Latest news with #GovernmentEmployee
International Business Times
5 days ago
- Business
- International Business Times
Katie Miller: Trump's Top Aide Stephen Miller's Wife Leaves White House to Work for Elon Musk Hours after Tech Billionaire Left His DC Post
Katie Miller is following in the footsteps of Elon Musk and will be leaving the White House to rejoin the private sector, as the tech mogul officially leaves his position in Washington, D.C. However, Katie's husband, Stephen Miller, appeared to react negatively to Musk's recent criticism of President Donald Trump's massive spending bill. The senior Trump aide caused a stir on social media on Tuesday evening after Musk showed his displeasure and said that he was extremely disappointed with the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," arguing that it reversed many of the budget cuts he worked hard to implement during his short time at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Another Trump Advisor Leaves White House Stephen Miller, who served as Homeland Security advisor and White House deputy chief of staff for policy, appeared to respond to Musk's remarks with a subtweet later that evening. In a post on X, he pointed out that Congress lacked the ability to reduce discretionary spending in the way Musk's agency had intended. "Under senate budget rules, you cannot cut discretionary spending (only mandatory) in a reconciliation bill," Miller wrote to social media on Tuesday. "So DOGE cuts would have to be done through what is known as a rescissions package or an appropriations bill." "The Big Beautiful Bill is NOT an annual budget bill and does not fund the departments of government," he continued. "It does not finance our agencies or federal programs." Katie Miller, who served as both an advisor and spokesperson for DOGE, will be departing the White House to join Elon Musk full-time in the private sector, according to a CNN report. Katie Miller's new role may involve coordinating Musk's media appearances for companies like Tesla and SpaceX, according to a source. Over the past week, Musk has spoken with outlets including The Washington Post, CBS News, and Ars Technica about the recent failed launch of SpaceX's Starship. During her time in government, Miller had been considered a Special Government Employee—a status that allows people from the private sector to serve in federal roles, though they are limited to working no more than 130 days per year. Back to Where They Belonged Musk officially resigned from his position as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) earlier this month. On Wednesday, he also announced that he was stepping down from his advisory role with Trump. He now plans to focus more on his private business ventures. "I think I probably did spend a bit too much time on politics," Musk told Ars Technica when asked about priorities and the failed SpaceX launch. "It's less than people would think, because the media is going to over-represent any political stuff, because political bones of contention get a lot of traction in the media," he continued. "It's not like I left the companies," Musk continued. "It was just relative time allocation that probably was a little too high on the government side, and I've reduced that significantly in recent weeks," he added. The world's richest man had originally planned to leave the administration by May 30 and has been gradually stepping away from politics in recent weeks, amid reports of friction with senior government officials. Tensions peaked on Tuesday night when Musk criticized Trump's "big beautiful bill" and voiced his frustration over how his DOGE team had been treated. Speaking to CBS, Musk openly said that the $3.8 trillion tax and spending package "undermines the work that the DOGE team is doing." In interviews with several media outlets, Musk condemned what he described as betrayal by the White House and expressed his dismay over the way both he and his young DOGE staffers had been handled. "DOGE is just becoming the whipping boy for everything," he told the Washington Post. "Something bad would happen anywhere, and we would get blamed for it even if we had nothing to do with it." After playing a major role in Trump's 2024 election win through massive financial donations and highly public endorsements, Musk was informally dubbed the White House's "First Buddy." During the early months of Trump's second term, Musk was a constant presence—personally briefing the president, downsizing federal agencies, and even bringing his son, X, to key meetings in the Oval Office. However, his arrival caused unrest within the political sphere and among career government workers, especially as he aggressively cut jobs in a push to eliminate what he saw as unnecessary spending.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Elon Leaves Trail of Destruction, Corruption … and No Financial Disclosure
Elon Musk's time in the Trump administration was short, but by no means merciful. As the 130 days of Musk's 'special employee' status in the White House expire, the world's richest man is leaving the government with shattered public approval, furious investors, and a to-go bag of grift and corruption to ensure the whole ordeal was worth his time. On Wednesday night, Musk wrote on X: 'As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending.' 