President Donald Trump has entrusted SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk to scrutinise unnecessary spending at the Department of Education and the Pentagon through the Government Efficiency (DOGE) mask.
Doge is tasked with eliminating government spending and waste and streamlining its operations, and is expected to affect White House policies on budget issues.
“I told him to check his education and check the pentagon… and sadly, you’ll find something pretty bad. We just saw,” Trump said Friday. He spoke to reporters about the press conference.
USAID staff were stunned and angry at the closure of Trump administrators’ $400 billion agency
Elon Musk, depicted here, leads government efficiency. (Anna Money Maker/Getty Images)
On Monday, Trump and Doge began efforts to close the U.S. International Development Agency, a group that works to provide assistance to poor countries and development assistance.
The group is under scrutiny from Doge, and in an audio message from X, Musk reported on Sunday that Trump agreed “in the process” to “close USAID” for corrupt spending. He said that.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, now acting director of independent agencies, said Monday that USAID is not “unfunctioning” and that the organization is not a “global charity.”
“That needs to be consistent with the national interests of the US,” Rubio said. “They are not charities in the world. These are taxpayer dollars. People are asking simple questions. What are they doing with money?
“We’re spending taxpayer money,” he said. “We assure taxpayers that it promotes our national interests.”
What is USAID and why is it in the crosshairs of cards?
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said USAID is not “not functioning” and the organization is not “global charity.” (Mark Sieferbein/AP)
Doge is tasked with cutting $2 trillion from the federal government’s budget through efforts to significantly reduce spending, government programs and federal workforce.
Musk has faced some backlash due to previous interference in government issues. Senate Democrats, for example, accused Doge of making “hostile takeovers” after reports emerged that Musk had access to the Finance Bureau’s central payment system.
The Ministry of Education and the Department of Defense have some of the largest budgets for government agencies. According to government documents, in 2024, the Department of Education received a $79.1 billion budget, while the Department of Defense received a $841.4 billion budget.
Meanwhile, Trump has shown he is trying to eliminate the Department of Education through an executive order.
Still, Congress must pass laws to completely dissolve the institution under Article II of the Constitution.
Musk’s Doge aims to be a “Viper’s Nest” federal agency with a global footprint
President Donald Trump tapped Linda McMahon, a former manager of small business management, to lead the Department of Education. (Mike Seger/Reuters)
Trump told reporters Tuesday. He tapped Linda McMahon, former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) to lead the Department of Education and said he hopes to ultimately lose her job.
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“What I want to do is have the state run the school,” Trump said. “I strongly believe in school choices, but on top of that, I want the state to run the school and I want Linda to put myself out of work.”
Stephen Sorace and Emma Colton of Fox News contributed to this report.
Diana Stancy is a political reporter for Fox News Digital, covering the White House.
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