Latest news with #wastecutting
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
DOGE nerds reveal their biggest fear after Musk and Trump's spectacular falling out
Employees of the Department of Government Efficiency are worried Elon Musk 's infamous chainsaw to government waste may come for them after his falling out with Donald Trump. Musk and Trump's fallout dates back to the man who once wore a t-shirt proclaiming himself 'the DOGEfather' leaving the White House in late May. The ex-'First Buddy' has spent the days since torching the relationship, everything from publicly slamming Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' to claiming the president is in The Epstein Files (which he quietly later deleted). Trump has also knifed a key Musk ally by pulling his nomination to become NASA administrator. That has many of those who remain at the Department of Government Efficiency worried that they may 'get DOGE'd' themselves, as group chats between employees have reportedly lit up wondering where their future in government lies. As former DOGE software engineer Sahil Lavingia said, he and many of the people attempting to streamline the government were already allies or employees of Musk. 'I worry with Elon gone, no one will join, and it will just slowly fade away,' Lavingia told the Wall Street Journal. Even if they remain, without Musk, the organization that claimed it has already cut $180 billion in government waste may never be the same. 'Working there felt like pushing a boulder up a mountain, and it'll just fall back down if the work doesn't continue,' Lavingia added. For now, the Trump White House remains proud of the department's work and looks for it to continue. 'Trump's success through DOGE is undisputed, and [the president's] work will continue to yield historic results,' spokesperson Harrison Fields said. However, sources told WSJ that many are worried that at the very least, DOGE will see massive staffing cuts without Musk's protection. Russell Vought, the head of the Office of Management and Budget, seemed to confirm that they are now at the mercy of whomever is in charge of the department that they were hired to cut waste from. 'Cabinet agencies that are in charge of the DOGE consultants that work for them are fundamentally in control of DOGE,' he told Congress earlier this week. The fallout between Trump and Musk - who were political allies for a little less than a year - started in recent weeks when the billionaire started resisting Republicans' 'Big, Beautiful Bill,' arguing that the spending wiped out DOGE's cost-cutting efforts. However, there were signs of the strain between the two on the day Musk left the White House, as Trump pulled the nomination for Jared Isaacman to be the new NASA administrator despite reports he was a shoe-in for confirmation. Isaacman, 42, had his nomination pulled after a 'thorough review' of his 'prior associations,' Trump said. He believes the nomination was withdrawn to coincide with his friend Musk parting ways with the administration and was pushed for by Sergio Gor, an anti-Musk White House official. Then, on Thursday, when Trump was supposed to be hosting the new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office, he was asked about Musk's recent criticism. From there the dam broke. 'Elon and I had a great relationship. I don't know if we will any more, I was surprised,' Trump told reporters. The president suggested that Musk was angry - not over the bill ballooning the deficit - but because the Trump administration has pulled back on electric vehicle mandates, which negatively impacted Tesla, and replaced the Musk-approved nominee to lead NASA, which could hinder SpaceX's government contracts. 'And you know, Elon's upset because we took the EV mandate, which was a lot of money for electric vehicles, and they're having a hard time the electric vehicles and they want us to pay billions of dollars in subsidy,' Trump said. 'I know that disturbed him.' Musk posted to X as Trump's Q&A with reporters was ongoing. 'Whatever,' the billionaire wrote. 'Keep the EV/solar incentive cuts in the bill, even though no oil & gas subsidies are touched (very unfair!!), but ditch the MOUNTAIN of DISGUSTING PORK in the bill,' he advised. 'In the entire history of civilization, there has never been legislation that [is] both big and beautiful. Everyone knows this!' Musk continued. 'Either you get a big and ugly bill or a slim and beautiful bill. Slim and beautiful is the way.' The spat quickly turned personal with Musk then posting that Trump would have lost the 2024 election had it not been for the world's richest man - him. Musk publicly endorsed Trump on the heels of the July 13th assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania and poured around $290 million into the Republican's campaign. The billionaire also joined Trump on the campaign trail when he returned to the site of the Butler shooting in early October, a month before Election Day. After his meeting with Merz, Trump continued to throw punches online. He asserted that he had asked Musk to leave his administration and said he was 'CRAZY!' 