'The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government,' Musk added. The full legacy of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and its role in the early days of Trump's second administration will likely take years to articulate in full. As of now, what is clear is that Musk overpromised, under delivered, and executed his mandate to 'reduce wasteful spending' in such a manner that the cost of the resulting chaos, backtracking, lawsuits, and downstream damage may end up wiping out any theoretical gains made by the 'department.' Even harder to pinpoint will be the extent of Musk's personal and corporate opportunism while elbow deep in the viscera of the federal government. Excluding English kings, it's hard to conceive of any figure in the history of American governance who was granted such wide-reaching, unchecked, and unaccountable power to meddle with the mandates of elected representatives. Despite acting as a superseding Cabinet official — to the point where the president was forced to clarify that members of his Cabinet did actually have authority over their agencies — as a Special Government Employee (SGE), Musk was spared the rigors of a confirmation hearing. While some SGEs are required to submit public financial disclosures, Musk's was filed confidentially. This despite his known financial relationships with the Trump campaign, his foreign business relationships, and his various disputes with government oversight agencies that interact with his companies. When asked how the administration would handle any potential conflicts of interest, the White House claimed that Musk would self-police should any arise. He did not. In 130 days, Musk's team at DOGE fired a slew of employees at federal departments and agencies investigating his companies — including Tesla, Neuralink, and SpaceX — on a variety of issues, including safety violations, employee lawsuits, violations of securities laws, and medical research malpractice. Musk has also worked to intertwine the work of various federal agencies with the products produced by his companies. Earlier this month, Reuters reported that DOGE had been using a customized version of Musk's AI bot 'Grok' to analyze government data. In March, the Federal Aviation Administration began approving the use of Starlink on commercial aircraft, and reports emerged claiming the FAA was considering cancelling a $2 billion dollar contract with Verizon in favor of the Musk-owned company. In one of the most unforgettable moments of the new administration, Trump staged an improvised Tesla showroom in front of the White House and vamped like a used car salesman when Musk's government antics began to tank the stock price of his electric vehicle company. The billionaire is leaving government not only because the time he can legally spend as a SGE has expired, but because the leadership of his flagship companies — Tesla and SpaceX — have seemingly demanded he stop using his 'chainsaw for bureaucracy' to destroy their public image and refocus his attention on their needs. As Musk slithers away from his stint as the effective co-president of the nation, his social media pontification about the need for 'transparency' in government rings hollower than ever. The billionaire has installed a web of loyalists throughout the federal government that will continue to work on his behalf even as he attempts to lay low for the sake of his tech empire, and there is still no oversight mechanism to ensure public accountability. It may have only been 130 days, but Musk will likely go down in history as one of the most destructive unelected bureaucrats in American history. More from Rolling Stone 'Disappointed' Musk Slams Trump's Not-So-Beautiful Tax Bill How the Class of 2025 Got Screwed by DOGE MTG Argues With Elon Musk's AI, Calls It 'Left Leaning' Best of Rolling Stone The Useful Idiots New Guide to the Most Stoned Moments of the 2020 Presidential Campaign Anatomy of a Fake News Scandal The Radical Crusade of Mike Pence
Newsweek
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Where Pete Hegseth's Pentagon Stands After Second Signal Chat Controversy
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Department of Defense (DOD) is again under scrutiny after a turbulent week of departures, and a second reported Signal group chat involving Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Here's a look at the latest on the DOD shakeups. Signal Chat Controversy: Timeline Back in mid-March, Trump's national security adviser, Mike Waltz, said he took "full responsibility" for creating a Signal group chat named "Houthi PC small group" in which the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg, was mistakenly added. Signal is an encrypted messaging app. The chat supposedly included Hegseth, Vice President JD Vance, the Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, and a host of senior national security officials. Cabinet officials denied at the time that classified information was shared on the chat, although this was met by skepticism by analysts and critics of Hegseth. The New York Times had reported the existence of a second Signal group chat with similar content, in which Hegseth shared attack plans. The chat reportedly included his wife, brother and personal attorney. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth in the Oval Office of the White House on April 24, 2025, in Washington, D.C. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth in the Oval Office of the White House on April 24, 2025, in Washington, D.C. AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein Defense Spending Cuts and Reported Exits, Firings Amid the leadership turmoil, Secretary Hegseth has made moves on contract cuts. On April 10, the Department announced his efforts to cut $5.1 billion in "wasteful Defense Department contracts." "That's with a 'B'; $5.1 billion in DOD contracts for ancillary things like consulting and other nonessential services," Hegseth said in a video recording. It followed Hegseth's initial March 20 announcement that the department would be cutting $580 million in programs, contracts and grants. Meanwhile, several senior officials have recently left the Pentagon or are expected to depart, according to Politico. Official reasons have not been confirmed for each case by the Pentagon amid an investigation into internal leaks. Among those out are: Dan Caldwell , senior advisor to Hegseth , senior advisor to Hegseth Darin Selnick , deputy chief of staff , deputy chief of staff Colin Carroll, chief of staff to the deputy defense secretary Also, Joe Kasper, Hegseth's chief of staff, is now also preparing to leave his role, according to Politico. In a statement to Newsweek, a senior Defense official said: "Joe Kasper will continue to serve President Trump as a Special Government Employee (SGE) handling special projects at the Department of Defense. Secretary Hegseth is thankful for his continued leadership and work to advance the America First agenda." This is a developing story that will be updated with additional information.
