Donald Trump handed Elon Musk even more control over the federal government by preparing an executive order requiring agencies to cooperate with Musk’s so-called “department of government efficiency” (Doge), a team Trump has assembled, when told to cut their workforces and limit the hiring of replacements.
The White House order, titled Implementing The President’s “Department of Government Efficiency” Workforce Optimization Initiative, said the goal is to “restore accountability to the American public” and that “this order commences a critical transformation of the Federal bureaucracy.
It also said that agencies should “hire no more than one employee for every four employees that depart from federal service” and “shall not fill any vacancies for career appointments that the DOGE Team Lead assesses should not be filled, unless the Agency Head determines the positions should be filled”.
Trump empowers Musk by ordering agencies to cooperate with Doge President’s order notes agency heads ‘will undertake plans for large-scale reductions in force’ with some exceptions.
Musk, the world’s richest man, took questions from reporters for the first time since he joined the Trump administration as a “special” government employee.
