He may be best known around the world as the father of Tesla and SpaceX. But after a few months, Elon Musk is expected to deal with the expenses of the US government. VOA correspondent Carolyn Presutti explains what skills Mr. Musk will bring to the Department of Government Efficiency.
Elon Musk, known as the brain behind the companies SpaceX and Tesla, will focus on government spending in a new entity called the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), whose acronym coincides with the name of a cryptocurrency.
"We will take the government off your back and out of your pockets ," declared Mr. Musk.
The new DOGE agency aims to cut about $2 trillion in spending, about a third of the government's budget, and three-quarters of government employees.
"The future will be amazing!" , Mr. Musk said, reports A2.
He has no government experience, as was the case with Donald Trump when he first ran. But his companies SpaceX and Tesla have proven efficient, especially with the reorganization of the production line of Tesla cars. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr. Musk moved Tesla's headquarters from California to Texas, blaming excessive regulations and high costs.
He and the co-chairman of the new DOGE agency, billionaire entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, are expected to follow a similar process and eliminate many federal regulations. To cut costs, the new DOGE entity will suggest closing several agencies and take steps to prompt mass layoffs of federal employees by ending popular telecommuting programs and moving some offices out of Washington.
" They will have to learn and understand that the president is not a king - or at least he is not supposed to be in this country - and that they will face constitutional problems. They will face laws and the need for authorization from Congress ," says unionist Steve Lenkart, of the National Federation of Federal Employees.
To that end, Mr. Musk and Mr. Ramaswamy recently visited Congress. Many lawmakers support the new DOGE entity's stated goal of cutting government spending, but are likely to resist cuts that affect their constituents. Others know that the two entrepreneurs have a direct line of communication with the president-elect.
Mr. Musk and his mother celebrated Thanksgiving with President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago, while Mr. Ramaswamy posted footage on Instagram reading on the beach over Thanksgiving about how the budget should be cut.
" I don't know if you already know Elon, but he doesn't come with a chisel. He comes with a chainsaw. And we will use it for the bureaucrats ," said Mr. Ramaswamy.
The new DOGE entity was created as an external advisory commission that will recommend cuts to President Trump's administration and Congress, which will have final authority over any decisions.
Mr. Musk and Mr. Ramaswamy will not receive a salary from the government. / Voice of America (A2 Televizion)
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