'Elon was "wearing thin," I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!' Trump wrote. It was after that post that he then threatened to pull SpaceX and Tesla's government contracts. Musk then taunted Trump to act. 'This just gets better and better,' he wrote. 'Go ahead, make my day …' In a follow-up post, Musk said he would 'begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately.' Trump continued his 'crazy' remarks on Friday when speaking with CNN Anchor and Chief Political Correspondent Dana Bash. He said: 'I'm not even thinking about Elon. He's got a problem. The poor guy's got a problem.' The tech billionaire also claimed Trump appeared in files relating to disgraced pedophile Jeffrey Epstein in a post on his social media platform X as the pair traded blows in a sensational public row. Musk gave no evidence for the claim, which has since been deleted, and the White House dismissed the allegation.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Reform to begin 'Doge' audits of local councils
Reform has announced it will send its first Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) team into local authorities. The party said the first council to be audited will be Kent County Council, one of the councils the party took control of in May's local elections. In a statement released late on Sunday, party chairman said it would be "led by one of the UK's leading tech entrepreneurs", although it is not yet known who that is. The leader of the Liberal Democrat opposition in Kent said he believes it will be "more performance than substance". Reform said a team of software engineers, data analysts and forensic auditors will "visit and analyse" local authorities. It follows the US Doge, which was launched during Donald Trump's presidency to cut federal spending. Billionaire Musk was involved but has since left his position spearheading the unit. In the elections on 1 May the party took control of eight authorities from the Conservatives, along with Doncaster and Durham from Labour. What is Doge and why has Musk left? Trump says Elon is "not really leaving" Five ways world's richest man has changed White House Mr Yusuf said: "For too long British taxpayers have watched their money vanish into a black hole. Their taxes keep going up, their bin collections keep getting less frequent, potholes remain unfixed, their local services keep getting cut. Reform won a historic victory on a mandate to change this. "As promised, we have created a UK D.O.G.E to identify and cut wasteful spending of taxpayer money. Starting with Kent, our team will use cutting edge technology and deliver real value for voters." But Antony Hook, the Liberal Democrat opposition leader on Kent County Council, questioned the need for a team of outside auditors. He told BBC Radio Kent: "We have at KCC a governance and audit committee, that was due to have its first meeting since the election next week. "Reform have cancelled it. "The health and scrutiny committee was meant to meet, Reform have cancelled it. Reform have cancelled most of the committee meetings for this week or next week, without any explanation. "They haven't even named who their nominees are to chair these important committees are. "If Reform were serious about making the council work well they would be getting their councillors to do this job, not bringing in unnamed anonymous people who haven't been elected." Follow BBC Kent on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@ or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250. Reform launch 'DOGE' role at first council meeting I'll confront impact of migrants - new Kent leader New Reform councillor promises no quick fixes Reform UK councillors select new leader in Kent Reform hails 'new dawn' at Kent County Council Reform wins control in Kent after Tory wipeout Kent County Council
Fox News
30-05-2025
- Business
- Fox News
Who will be Elon's successor? The top names in line for DOGE chief
With Elon Musk leaving his role at the White House as head of the Department of Government Efficiency and President Donald Trump saying DOGE's work will continue, the question now in Washington is who will take the reins to become Musk's successor. Musk, who has led Trump's waste-cutting task force from Inauguration Day until now, announced his departure in an X post this week, saying: "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," Musk said the DOGE mission "will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government." So, who will take Musk's place? Right now, no one. A senior White House official previously told Fox News Digital that "the DOGE employees at their respective agency or department will be reporting to and executing the agenda of the president through the leadership of each agency or department head." The official said DOGE is now part of the "DNA" of the federal government, and that it will keep operating as it already has. Speaking with reporters on Thursday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that "the DOGE leaders are each and every member of the president's cabinet and the president himself, who is wholeheartedly committed to cutting waste, fraud and abuse from our government." These statements cast doubt on whether any singular individual will succeed Musk as the DOGE chief. However, if Trump finds a DOGE successor necessary and decides to shift gears, who could fill Musk's shoes? While Musk was never an official federal employee, Amy Gleason, a little-known government employee who also worked in the first Trump administration, has been serving as the official acting chief of the United States DOGE Service (USDS) since February. If the president decides to steer clear of any public-facing DOGE chief, it seems likely that he will keep Gleason on as a more behind-the-scenes DOGE leader at USDS. Gleason, 53, is a career official who was recognized by the Obama administration as a "champion of change" for her work with several nonprofits researching and raising awareness about a rare autoimmune disorder known as Juvenile Myositis. Gleason previously worked in the first Trump administration in what was then called the U.S. Digital Service before leaving to work at Russell Street Ventures, which was founded by Brad Smith, another DOGE leader. Keeping Gleason on as DOGE chief would allow the president to keep the agency's efforts alive while following the structure of each cabinet head leading their own waste-cutting programs. As director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, Russell Vought has already been a central figure in DOGE's waste-cutting efforts. The Wall Street Journal reported that Vought already has plans to continue Musk's efforts, even in his current role as OMB head. Vought is a close ally of Trump and a much more subdued personality than Musk, making him appear as a likely pick to take over DOGE. However, Vought does come with his own political baggage, with many on the left labeling him a "Christian nationalist" and criticizing his role as a co-author of Project 2025. Still, he was successfully confirmed by the Senate in his current role as OMB director. A one-time GOP presidential candidate-turned key Trump ally, Vivek Ramaswamy, has been widely reported as a top contender to replace Musk at the helm of DOGE. Ramaswamy co-led DOGE alongside Musk for a short period at the start of Trump's second term. However, he stepped down from his DOGE leadership role in February to begin his run for Ohio governor. Though Ramaswamy shares Musk's and Trump's vision for cutting government waste, it would seem unlikely he would rejoin the DOGE team any time soon with his eyes on winning the keys to the Ohio governor's mansion in 2026.
Fox News
29-05-2025
- Business
- Fox News
What's next for DOGE after Elon Musk's departure? 'Only just begun'
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk bid farewell to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in a Wednesday night X post, ending his tenure as the face of the agency as it shifts to a new phase in President Donald Trump's second term. "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," Musk said on X. "The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government." Musk has been the public face of DOGE since Trump signed an executive order establishing the office on Jan. 20. DOGE has since ripped through federal government agencies in a quest to identify and end government overspending, corruption and fraud. After Musk's departure, a senior White House official told Fox News Digital that DOGE will operate as it has always operated and that the agency is "part of the DNA of this federal government." The official added that DOGE now operates in "nearly every federal government agency department" with the "sole job" of cutting waste, fraud and abuse with the goal of efficiency. "The DOGE employees at their respective agency or department will be reporting to and executing the agenda of the president through the leadership of each agency or department head," the official said. In a post on X, White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller said, "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." While Musk has been the public face of DOGE for months, he was not an employee of the United States DOGE Service and did not report to the acting DOGE administrator, Amy Gleason, according to a court filing in March that shed additional light on the internal workings of the office. Gleason, who has been described by her peers as a "world-class talent," previously worked for the United States Digital Service, which was founded in 2014 by former President Barack Obama as a technology office within the Executive Office of the President. DOGE is a temporary cross-departmental organization that was established to slim down and streamline the federal government. The group itself will be dissolved on July 4, 2026, according to Trump's executive order. Musk's tenure with DOGE resulted in an estimated $175 billion in savings through a combination of asset sales, contract cancellations, fraud payment deletion and other cost-cutting measures, according to the agency's website, which was last updated on May 26. The savings amount to $1,086.96 per taxpayer, according to the website. Amid Musk's work with DOGE, Democrats and activists have staged protests against the tech billionaire and his companies, including working to tank Tesla stocks.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Government Spending Is Up Despite DOGE Cuts — Here's What That Means for the Economy and Your Wallet
