Musk Names Federal Agencies He Wants to Cut
Facts
- Tesla & SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who was tapped by Pres.-elect Donald Trump to co-lead, with entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, a new US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has announced agencies he'd like to cut funding for as part of a $2T spending cut.[1][2]
- Musk and Ramaswamy have identified specific targets, including the Corporation for Public Broadcasting ($535M), international organization grants ($1.5B), the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and various climate-related positions. Ramaswamy has also suggested cutting what he describes as military budget waste.[2][3]
- Besides large-scale federal workforce reductions, the duo has suggested mandatory five-day office attendance policies and agency relocations outside Washington by July 2026.[1][4]
- The initiative, which would end in July 2026 to keep in line with DOGE's philosophy, faces legal constraints under the Impoundment Control Act, which limits presidential authority to withhold congressionally approved spending.[2]
- Federal employee unions argue that civilian workforce costs represent only $200B, compared to $750B spent on federal contractors annually. Some have also resigned following Musk's public naming of certain agencies on social media.[5][6]
- However, some Republican lawmakers have lauded Musk's effort, including calls for a "Decreasing Overlapping Grants Efficiently (DOGE) Act" to cut back on some federal grants. Others have suggested a pause on federal pay raises until passage of the DOGE Act has been achieved.[7]
Sources: [1]CBS, [2]Forbes, [3]The Wall Street Journal, [4]FOX News (a), [5]CNN, [6]CTV News and [7]FOX News (b).
Narratives
- Republican narrative, as provided by American Thinker. DOGE will face fierce resistance from entrenched bureaucrats and a Congress addicted to overspending, but Musk and Ramaswamy are rightly determined to accomplish this vital work that has much public support. With polls suggesting virtually every American approves of the DOGE agenda, there’s a mandate to tackle duplicative roles, fraud, and frivolous expenses, saving trillions of our tax dollars.
- Democratic narrative, as provided by Jacobin. DOGE is rife with conflicts of interest and risks harming the public by slashing essential programs, like Social Security, while ignoring real inefficiencies like the Pentagon budget. Superficial solutions, corporate favoritism, and harmful austerity measures threaten to deepen inequality, benefiting big businesses at the expense of workers and consumers.