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What is Doge and why is Musk cutting so many jobs?

James Fitzgerald and Honi Hondrich

BBC News, London and Washington, DC

Watch: Musk defends government discounts in the appearance of the White House

A new advisory body has been assigned by US President Donald Trump and its leadership in the world to cut the jobs of the US government and other spending.

Elon Musk leads this effort to significantly reduce the federal workforce and get rid of what taxpayers see.

However, the Ministry of Governmental efficiency (Doge) faced legal obstacles and allegations about conflicting interests and fears that they would cause severe damage.

His actions explained to reporters at the Oval Office, Musk defended his plans and denied the confirmation of the competing Democrats that he embodies a “hostile acquisition” of the government.

The polling suggests that cutting government spending has widespread support.

What is Dog?

Despite her full name, Duji is not an official government ministry, which had to be established by Congress law.

Instead, it appeared through one of Trump’s executive orders, and works as an advisory body that includes at least four employees for each government agency.

This, which is part of the Doug’s mission, is related to promotions aimed at enhancing efficiency. She must finish her work by July 2026.

It seems that many Doug employees are young people who have technical backgrounds. It includes a resignation employee after linking it to the racist social media account, Who pledges musk to rehabilitate it.

Is Elon Musk a government employee?

Yes. Although Musk initially said that he would play his role as an external volunteer, the White House later said that he was working as a private non -paid government employee.

This appointment is officially defined as those who work in the government for 130 days or less per year.

For some supporters of this new body, the external Doug’s position – in addition to its somewhat mysterious delegation – will be a benefit.

“They are a little more not related to the bureaucracy itself and the regimes that slow their operations here,” Republican Senator Kevin Kramer of North Dakota told the BBC. “I think the lack of parameters is part of what will make them effective.”

Getty Images Elon Musk holds his grip in the air during the opening of Donald TrumpGety pictures

Musk was among those present in the inauguration of Trump

What did Dog do so far?

Musk says its mission is to save taxpayers money and reduce US national debts, which amounts to $ 36 million (28.9 million pounds).

Initially he said he hoped to save up to one billion dollars annually, but he reduced this estimate later.

Musk said he wanted to end the “tyranny of bureaucracy”, which describes it as a fourth branch of the government working against the Trump agenda. Critics see his work as a simpler ideological motivation.

“They will not go to agencies who do things they love. They go to agencies who disagree with them,” said Douglas Holtz Ecin, former Republican Director of the CBO budget office (CBO.

It is not clear how much money has been able to save until now, although its X account gives regular festive updates about what they say. Among its main actions:

  • Doj representatives enter various departments to monitor spending. Trump says they have identified “fraud and abuse”, without providing evidence
  • As part of a war on “wake up” policies, Musk said that his team “saved taxpayers more than a billion dollars in Crazy Dei [diversity, equity and inclusion] Contracts “
  • A tox
  • Submit an offer to a million government employees to try to reduce the size of the federal workforce
  • Try to control the Consumer Financial Protection Office (CFPB) and possibly close. This was created to protect consumers after the 2007-2008 financial crisis, but Republicans accuse him of overcoming
The chart shows the US federal budget deficit, year after year, and this means the difference between government spending in trillions. According to US Treasury data, the annual number has risen steadily over the past. It was about one or more dollar every year for the past five, as it reached more than 3 meters in 2020

What do Americans think?

Dog has wide wide support, and I suggested a poll conducted by the American PBS News.

This indicated that the majority of Americans – especially Republican voters – have supported their work, even if they did not agree to the amount of influence that must have a musk personally.

The size of the permanent workforce was currently two million, and it was one of the largest increases in 2023, partly due to the main investment by the Biden administration in infrastructure projects.

David Diche, chief analyst at the Innovation Center for Economic Policy, a conservative research tank, says David’s work is needed.

“They highlight different parts of the federal government and ask whether the American public, whether this is moderate members of the Republican Assembly – is this what you want to use American tax money?”

Bar Chart offers US government spending, according to October to December 2024, citing US Treasury data. The largest expenditures on social security ($ 374 billion), followed by the National Defense ($ 262 billion), health (246 billion dollars), a net interest ($ 242 billion), medicare ($ 233 billion), income security (162 billion dollars) The veterans (105 USD) BN, education, training, employment and social services ($ 52 billion), natural resources and the environment ($ 39 billion) (36 billion dollars) and others (43 billion dollars)

What opposition did Dog face?

Political opponents and government observers accuse Doug of acting without transparency and publishing wrong information about government spending – and they accuse musk of bypassing his authority as an uniform official.

Critics shed light on the conflict of the potential interests of Moussa, given billions in contracts that his business carries with the American government. Trump and Musk denied that any problems will arise.

Multiple groups, including unions and state lawyer, filed a lawsuit against Dog and the Trump administration over their plans, and Democrats accuse them of tampering with the financing approved by Congress outside the president’s scope. The White House denies that work has broken any laws.

Several times, the courts intervened to stop the costs of reducing costs, at least once Doug is banned directly when the agency prevents the agency from accessing the personal data they keep in US Treasury records.

When speaking to correspondents at the Oval Office, Musk said he expected to be examined for his work, but he insisted that the Americans voted in favor of government reform.

But critics are wondering whether he can enact his bold pledges.

“The efforts to simplify government spending” can be done “, while highlighting her own work of President Bill Clinton in the 1990s.

But she described the idea of ​​Musk as a third of government spending “ridiculous”, because a lot of budget was mandatory, including popular programs such as social security and medical care.

With additional reports by Jessica Parker and Kai Bejaloti

https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/branded_news/4398/live/6405c340-ea2a-11ef-a819-277e390a7a08.png

2025-02-14 01:19:00

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