Donald Trump signed Elon Musk’s government’s cost-cutting program, the so-called “government efficiency,” or executive order on Wednesday aimed at expanding the power of Doge.
The new order calls for a “transformation” into contracts, grants and loans by requiring government agencies to create a centralized system to record and justify payments. This could be publicly exposed for transparency.
“The order will begin to transform federal spending on contracts, grants and loans to ensure government spending is transparent and that government officials are responsible for Americans.”
This order directs the Doge team leads of each institution to provide monthly reports on contract activities, including payment and travel justification. Law enforcement, military, immigration agencies and national security-related activities have been excluded from the new requirements.
This order is part of a much broader effort by the White House to dramatically reduce the size of the federal workforce that the Trump administration poses as a barrier to achieving his vast agenda. On Wednesday, the Office of Management and Budget and Personnel Management submitted a seven-page memo directing agency leaders to develop plans to implement “massive cuts” by March 13, according to the Associated Press.
“We’re cutting the size of our government. Trump said early Wednesday at the first cabinet meeting of his second term. “We’re bloated. We’re sloppy. There are a lot of people out there who aren’t working.”
The administration has already fired thousands of probation employees who were not yet entitled to civil servant protection. The president on Wednesday said the Environmental Protection Agency plans to cut up to 65% of its employees. Employees from the Labor Bureau and Social Security Bureau are reportedly also preparing for dramatic downseasing.
Attending Wednesday’s cabinet meeting, Musk admitted that Doge had made some mistakes with a rapid launch approach to attempting to reduce and in some cases eliminate the agency altogether. He admitted that Doge “erroneously” cancelled, including in cases where he “erroneously” cancelled his Ebola recurrence efforts.
Officials at the United States Organization for International Development (USAID), one of Doge’s first targets, challenged the mask’s claims, informing the Associated Press that the agency’s funding for the Ebola response has not been announced since last month frozen foreign aid.
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Under the new Doge-related executive order, General Services Administration has 60 days to submit plans to offload government properties for 60 days.
The directive will also provide a 30-day freeze on all government-issued credit cards, unless used for disaster relief or other important services. New reporting requirements apply to meetings and other “non-essential purpose” federal funding trips.
