Elon Musk says he will complete most of the $1 trillion federal cost cuts in a few weeks
Musk told Fox News’ “Special Report with Bret Baier” that he believes his government efficiency can find $1 trillion in savings, reducing the current federal spending level by about $7 trillion to $6 trillion.
Musk is the richest man in the world, designated by the White House as a “special government employee” and hated within 130 days. This means that his period of leading the Doge operation can end at the end of May.
When Baier asked about his tenure and how quickly he hoped to achieve his cost reduction goal, Musk said: “I think we’re going to do most of the work needed to reduce the deficit by $1 trillion.”
“The government is not effective and there is a lot of waste and fraud, so we are confident that we can reduce it by 15% without affecting any critical government services,” Musk said.
Doge estimates that as of March 24, U.S. taxpayers have saved $115 billion by actions including labor, asset sales and contract cancellations. However, the total savings posted on the Doge website are unverifiable and its calculations are full of errors and corrections. Budget experts say Musk cannot reach his goal without touching on rights plans such as social security, and Trump vows not to cut it. The interview marks the first time Musk and his top lieutenant at the Governor have met with the media to explain their work. Musk joins seven other Governor-General executives, including Steve Davis, president of Musk’s tunnel business and Joe Gebbia, co-founder of Airbnb.
“Unless this exercise is successful, the US ship will sink. That’s why we’re doing that,” said Musk, who is also the CEO of Tesla, an electric car maker.
Musk’s role in cutting federal labor and government agencies’ budgets has sparked strong political opposition in recent weeks, with Tesla’s automobiles and dealerships hit by a series of deliberate destruction and demonstrations across the country.
