Donald Trump officially created the so-called Department of Government Enforcement (DOGE). This is intended to help him make massive cuts in the administration, as Elon Musk, who heads the agency, has previously assured. What are the functions of DOGE and what is it? Who works for him?
Plans to create a Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have already been announced during the election campaign. “I will create a commission on government efficiency whose mandate will be to conduct a complete financial and efficiency audit of the entire federal government and make recommendations for drastic reform,” Donald Trump said in September. He has already announced that Elon Musk will be the head of the unit. He was supposed to share that role with Vivek Ramaswamy, but according to recent US media reports, he plans to run for governor of Ohio, so it’s unclear how long his tenure at DOGE will last.
In November, Musk wrote on social media that DOGE is creating “a ranking of the stupidest spending of your tax dollars.” He also promised that DOGE’s activities would save the US government about $2 trillion. What is DOGE and how will it work? Is it possible to announce layoffs with thousands of billions?
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What is the name of the Department of State Activities?
DOGE was officially launched on Monday. Although it has the word “Department” in its name, it will not officially be one. It was initially said to be an external consulting unit. However, according to the White House, it should operate within the framework of the government, and more precisely, the Executive Office of the President. There, he will fulfill the task planned for 18 months. Importantly, the DOGE does not have the authority to implement budget cuts or other savings. Its role in this context remains advisory.
Due to its incorrect legal status, DOGE has already been sued by various institutions. One of the lawsuits accused the agency of allegedly violating a 1972 law that requires entities to advise the executive branch on maintaining transparency in employment and public affairs.
The name of the agency – Department of Government Efficiency, DOGE for short – refers to a popular Internet meme with a Shiba Inu dog and the cryptocurrency of the same name. On the American Internet, this meme is known as “doge” and among Polish users as “dogeł”.
Promises of a reduction of two trillion
According to an official statement from the White House, DOGE’s goal is to “modernize federal technology and software to improve government efficiency and productivity.” The agency is obliged to fulfill its tasks within 18 months. Back in November, Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who co-chaired the agency with SpaceX, argued that the agency would help minimize red tape, cut unnecessary costs and reduce mass layoffs. They announced that they intended to force officials to eliminate telephone work and move offices from Washington to other parts of the country.
In the past, Musk stated at least several times that the actions of DOGE will allow to save up to 2 trillion dollars (two thousand billion). Two weeks ago, the billionaire abandoned these promises. In a conversation shared on X with Mark Penn, director of the agency’s marketing group, Stagwell admitted that there is a “good chance” that DOGE will cut costs by only half of that amount.
Commentators have already pointed out during the campaign that Musk is not keeping that promise. Bloomberg described the announcement of the $2 trillion cut as a “sophisticated goal” that would require “a level of savings not seen since the end of World War II.” The agency noted that the amount that the billionaire repeats is more than the amount that Americans spend annually on the operation of government agencies, and therefore the acquisition is likely to reduce social programs, including health insurance programs for the elderly. and includes the poorest. And Trump announced during the campaign that he did not cut them.
Elon MuskSARA YENESEL/PAP
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Who will work at DOGE?
According to the findings of “The New York Times”, the members of the DOGE team include a group of entrepreneurs associated with Silicon Valley who are willing to work as volunteers. Some people working in the agency, including Musk himself, will have the status of so-called special government employees, who can work in the federal government for a maximum of 130 days a year – adds “NYT”, citing information, from people closely associated with the project.
As the newspaper “Washington Post” found out, DOGE has already hired “dozens of workers”. They must work for the agency in an office located in the headquarters of Elon Musk’s company SpaceX in Washington.
Elon Musk during Donald Trump’s inauguration EPA/SHAWN THEW
The desire to reduce government spending is not a new thing. Similar initiatives, including: during the presidency of Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan. The former actions resulted in a decrease of 300,000. federal affairs. In turn, the so-called Grace Commission headed by businessman J. Peter Grace has recommended over 2,500 people. reforms, most of which were never implemented.
SEE ALSO: CNN: Officials are changing job descriptions. They are afraid of Musk’s “axe”.
BBC, The Washington Post, The New York Times, tvn24.pl
Main photo source: SARAH YENESEL/PAP
