Elon Musk, head of the department of government efficiency (DOGE), detailed the agency’s ambitious cost-cutting initiatives in an exclusive interview with “Special Report” on Thursday. Joined by seven team members, Musk emphasised the goal of reducing government waste and fraud to achieve a 15% spending reduction.
Musk claimed that” the state is not successful, and there is a lot of waste and forgery.” We are confident that a 15 % reduction will not have an impact on any essential government services.
In addition to Expand people Steve Davis, Joe Gebbia, Aram Moghaddassi, Brad Smith, Anthony Armstrong, Tom Krause, and Tyler Hassen, Musk provided insight into the district’s efforts across different governmental agencies, including the Internal Revenue Service, the Interior Department, and the Social Security Administration.
Musk claimed that this might be the biggest change in government since the first trend, calling the program a “revolution.” In the end, America will be much better off.
The office claims to have saved American citizens a complete of$ 130 billion as of March 27, which is roughly$ 807.45 per tax, according to DOGE’s established website.
Federal spending overhaul
In an 18-month period, US President Donald Trump established DOGE with the goal of optimizing the federal government, increasing efficiency, and cutting increased spending. The department has consolidated overlapping government programs and canceled various diversity, equity, and inclusion ( DEI ) initiatives since its inception.
During the meeting, Davis cited an example of government inadequacy: federal employee credit cards. ” About 4.6 million credit cards are issued to about 2.3 to 2.4 million people,” the company said. That is absurd. We’ve been collaborating with organizations to figure out whether all of these accounts are required and whether they are being used responsibly, he said.
Musk responded,” It’s obvious that there shouldn’t be more credit cards than there are folks.”
Conflict and division in politics
Despite its effort to reduce costs, Expand has been subject to serious attention. The agency should not have punitive authority to revoke contracts or reorganize its operations, according to critics who claim that it exerts excessive influence over national operations. Mussk rebuffed these claims, saying,” They properly characterize it as shooting from the hip, but it is anything but that. If no half, we determine twice and slice again.
He acknowledged the possibility of errors, but he emphasized the agency’s commitment to making quick errors. If we were to view this with the expectation of making no errors at all, it would be like saying that a baseball player has to bat a thousand. That is difficult. We immediately correct mistakes and move on when necessary.
Musk also posed a question to those who oppose the cost-saving methods. They make no mention of which range of savings they oppose, despite their claims that what we are doing is unlawful or illegal.
The DOGE head emphasized that the district’s actions are kept up with Congress. The law mandates that funds be used wisely and never squander. Congress is in line with the law to prevent fraud and waste.
Democratic lawmakers continue to object strongly to DOGE’s initiatives despite the strong support from several Republican lawmakers, with questions about accountability and monitoring still a source of contention.