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was created to slash waste and reduce federal spending, but so far, the opposite has happened. Be Aware: Try This: According to U.S. Treasury Department data, total government spending has increased by 9% or $340 billion since last year. Despite headline-making cuts, the effects are already showing up in the economy and everyday life. Here's what that means for your wallet. Launched in February under President Donald Trump and led by Elon Musk, DOGE was billed as a bold plan to eliminate government waste. Its mission: cut costs, automate outdated systems and reduce the federal workforce. DOGE officials tout $170 billion in savings through agency closures and layoffs as of late May. However, critics warned early on that these cuts targeted only a fraction of the budget, leaving deeper drivers of spending untouched. 'We've seen that DOGE has terminated contracts for convenience, cut services related to climate and DEI, and started to examine larger services providers,' said Kevin Brancato, senior vice president of product strategy at TechnoMile. 'But DOGE has learned something over the past four months: Terminating contracts for convenience is difficult and time consuming.' Read Next: Despite DOGE's cuts, overall government spending has increased. DOGE focused on discretionary spending, which makes up less than 30% of the total budget, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Most of the federal spending lies elsewhere. 'The largest spending increases are concentrated in entitlement programs, defense and infrastructure, with the FY2024 defense budget alone exceeding $850 billion, reflecting heightened geopolitical tensions and long-term strategic investments in military modernization,' said Sean Jasso, an economist at Pepperdine Graziadio Business School. In addition, a National Public Radio (NPR) review of DOGE's website found that many of its initial savings claims were inaccurate, overstated or typos. Nevertheless, the savings DOGE promised are outweighed by rising obligations and the ripple effects of rushed downsizing. Rising government spending can stimulate short-term economic growth, especially in sectors like defense and tech. However, when that spending is driven by growing deficits, like the $196 billion deficit increase reported by the Congressional Budget Office this year, it raises long-term risks. George Carillo, a former state health official now serving as the CEO of the Hispanic Construction Council, said for average Americans, such spending shifts could be a mixed bag. 'The good news is that money going into infrastructure and healthcare might mean smoother commutes, better internet or more affordable medical care,' Carrillo said. 'The tough part is that higher spending could eventually lead to higher taxes, especially if leaders decide to tackle the growing national debt.' For everyday Americans, these shifts can hit close to home. Cuts to education, healthcare programs and local services may limit access to critical resources. At the same time, rising federal deficits could lead to higher taxes and inflation down the line, which could reduce purchasing power. 'Long term, we are going to have to get coherence between our spending and revenue,' said Tim Rosenberger, a legal policy fellow at the Manhattan Institute. 'The best-case scenario is probably finding a way to spend less on services without Americans experiencing a decline in service.' Experts said the real test will be whether future budgets tackle the big drivers of federal spending, like Social Security and Medicare, or continue to trim around the edges. Chris Motola, a financial analyst at National Business Capital, pointed to the 'Big, Beautiful Bill' recently passed by the House, which includes an increased standard tax deduction and tax exemption on tips, 'all of which will put some money back in pockets while raising the deficit,' he said. 'On the other hand, we're also looking at cuts to regulatory agencies and some forms of financial assistance.' Editor's note on political coverage: GOBankingRates is nonpartisan and strives to cover all aspects of the economy objectively and present balanced reports on politically focused finance stories. You can find more coverage of this topic on More From GOBankingRates These Cars May Seem Expensive, but They Rarely Need Repairs This article originally appeared on Government Spending Is Up Despite DOGE Cuts — Here's What That Means for the Economy and Your Wallet Sign in to access your portfolio
