is Musk cutting back so much work?

The new advisory body, created by President Donald Trump and led by the world’s wealthiest man, is tasked with cutting down jobs and other spending in the US government.

Elon Musk is leading this effort to significantly reduce the federal workforce and eliminate what taxpayer’s money is being wasted.

However, his Ministry of Government Efficiency (DOGE) fears legal obstacles, allegations of conflict of interest, and that it will cause serious damage.

Explaining his actions to reporters in the oval office, Musk defended his plan and denied the claims of rival Democrats that he embodied the government’s “hostile takeover.”

The vote suggests that cutting government spending has widespread support.

Despite its full name, Doge would have had to be established by the law of Parliament, not by the official government department.

Instead, it exists through one of President Trump’s executive orders and acts as an advisory body with at least four employees dedicated to each agency.

Part of Doge’s mission states that the order is related to upgrades aimed at increasing efficiency. Work must be completed by July 2026.

Many of the staff at Doge seem to be young people with technical backgrounds.

yes. Musk initially said he would play his role as an outside volunteer, but the White House later said he was acting as a special, unpaid government official.

The designation is officially defined as someone who works for the government within 130 days of a year.

For some supporters of this new organization, the status of Doge’s outsiders, and its somewhat vague mission, will increase its effectiveness.

“They’re a little more ignored by bureaucracy itself and the system that slows down the process around here,” Republican Sen. Kevin Cramer, North Dakota, told the BBC. “I think the lack of parameters is part of what makes them effective.”

According to his mission, Musk said it would save taxpayers money and cut US national debt to $3.6 billion (£28.9tn).

Initially, he wanted to save $20 a year, but later said he softened the estimate.

Musk says he wants to end the “dempotence of bureaucracy” he describes as the fourth part of the government working against Trump’s agenda. Critics of his work see him play a simpler ideological motive.

“They don’t go to an agency that does what they like. They go to an agency they oppose,” said Douglas Holtz Arkhun, former Republican director of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). He told Reuters news agency.

It’s unclear how much Doge has saved so far, but X Accounts will offer regular, festive updates on what they say has been cut. Among the actions that make the headline:

Representatives of Doge who enter different departments to monitor spending. Trump says he has identified “fraud and abuse.” Without proving part of the “wake” policy war, Musk said his team “have taxpayers a “billion dollar taxpayer (diversity, equity, inclusion) contract.” The US’s leading foreign aid organization funding projects in dozens of countries, the US’s leading foreign aid organization has two men called for takeover offers to 2 million government officials, and federal labor force They are seeking an acquisition offer to steal, perhaps attempt to shut down, and perhaps try to shut down. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). It was set to protect consumers after the 2007-2008 financial crisis, but has been accused of overreach by Republicans

Doge enjoys widespread support, a poll by the BBC’s US partner CBS News suggests.

This shows that the majority of Americans, particularly Republican voters, supported the job, even if they disagree about how much influence Musk should have personally.

The permanent workforce currently weighs over 2 million, with one of the biggest increases being in 2023, partly due to large investments by the Biden administration in infrastructure projects.

David Ditch, a senior analyst at the Centre for Economic Policy Innovation, a conservative think tank, says Doge’s job is needed.

“They have a very bright spotlight in different parts of the federal government, asking if it’s the American masses and if it’s a moderate member of the Republican Caucus. This is you. Is it how you want to use American taxes?

Political opponents and government watchdogs accused Doge of acting without transparency and spreading misinformation about government spending, and Musk oversteps his authority as an unelected official I criticize him.

Critics highlight Musk’s potential conflict of interest, given the billions of contracts his businesses hold with the US government. Trump and Musk have denied that there will be problems.

Several groups, including unions and state attorney generals, are suing Doge and the wider Trump administration for their plans, accusing Democrats of tampering with funds approved by Congress outside the president’s scope. It’s. The White House denies that the work has broken any laws.

On several occasions, courts halt the cost-cutting move to block Doge directly at least once when judges stop access to personal data held in US Treasury records. I intervened to do so.

When talking to a reporter in the Oval Office, Musk had expected to be scrutinized for his work, but claimed that the Americans had voted for “common sense” government reform.

However, critics wonder whether he can enact his bold pledge.

Elaine Kamark, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute for Governance Studies, highlights her own work for President Bill Clinton in the 1990s, and her efforts to “can” government spending, said BBC He spoke to.

But she labeled the idea of ​​masks as a “silly” cut, as many of the budgets, including general programs such as Social Security and Medicare, were mandatory. .

Additional Reports by Jessica Parker and Kai Piglitch