Elon Musk’s “Government Efficiency” members arrived at the Pentagon on Friday, and it was believed to be their first meeting with Department of Defense staff, U.S. officials told Reuters. The official spoke on condition of anonymity.
Donald Trump says the Pentagon is an early target for Musk’s government budget and personnel novel team, and hopes that tech billionaires will find hundreds of millions of dollars of fraud and abuse in the department.
Last week, Trump confirmed that he asked masks to consider spending in the vast Department of Defense. “I told him to check his education and check the pentagon, the army. And you know, sadly, you’ll find something pretty bad.”
Pentagon spending has long been a subject of debate across political spheres, with its budget approaching $100 million a year. In December, President Joe Biden later signed a bill that approved $895 million for defense spending for the fiscal year. But Democrats are questioning whether Musk, an unelected artisan who has not signed a lucrative contract in the department through his company SpaceX, is best positioned to negotiate reforms.
In recent months, Trump has formed a close relationship with Musk as the world’s wealthiest man spent $250 million on his presidential reelection campaign. When he took office, Trump appointed Musk to lead the newly formed so-called “government efficiency.”
Since then, institutions have called for large layoffs in many government agencies, including the U.S. International Development Agency, the Department of Education, Small Business Administration, the Consumer Financial Protection Agency, and the General Services Agency. More layoffs are expected to continue in the Internal Revenue Service, Agriculture, Veteran Affairs and the Department of Health and Human Services.
On Tuesday, Musk was asked by a reporter along with the president at an oval office ceremony on the closure of government agencies. Next week, the pair is expected to make a joint appearance on Fox News on their first television.
According to the Huffington Post, the meeting of Mask’s team at the Pentagon came on the same day that they published information classified on the website. The leak included statistics from the National Reconnaissance Bureau, which operates the Spy satellite, including hundreds of built by Musk’s SpaceX company. Office budgets and head counts are categorized.
Also, on Friday, a federal judge extended a temporary order blocking access to Treasury records, including sensitive personal data such as Social Security and bank account numbers for millions of Americans. The lawsuit alleges that the Trump administration has granted Musk’s team access to the Treasury’s central payment system in violation of federal law.
Government Watchdog is planning to launch a security investigation into the US Treasury payment system.
Trump’s other ally, Defense Secretary Pete Hegses, has downplayed concerns about Musk’s agenda for the agency. Hegus had already been in touch with Musk, but added on Tuesday that he “will not undermine America’s operational or tactical capabilities.” Hegseth says he wants to increase the overall US defense spending.
