Latest news with #DepartmentOfGovernmentEfficiency
Russia Today
7 hours ago
- Business
- Russia Today
Musk dismisses NYT drugs claim
Elon Musk has denied allegations of drug abuse following a New York Times report detailing his purported heavy use of controlled substances during Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign. On Friday, the NYT released an article alleging that the mogul was using the substances 'far more intensely than previously known.' In a post on X on Saturday, Musk brushed off the allegations, writing: 'Also, to be clear, I am NOT taking drugs! The New York Times was lying their ass off.' He added that he had 'tried prescription ketamine a few years ago' and had publicly disclosed this fact. 'This [is] not even news. It helps for getting out of dark mental holes, but haven't taken it since then,' Musk stressed. The Times had alleged that Musk was taking so much ketamine that it was affecting his bladder, a known effect of chronic use. The article also claimed, citing sources familiar with the matter, that Musk took ecstasy and psychedelic mushrooms and traveled with a daily medication box containing about 20 pills including the stimulant Adderall. The NYT stated that it is unclear whether Musk was taking drugs when he joined the Trump administration as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which was tasked with slashing the federal bureaucracy. However, it mentioned that during his tenure as a public servant, the businessman 'exhibited erratic behavior,' insulted cabinet members, and at one point made a controversial gesture that many interpreted as a Nazi-style salute. On Thursday, Musk announced that he would no longer serve as a government employee. He thanked Trump 'for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending' while stating that DOGE would continue its operations. While Trump noted that Musk 'is really not leaving' and was 'going to be back and forth,' the announcement came amid multiple reports of a rift between the mogul and administration officials. In March, the NYT reported that Musk had clashed with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio over firings in his department and with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy over air traffic control regulations. Musk also recently voiced disappointment over Trump's spending bill, which he said would increase the deficit and undermine DOGE's mission.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Axed $170 million contract shows how DOGE-led cuts came over US Navy objections
The US Navy canceled a $170 million contract for data migration, citing redundancy and waste. But the decision contradicts goals of cutting fat and improving efficiency, insiders say. The episode shows how officials are scrambling to find large savings despite internal concerns. A US Navy contract to move sailors' server-stored records to a secure cloud system was recently torpedoed as part of DOGE-led cuts that show how top officials are under pressure to find large cost-savings even over the objections of their own organizations. An IT services provider named Pantheon received a $170 million contract last year to relocate the records threatened by flooding from a Tennessee data center to cloud storage. But a top Navy official ordered it to be cut, at the suggestion of Department of Government Efficiency newcomers, over the strenuous warnings of their own personnel officials. An internal memo reviewed by BI highlighted that the system that DOGE recommended reverting to has been plagued by delays, a bloated budget, and little to show for it all. Continued "delays have resulted in the Navy having to expend even more resources on legacy systems that are past end of life and do not meet the needs of the Service," the memo said. The Navy's Information Officer argued the contract was duplicative of legacy software, and justified the cancelation with the idea that government workers could do the same cloud migration contractors were then performing. But none of that is true, three sources familiar with the contract said, arguing this was hype from Navy leaders eager to offer up juicy cuts to DOGE officials to boost their own standing. The "decision, driven by demonstrably false and misleading claims, directly contradicts the Administration's goals of cutting waste, improving efficiency, and reforming failing IT programs," a second internal document says. If the archaic data center in Tennessee floods, as Navy HR officials fear, the impact to personnel would be excruciating, sources said, hampering salary payments, recruiting efforts, and stalling promotions. Without such data on hand, it would be impossible to know who is eligible to promote and when, or even how to readily assign qualified troops during a