What exactly is Elon Musk's role in the US Government? Doge explained

After supporting US President Donald Trump during his election campaign, Elon Musk was appointed to lead a new federal advisory body called Doge. Formed by one of Mr Trump's early executive orders, Doge is often mistakenly called a government department. However, such departments can be created only through an act of Congress.

Instead, Doge operates in an advisory capacity, with at least four employees assigned to each government agency. Mr Musk has already sparked several controversies in this advisory role, frequently expressing frustrations or announcing initiatives on his social media platform X (formerly Twitter).

Here’s a closer look at what this advisory body is and the powers the world’s richest man holds. Doge stands for the Department of Government Efficiency. However, it is believed to have been intentionally abbreviated to tie into Dogecoin, a cryptocurrency in which Mr Musk is thought to have investments.

There were initial concerns that the creation of Doge could influence the value of Dogecoin, with some alleging that it could result in market manipulation. Doge's mission is focused on IT upgrades aimed at improving government efficiency. The executive order mandates that it must complete its work by July 2026.

Its staff are mainly young professionals, many of whom have a background in tech, reflecting the same trends seen in Mr Musk’s other companies, such as Tesla and X. Although Mr Musk initially stated that he would take on the role as a volunteer, the White House later confirmed that he was working as an unpaid special government employee. This designation applies to individuals who work for the government for 130 days or fewer per year.

The outsider nature of Mr Musk and the Doge department reportedly aligns with its purpose: identifying inefficiencies within the government. Doge’s goal is to improve efficiency and save the government money, with Mr Musk initially claiming he hoped to save $2 trillion (£1.59 billion) — an estimate he later reduced.

It is hard to judge how much money Doge has saved so far. However, Mr Musk has made unverified claims about the department’s achievements on X. He has claimed that Doge representatives have been assigned to various departments to monitor spending. Mr Trump said the department had identified "fraud and abuse", without providing specific examples or evidence.

The US has also reduced funding to USAid, America's primary foreign aid organisation, a decision attributed to Doge. However, a judge later ordered the funding cuts to be reversed. Additionally, a buyout offer was made to two million government employees as part of an effort to reduce the size of the federal workforce.