US PRESIDENT Donald Trump has directed federal agencies to work with Elon Musk to identify government jobs that can be cut and functions that can be eliminated.
The move is part of an effort to reduce the federal workforce and align it with Trump’s policy priorities.
Musk, standing alongside Trump in the Oval Office with his 4-year-old son, said he was leading the effort to cut government waste.
Wearing a “Make America Great Again” cap, the billionaire defended his role in overseeing the initiative despite holding no elected position.
"You can't have an autonomous federal bureaucracy. You have to have one that's responsive to the people," Musk said. He described the bureaucracy as an “unconstitutional” fourth branch of government, arguing that it had "more power than any elected representative."
Musk, who owns Tesla and social media platform X, dismissed concerns over transparency in his team’s work. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which he leads, has not disclosed details about its employees, operations, or specific actions inside agencies. It has only shared pound figures on reported budget cuts without further specifics.
"I fully expect to be scrutinised and get, you know, a daily proctology exam, basically," Musk said. "It's not like I think I can get away with something."
He also pushed back against criticism, particularly from Democrats, that his role amounted to a non-transparent takeover of government operations.
"You couldn't ask for a stronger mandate from ... the public," Musk said, citing Trump's election victory. "The people voted for major government reform. There should be no doubt about that."
Musk said he speaks to Trump nearly every day about the initiative.
The executive order signed Tuesday requires agencies to hire no more than one new employee for every four who leave.
It also directs agencies to work with Musk’s team to identify large-scale job cuts and consider eliminating certain agency components.
Employees in national security, public safety, law enforcement, and immigration enforcement are exempt.
Many government workers are part of labour unions, meaning layoffs and job reductions must comply with collective bargaining agreements. Non-union civil service employees also have legal job protections.
The administration has previously tried to reduce staff through buyout offers, though a federal judge blocked that effort.
Buyout push and legal challenges
Trump and Musk estimate the cuts could save £806 billion by reducing government waste, nearly 15 per cent of total federal spending.
Trump rejected claims that Musk’s role posed a conflict of interest, despite his leadership of SpaceX, which has lucrative contracts with the Pentagon and intelligence agencies.
"If we thought that, we would not let him do that segment or look in that area, if we thought there was a lack of transparency or a conflict of interest," Trump said.
Trump’s broader efforts to reduce the federal workforce have faced legal challenges. Courts have halted his buyout plan and blocked Musk’s access to sensitive Treasury payment systems.
A judge also stopped an order placing USAID workers on leave.
The US government has about 2.3 million civilian employees, excluding postal workers. While security agencies account for many of these jobs, others involve veterans' healthcare, agriculture inspections, and financial operations.
Earlier, Musk took to X to criticise law firms challenging the administration’s plans.
"Which law firms are pushing these anti-democratic cases to impede the will of the people?" he wrote.
He also criticised judges who blocked Trump’s orders, calling it a "judicial coup" that was undermining democracy.
Trump echoed this view in his meeting with Musk.
"We want to weed out the corruption. And it seems hard to believe that a judge could say, we don’t want you to do that," Trump said.
"So maybe we have to look at the judges, because that’s very serious."
Trump said he would follow court rulings but criticised their impact.
"I always abide by the courts, and then I’ll have to appeal it," he said. "Then what ... he’s done is he’s slowed down the momentum, and it gives crooked people more time to cover up the books."
(With inputs from Reuters)
Karan Johar and Smriti Irani