war. The location maintains records for the over 330,000 sailors on active-duty. "We were making good progress," said one Navy official familiar with the efforts, a tough chore considering that dozens of interconnected systems feed data throughout each other system for Pantheon's 500 data workers to map out. The Navy halted their work and canceled the contract earlier this month. first reported the contract's cancelation last week, and potential impacts to sailors' careers. The modernization efforts were led by the Navy's "N1," the military equivalent of a human resources section that oversees almost all Navy administrative matters, led by Vice Adm. Richard Cheeseman. Sources told BI that oversight passed only recently to the Navy's Chief Information Officer, Jane Rathburn. Internal documents reviewed by BI noted that the CIO's office told DOGE officials that the contract was duplicative, and that the government would be better served relying on old software known colloquially as "NP2." But the Pantheon contract was anything but duplicative, as the CIO claimed, and the company would have saved the Navy hundreds of millions, according to sources. What's more, the old NP2 system has its own problems. Sources said that by the time Pantheon arrived, the legacy software's price tag had ballooned to an eye-watering $1 billion over the last five years in Tennessee, with no real progress to show. One source estimated the actual cost to be closer to $5 billion. A source with knowledge of Pantheon's work, and who voiced support for DOGE goals of improved efficiency, noted that the NP2 program requires staffing and oversight from the Navy. He suggested that rendering NP2 obsolete — in part by through contracts like Pantheon's — could mark some government offices and jobs for elimination. The debacle began to unfold just before Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth directed the DoD to curb IT contracts, and instead "in-source more expertise and harness the unparalleled talent of our existing experts," according to a memo released this week. Navy leaders underscored to DOGE officials that government employees could instead tackle the cloud migration efforts. But internal memos decried such a move, noting that government personnel have not performed any of the hundreds of previous migrations, and calling such an idea "not financially responsible." Navy spokesperson Ferry Gene Baylon told Business Insider that the contract was canceled based on recommendations from DOGE. "The Navy is focused on the wellbeing of the men and women who serve as we look to optimize resources essential to Navy personnel systems, pay management, and operational readiness," Baylon wrote in an email, adding that "it would be premature to comment on the details of future contracts." She did not comment on internal memos. Sources told BI that Pantheon has already received $30 million of the $170 million total due. Now, it's unclear what will happen next to fix sailors' data, and who will be in charge. That the data in Tennessee will continue to be at-risk rather than proceeding with Pantheon will inevitably hurt sailors, the Navy official said, adding that amid years of recruiting challenges, the service's ability to retain its force depends on paychecks. "If you can't pay them or promote them correctly, you're not going to keep people," the official said. "They're going to leave, rightly so, because they're not being treated the way they deserve to be treated." Read the original article on Business Insider
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump Addresses Elon Musk's Alleged Drug Use After Bombshell New York Times Report
President Donald Trump appears indifferent to the alleged drug use of one of his top advisers. The New York Times reported Friday that Elon Musk was regularly consuming ketamine, ecstasy, psychedelic mushrooms, Ambien, Adderall and other drugs while on the campaign trail with Trump. The newspaper said it based its report on private messages it obtained, along with interviews with 'more than a dozen people' who know Musk. It's unclear whether his drug use changed once he took his place at the helm of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, an initiative that has fired thousands of federal staffers and gutted key agencies under the stated aim of curbing wasteful spending. He officially left his role with DOGE earlier this week. Trump appeared not to care about this when asked Friday by a reporter if the reported drug use troubled him. 'I'm not troubled by anything with Elon,' he said at the Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. 'I think he's fantastic. Did a great job. And, you know, DOGE continues. And by the time he's finished, we'll have numbers that'll knock your socks off.' 