crossorigin="anonymous"> Inside Elon Musk’s plan for DOGE to cut government spending – Subrang Safar: Your Journey Through Colors, Fashion, and Lifestyle

Inside Elon Musk’s plan for DOGE to cut government spending


An unpaid group of billionaires, tech executives and some disciples of Peter Thiel, a powerful Republican donor, are preparing to take on unofficial positions in the US government in the name of cost-cutting.

As President-elect Donald J. Trump’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency has stepped up its fight against “wasteful spending,” it has assigned people with ties to its co-leaders Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to federal government agencies. Preparing to send. .

After Inauguration Day, a group of Silicon Valley-inspired, wide-eyed recruits will be deployed to an alphabet soup of Washington agencies. The goal for most large agencies is to eventually have two DOGE representatives as they seek to cut costs. As Mr. Musk did in X.his social media platform.

This story is based on interviews with about a dozen people with insight into DOGE’s operations. He spoke to The Times on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.

In the run-up to Mr. Trump’s presidency, DOGE’s structure remains disorganized and closely held. People involved in the operation say privacy and avoiding leaks are paramount, and most of the communication is done on Signal, an encrypted messaging app.

Mr Trump has said the effort will make a “tremendous difference” and that the agency will provide outside advice on how to reduce waste. DOGE itself would have no authority to cut spending—that authority rests with Congress. Instead, it is expected to provide recommendations for cuts in programs and other areas.

But parts of the operation are becoming clear: Many of the executives involved are expected to do six months of volunteer work within the federal government before returning to their higher-paying jobs. Mr. Musk has said he will not be paid — a nonstarter for some interested tech executives — and has been asked to work 80-hour weeks. Some, possibly including Mr. Musk, will be so-called. Special Government Servantsa special category of temporary workers who can work for the federal government for only 130 days or less in a 365-day period.

Representatives will be appointed within most federal agencies. After some deliberation by top officials, DOGE itself is now unlikely to be incorporated as an organized external body or non-profit organization. Instead, it is likely to exist as a brand for a close-knit group of hopeful leaders who share common group chats and loyalties to either Mr. Musk or Mr. Ramaswamy.

“The cynical among us will say, ‘Oh, these sleazy billionaires are taking the field.’ But the other side would say it’s service to the nation that we typically see around the nation’s founding,” said Trevor Traina, an entrepreneur who previously worked with colleagues in the Trump administration who joined DOGE. Considered to be.

“The friends I know have great lives,” Mr. Trina said, “and they’re agreeing to work for free for six months, leaving their families behind to try to make things real for themselves.” The sleeves are rolled up. You can look at it either way.”

DOGE leaders have told others that a minority of people not familiar with the agency’s details will be housed in the Executive Office of the President at the U.S. Digital Service, which was created in 2014 by former President Barack Obama. “Change our government’s approach to technology.”

DOGE is also expected to have an office in the Office of Management and Budget, and officials have also considered creating a think tank outside the government in the future.

Friends of Mr. Musk have been deeply involved in the selection of people to be appointed to various agencies. Among those interviewed for DOGE are Silicon Valley investors Marc Andreessen, Sean Maguire, Bars Akis and others with personal ties to Mr. Musk. Some who have received Thiel Fellowshipa prestigious grant funded by Mr. Thiel, is awarded to those who are dropping out or promising to drop out of college. Be an entrepreneurInvolved in programming and operations for DOGE. Introductions to Mr. Musk or Mr. Ramaswamy, or their inner circles, have been a key way to pick leaders for deployment.

Loom co-founder Vinay Haremath also said he had joined DOGE in a rare public statement about working with the institution. In a post on his personal blog this month, Mr. Hermuth described the work DOGE employees were doing before he decided against moving to Washington to join the organization.

“After 8 calls with people who all spoke fast and seemed very smart, I was put into several signal groups and started working immediately,” he wrote. “The next 4 weeks of my life consisted of 100 recruiting calls to some of the smartest people I’ve ever talked to, working on a variety of projects that I’m sure I can talk about. I’m not, and it was a blast to learn how completely dysfunctional the government was.”

These recruits are assigned to specific agencies where they are believed to have expertise. Some other DOGE registrants have come to the attention of Mr. Musk and Mr. Ramaswamy through X. In recent weeks, DOGE’s account on X has posted requests to hire “a very small number” of full-time salaried positions for engineers and backup. Office functions such as human resources.

The DOGE team, including those salaried engineers, is working largely out of a glass building at SpaceX’s headquarters a few blocks from the White House. Those close to Mr. Ramaswamy and Mr. Musk hope that DOGE engineers can use artificial intelligence to find cost-cutting opportunities.

The broader effort is being run by two men with very different backgrounds: one Brad Smith, one Health care entrepreneurs and a former top health official in Mr. Trump’s first White House who is close to Mr. Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. Mr. Smith has been effectively running DOGE during the transition period, with a particular focus on recruitment, especially for workers who will join the agencies.

Mr. Smith is working closely with Steve Davis, He has been an associate of Mr. Musk for two decades. Which is widely seen as acting as a proxy for all things Mr Musk. Mr. Davis has joined Mr. Musk as he calls experts with questions about the federal budget, for example.

Others involved include Matt Luby, Mr. Ramaswamy’s chief of staff and a childhood friend. Joanna Wisher, a Trump campaign official; and Rachel Riley, a McKinsey partner who works closely with Mr. Smith.

Mr. Musk’s personal lawyer – Chris Guber – and Mr. Ramaswamy’s personal lawyer – Steve Roberts – are exploring different legal issues about DOGE’s structure. James Burnham, a former Justice Department official, is also assisting DOGE with legal matters. Bill McGinley, Mr. Trump’s initial choice for White House counsel, who was named as legal counsel to DOGE, has played a smaller role.

“DOGE will be a cornerstone of the new administration, helping President Trump deliver his vision of a new golden age,” said James Fishback, founder of the investment firm Azuria, and a confidant of Mr. Ramaswamy. who will provide external advice for them. DOGE

Despite all this power, many budget experts remain deeply skeptical of the effort and its cost-cutting ambitions. Mr. Musk initially said the effort could result in cuts of “at least $2 trillion.” $6.75 trillion Federal budget. But budget experts say that would be the goal. Hard to get Without cutting popular programs like Social Security and Medicare, which Mr. Trump has promised not to cut.

Both Mr. Musk and Mr. Ramaswamy have also rewritten what success can mean. Mr. Ramaswami emphasized DOGE-led deregulation. On X last month, saying that removing regulations could stimulate the economy and that “DOGE’s success cannot be measured by deficit reduction alone.”

And in one The interview Last week, along with Mark Penn, chairman and chief executive of Stegwell, a marketing company, Mr. Musk downplayed the potential savings.

“We’ll try for $2 trillion — I think that’s the best outcome,” Mr. Musk said. “You have to be a bit over the top. I think if we try for two trillion we’ll have a good shot at getting one.



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