Elon Musk’s DOGE continues to grow more powerful and influential. Yesterday, President Trump signed an executive order authorizing the department to monitor how federal agencies spend their money.
The order requires agencies to work with DOGE officials to review contracts and grants, and cut or modify them “where appropriate” to decrease federal spending.
“This process shall commence immediately and shall prioritize the review of funds disbursed under covered contracts and grants to educational institutions and foreign entities for waste, fraud, and abuse,” the order continues. “Each Agency Head shall complete this review within 30 days of the date of this order.”
The order also requires agency leaders to provide “written justification for each payment,” to justify “federally funded travel for conferences and other non-essential purposes,” and to identify federal property no longer needed. In addition, the document signed by Trump calls for a 30-day freeze on all agency credit cards, with the exception of charges for “disaster relief benefits or operations or other critical services.”
The executive order comes at a time when Musk and his team are trying to radically transform the government, seeking to cut its workforce and reduce government spending. A few days ago, the department headed by Musk, the world’s richest man, had contacted federal employees by email, asking them five questions about their respective activities over the past week.
Yesterday, during the Cabinet meeting, the president himself said that workers who did not respond to the DOGE email could soon lose their jobs. According to the White House, moreover, federal agencies have already been warned to prepare for a new wave of mass layoffs in the coming days.
As DOGE continues to try to reduce government spending, the Washington Post pointed out that Musk has been a major beneficiary of taxpayer coffers. Over the years, Elon and his companies have received at least $38 billion in government contracts, loans, grants and tax credits-a “considerable” amount, to say the least, that has helped make the 53-year-old from Pretoria the richest man in the world.
The first public loans to the patron of X date back about 20 years. By 2024 alone, however, federal and local governments have committed at least $6.3 billion to Musk’s companies, the largest amount to date.
In addition, according to the Post’s research, 52 other ongoing contracts with seven government agencies–including NASA, the Department of Defense, and the General Services Administration–will net Elon’s companies an additional $11.8 billion over the next few years.