'He did a fantastic job,' the president added. 'And he didn't need it, he didn't need to do it.' Musk spent a fortune to help reelect Trump and was later made a 'special government employee' to spearhead DOGE. The world's richest man then gained access, potentially illegally, to highly sensitive government data and hired a group of unvetted 20-somethings for help. The tech billionaire has called Social Security, one of the most enduring safety nets Americans have ever had, a 'Ponzi scheme.' He also danced around onstage at the Conservative Political Action Conference in February wielding a symbolic chainsaw to celebrate his work. Yikes. A reporter just asked Trump if he's troubled by the reports of Elon Musk using drugs and he said 'I'm not troubled by anything with Elon.' Republicans screamed about private citizen Hunter Biden for years but Elon? They're 'not troubled.' — Harry Sisson (@harryjsisson) May 31, 2025 The Times reported that Musk's drug consumption ramped up around the same time he started joining Trump on the campaign trail last year, and that he regularly traveled with a medication box that held some 20 various pills. Rather than address the allegations on Friday, Musk attacked the Times' credibility. 'Is The New York Times — is that the same publication that got a Pulitzer Prize for false reporting on the Russiagate?' he asked. 'Is that the same organization? I think it is.' Musk has previously admitted to taking 'a small amount' of ketamine every other week, and was famously shown smoking marijuana on the 'Joe Rogan Experience' podcast in 2018. Musk said Friday that despite his DOGE tenure being over, he hopes to remain Trump's 'friend and an adviser.' Elon Musk Explains Why He Has A Black Eye Elon Musk's Drug Use Much Greater Than Previously Known: NYT 5 Things Elon Musk Can Tell His Manager He Accomplished As A Federal Employee
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump Addresses Elon Musk's Alleged Drug Use After Bombshell New York Times Report
President Donald Trump appears indifferent to the alleged drug use of one of his top advisers. The New York Times reported Friday that Elon Musk was regularly consuming ketamine, ecstasy, psychedelic mushrooms, Ambient, Adderall and other drugs while on the campaign trail with Trump. The newspaper said it based its report on private messages it obtained, along with interviews with 'more than a dozen people' who know Musk. It's unclear whether his drug use changed once he took his place at the helm of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, an initiative that has fired thousands of federal staffers and gutted key agencies under the stated aim of curbing wasteful spending. He officially left his role with DOGE earlier this week. Trump appeared not to care about this when asked Friday by a reporter if the reported drug use troubled him. 'I'm not troubled by anything with Elon,' he said at the Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. 'I think he's fantastic. Did a great job. And, you know, DOGE continues. And by the time he's finished, we'll have numbers that'll knock your socks off.' 'He did a fantastic job,' the president added. 'And he didn't need it, he didn't need to do it.' Musk spent a fortune to help reelect Trump and was later made a 'special government employee' to spearhead DOGE. The world's richest man then gained access, potentially illegally, to highly sensitive government data and hired a group of unvetted 20-somethings for help. The tech billionaire has called Social Security, one of the most enduring safety nets Americans have ever had, a 'Ponzi scheme.' He also danced around onstage at the Conservative Political Action Conference in February wielding a symbolic chainsaw to celebrate his work. The Times reported that Musk's drug consumption ramped up around the same time he started joining Trump on the campaign trail last year, and that he regularly traveled with a medication box that held some 20 various pills. Rather than address the allegations on Friday, Musk attacked the Times' credibility. 'Is The New York Times — is that the same publication that got a Pulitzer Prize for false reporting on the Russiagate?' he asked. 'Is that the same organization? I think it is.' Musk has previously admitted to taking 'a small amount' of ketamine every other week, and was famously shown smoking marijuana on the 'Joe Rogan Experience' podcast in 2018. Musk said Friday that despite his DOGE tenure being over, he hopes to remain Trump's 'friend and an adviser.' Elon Musk Explains Why He Has A Black Eye Elon Musk's Drug Use Much Greater Than Previously Known: NYT 5 Things Elon Musk Can Tell His Manager He Accomplished As A Federal Employee
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Who could be the next face of DOGE?
