Elon Musk may work at the White House, targeting a 75% reduction in the US government's workforce

According to Business Insider (BI), Tesla CEO Elon Musk is likely to be granted the West Wing (West Wing) office at the White House, which is very close to the working office of US President Donald Trump. The main task of the most powerful business people in the world is to focus on cutting $2 trillion in government spending, thereby laying off up to 75% of the federal workforce. However, according to many experts, the close relationship with the US President gives Elon Musk even more influence than this task. Although once designated as co-leader of the DOGE Department with Elon Musk, right after the inauguration of President Donald Trump, White House spokesperson said that Vivek Ramaswamy will relinquish this position for reasons not specified. The New York Times (NYT) reported that Elon Musk has been issued a White House access card and has also been issued a government email address. According to the NYT, Elon Musk himself wanted to work closely with President Donald Trump and was approved by the White House owner. The Power of Elon Musk Although the US Government Efficiency Office (DOGE) is not an official agency and it is unclear whether Elon Musk will become a special government employee or not, it is likely that the most powerful businessman in the world will not easily leave the center of power. BI reports that Elon Musk's DOGE group has spent most of the past 2 months at SpaceX offices, working with engineers from Silicon Valley to plan personnel cuts for the government. The group may disperse across federal agencies with the goal of about 2 people per major department to conduct personnel reduction surveys. If this becomes true, Elon Musk's DOGE Ministry will truly become a influential force in US politics with powerful lobbies capable of vetting personnel across various departments. However, this also increases debates about conflicting interests, transparency, and fairness when officials are evaluated. Elon Musk's empire has benefited billions of USD from government programs, which has led to many politicians opposing, arguing that there is a conflict of interest here. In reality, the DOGE Department established by President Donald Trump through an executive order on January 20, 2025, is significantly different. On paper, this Department is part of the White House and reports directly to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, while also having the authority to recruit government employees. The DOGE Department's mission on paper is also very different when it is only updating software and information technology systems of the federal government, far from the task of cutting the previous budget of 2 trillion USD. The executive order of President Donald Trump states that the DOGE Department will replace the US Digital Service or USDS, a type of special technical combat group established during the administration of President Barack Obama after the collapse of Healthcare.gov. This group is a temporary organization that makes it easier to recruit government employees. However, according to expert Caleb Burns at Wiley Rein, this is the advice given by lawyers when the new government realizes that if the DOGE Department operates normally, it will face legal challenges. "Establishing with a different mandate on paper but under the authority of the White House is necessary to avoid a legal battle," Mr. Burns emphasized. According to expert Aimee Ghosh at Pillsbury, the DOGE Department is part of the government, so it must comply with rules on transparency and public disclosure, while also being susceptible to political criticism and lawsuits. Shortly after President Donald Trump took the oath of office and signed an executive order establishing DOGE, at least 3 lawsuits have been filed accusing DOGE of violating the Federal Advisory Committee Act, a law from 1972 requiring outside government advisory boards to meet publicly. Limit On another front, many experts argue about whether the DOGE Department operates effectively when it becomes the focus of criticism from politicians. Becoming a part of the government means Elon Musk cannot use his billions of dollars in assets to fund DOGE activities. However, while USDS is overloaded with over 200 employees, the DOGE team is believed to have only about 20 full-time employees and will outsource many tasks. The DOGE team will recruit volunteers and special experts who are not on the payroll and do not need to disclose personal asset or income information, making it easy to benefit from outside influences such as Elon Musk. According to director Dylan Hedtler-Gaudette of the government monitoring project (PGO), the general ethical framework and current laws, rules, and regulations on conflicts of interest are weak and unclear. In fact, since 2014, when USDS worked with the federal agency to improve and clean up the mess of Healthcare.gov, many experts have criticized this agency for hiring people from the private sector and violating rules of conflict of interest as these people may benefit from the power they hold. Despite that, USDS still operates and a similar situation may occur with DOGE, especially when the leader of this Department is the richest entrepreneur on the planet. DYOR! #Write2Earn #Write&Earn $DOGE {spot}(DOGEUSDT)