Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswami are co-directors of Doge, a non-governmental organization ordered by President Donald Trump, ahead of their mission to cut public spending. It has already sent special envoys throughout the U.S. government. This is to help realize his goal of fundamental reform of the government.
The two tech billionaires have already dispatched aides to more than a dozen federal agencies to identify potential cuts, according to the Washington Post.
These agencies include the Department of the Treasury, the Internal Revenue Service, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Department of Health and Human Services.
Hiring for Mr. Doge has already begun, the newspaper reported, with more than 50 people already working at the offices of Mr. Musk’s rocket manufacturer SpaceX in Washington, D.C. The final goal is to hire 100 people by the time Trump takes office on January 20th.
Despite Doge’s noble goals, he has no formal government status, and both men have reportedly encountered suspicion and resistance among career government officials. This is partly due to previous critical comments they have made about civil servants.
The paper said some see the men as naive and arrogant about cuts to public spending and the complexity of regulatory red tape.
Mr. Musk previously set a goal of $2 trillion in spending cuts, but recently acknowledged that number may not be achieved.
“Let’s try and get to $2 trillion. I think that’s kind of the best outcome,” he said at a technology trade show in Las Vegas this week.
“But I think there needs to be some overage. If you’re going to get $2 trillion, I think there’s a good chance you’re going to get $1 trillion.”
The limits of Musk’s ability to influence spending appeared to be proven just before Christmas, even though he has become a near-ubiquitous member of Trump’s inner circle these days. Congress revised the short-term spending bill that Musk had criticized, but it still included many of the specific expenditures. He complained publicly.
Musk, who donated about $275 million of his vast wealth to Trump’s election campaign, has since posted on social media , claims to have been inundated with applicants. A platform he owns.
Sometimes people apply by sending him direct messages, including their IQ.
Crowdsourced recruitment efforts are being followed by more structured attempts to fill specific roles. After Christmas, Doge announced it was recruiting full-time employees for salaried positions in information technology, human resources and finance.
Steve Davis, president of Musk’s Boring Company, has been brought in as a key leader, while hiring is focused on specific areas such as law and regulation.