A few names are coming into view as people who could lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which all signs suggest will have a big influence even with Elon Musk's departure from his official government work. The White House insists no single person will lead DOGE and that every Cabinet secretary and host of other officials will continue Musk's work. A few individuals stand out, however. Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought is where 'all the attention is turning toward,' said Jordan Wood, a former communications aide in Trump's first term. 'Elon was the necessary disruptor—he bulldozed his way in and got everyone's attention. But Russ is the operator. He understands how government really works better than just about anyone in the administration. He's methodical and knows exactly which levers to pull from the inside,' Wood said. A source close to Trump World also pointed to Vought as the one person who would be at the helm, but noted that DOGE under Musk was not always politically popular. 'DOGE served its purpose – but like much with Trump world, rapid fire approach can sometimes miss the political mark,' the source said. Musk joined President Trump in the Oval Office for a press conference on Friday to mark his final day as a special government employee, which has a 130 day limit. 'This is not the end of DOGE, but really the beginning,' Musk said, adding that he is confident the team will be able to find $1 trillion in savings. 'I'll continue to be visiting here and be a friend and adviser to the president,' he added. Trump also suggested that Musk will continue to be a major figure in his administration, telling reporters, 'Elon's really not leaving – he's going to be back and forth.' Musk began Trump's second term with big plans to cut up to $2 trillion from the federal budget and as of Friday, DOGE estimates that it has saved $175 billion overall due to its cuts. That came with the firings of thousands of federal employees across multiple agencies, big and small. Meanwhile, Vought had previously advocated for slashing federal spending and putting federal bureaucrats 'in trauma' prior to his appointment at OMB. Vought His agency was also at the center of a controversial memo in January that had called for agencies to freeze funding to ensure it aligned with the administration's priorities. A new memo this week from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) that directed agencies to not hire individuals based on their race, sex or religion, directs heads of departments to send reports to OPM and OMB by the end of June. Vought, at the helm of OMB, would receive those reports on recruitment and eliminating such practices the administration deems discriminatory. White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller has also been floated as someone who can take over the work of DOGE. While one Trump ally pointed to Vought as the likeliest individual to spearhead DOGE's efforts in Musk's absence, the source noted Miller would likely seek to keep the federal bureaucracy in check. Miller, for his part, is a longtime Washington, D.C. figure who worked as a GOP Senate staffer and is well-acquainted with the ins and outs of the federal government. He replied to Musk's post on X about his time as a special government employee coming to an end to highlight the work. 'The work DOGE has done to eliminate government waste and corruption — the rot embedded deep within Washington — is among the most valuable services ever rendered to government. And the work has only just begun,' Miller said. Miller's wife, Katie Miller, was an adviser and spokesperson for Musk at DOGE and was among the few top officials who exited with the Tesla CEO. She is going to work for Musk full-time in the private sector, a source familiar told The Hill, confirming reporting from CNN. Ultimately, though, the Trump ally argued there was unlikely to be a single new face of DOGE. Musk's style and omnipresence would be difficult to replicate, the ally said, and a single leader is likely unnecessary at this point with major cuts to government staffing in particular already implemented. 'As I understand it, Russ would oversee it in more of a team effort way, versus one person being the face,' the Trump ally said. That's in line with what press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Thursday in terms of who the next face of DOGE would be. She said that Trump's entire Cabinet would be tasked with rooting out what they see as waste and fraud. 'The entire Cabinet understands the need to cut government waste, fraud and abuse and each Cabinet secretary at their respective agencies is committed, that's why they were working hand in hand with Elon Musk and they'll continue to work with the respective DOGE employees who have onboarded as political appointees at all of the agencies,' she said. During their work to overhaul the federal workforce, DOGE staff members went into various agencies and some stayed working in those agencies and are embedded in them now. While many Cabinet officials embraced the work of DOGE, there was some pushback from the likes of FBI director Kash Patel who told his staff in February to hold off on replying to outreach from Musk. Wood argued that embedded DOGE workers could make more of an impact overhauling the government. 'This shift from high-profile disruption to quiet execution could actually make the cuts more effective—and a lot harder to reverse,' Wood said. To be sure, Musk is a unique figure to replace. He is the richest man in the world who sometimes espouses wild conspiracy theories, has sparked controversy over his alleged drug use, and with him also comes big-ticket checks for high-dollar political fundraising. The Tesla CEO has compared himself to the Buddha to argue that his efforts to slash the federal budget and workforce will carry on even after he leaves the White House. 'Is Buddha needed for Buddhism?' Musk quipped in a briefing to a small group of reporters last month, when asked who will fill his avoid. He called DOGE 'a way of life' and said converts have been made inside of the administration. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
