My office has received many questions and concerns regarding Elon Musk, the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Let me share my thoughts…
On his first day in office, President Trump signed an executive order establishing DOGE to modernize and streamline the federal government for 18 months. DOGE consists of three entities: (1) the U.S. DOGE Service (USDS), previously the U.S. Digital Service, created by President Obama over 10 years ago; (2) the U.S. DOGE
Service Temporary Organization, a subgroup within USDS; and (3) DOGE Teams within each agency, made up of at least four employees.
Many of you have asked whether this is lawful. The short answer: yes. The USDS operates under the same authority that sustained the U.S. Digital Service across the Obama, Trump (45), and Biden administrations. The President also has the authority to create temporary organizations under 5 U.S.C. § 3161. DOGE is not a Federal Advisory Committee under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) and is not bound by FACA’s requirements.
Is Elon Musk part of USDS? No. He is not formally affiliated with USDS, the U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization, or any DOGE Team. Instead, he serves as a Senior Advisor to President Trump in the White House Office as a special government employee. In this role, Musk can provide advice and recommendations directly to the President, but he does not have formal decision-making authority. Only the President and agency officials have the power to hire or fire employees.
Despite what the media is telling you, Musk is helping modernize the government, much like a mother keeps a household organized. His expertise in technology and innovation is the reason President Trump appointed him. Just as families call in experts to repair broken appliances, the government is leveraging Musk’s skills to update outdated systems, reduce inefficiencies, and improve services. With over 77 MILLION Americans voting for CHANGE, this should not come as a shock!!
Musk is also contributing to national security. His companies—such as SpaceX and Starlink—support critical defense technologies that aid our military and allies. Some people worry about him having access to government information; Musk has held top security clearance for years as a trusted defense contractor. His focus is on strengthening America's technology infrastructure, not accessing private citizen data.
One of his biggest initiatives is DOGE’s waste-cutting program, designed to improve government efficiency, similar to how families stretch their budgets. So far, DOGE has an estimated savings of $65 billion, which is a combination of fraud detection/deletion, contract/lease cancellations, contract/lease renegotiations, asset sales, grant cancellations, workforce reductions, programmatic changes, and regulatory savings. Specific examples include:
* The Social Security Administration is saving more than $1 million by terminating its contract for the “Gender X Initiative Marker” and pulling references to gender ideology.
* Cancelling a $45 million DEI scholarship in Burma.
* NASA cutting $500,000 in Politico subscriptions.
* Preventing $2 billion from being earmarked for a Stacey Abrams-linked group as part of a “greenhouse gas reduction fund.” That group reported just $100 in total revenue in its first three months of operation.
By modernizing outdated systems and reducing bureaucratic red tape, DOGE ensures tax dollars are spent wisely. With strict oversight, Musk is helping the government work smarter—saving money while improving services for all Americans.
https://www.doge.gov/savings
