WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday empowering Elon Musk’s unofficial Department of Government Efficiency to lead federal agencies in cost-cutting initiatives.
According to the statement, issued on Tuesday, instructs agencies to collaborate with Musk’s team on reducing staff and limiting hiring to essential positions only.
Trump praised Musk’s work during a meeting in the Oval office, despite criticism from the public and legal scholars who deem it unconstitutional. The president also encouraged Musk to take on additional responsibilities.
This executive order marks a historic attempt to downsize the federal workforce of 2.2 million employees, bypassing Congress’s constitutional authority over budget allocation. As per the constitutional separation of powers, Congress-approved funds must be spent, and reductions can only be made through further congressional action.
Elon Musk stated that his team is examining the net worth of federal employees, suggesting that unusually high net worth could be indicative of potential wrongdoing. “We’ve found instances where bureaucrats with relatively modest salaries, typically in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, have somehow accumulated tens of millions of dollars in net worth,” Musk noted. “We’re interested in understanding the source of this wealth.”
Also read; UAJK receives notable ranking in the 2025 World University Rankings
