With Elon Musk now moving away from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to focus on his business ventures, US President Donald Trump and his Cabinet officials will fill the void, according to the White House press.
Musk’s efforts at the cost-cutting initiative will be carried forward by Trump, his Cabinet secretaries as well as DOGE appointees, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday 28 May.
“The DOGE leaders are each and every member of the President’s cabinet — and the president himself — who is wholeheartedly committed to cutting waste, fraud and abuse from our government,” Karoline Leavitt said.
“I am having a Press Conference tomorrow at 1:30 P.M. EST, with Elon Musk, at the Oval Office. This will be his last day, but not really, because he will, always, be with us, helping all the way. Elon is terrific! See you tomorrow at the White House,” president Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
At the time of campaigning for the 2024 US presidential election, Musk promised to cut down 2 trillion dollars in “wasteful” federal spending.
As DOGE got formalized once Trump assumed office for the second time, the target was cut to half and was set at 1 trillion dollars by Musk himself. This came after he is believed to have spent more than 250 million dollars to support Trump for his presidential run.
Over the past few months, he faced criticism for his growing influence on the decisions of the federal government.
The official website of DOGE claims the agency has saved 160 billion dollars so far through cancellation of contracts, selling assets and other sweeping moves.
