Department of Government Efficiency
Early in his second term President Donald Trump repurposed an existing Federal agency, giving it a new broad mandate to scrutinize every other Federal agency, and renamed it the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).[1]
The agency's new acronym is the acronym for a controversial cryptocurrency, promoted by Elon Musk.[2][3]
Trump appointed three billionaires, with reputations for ruthless treatment of their own employees, to oversee the Federal workforce.[1] Initially Howard Lutnick, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Musk, were to head the Department, but, Lutnick was dropped before Trump's inauguration, and Ramaswamy left within a few days of his appointment, leaving only Musk.
Musk's aggressive leadership of the Department stirred controversy.[4] He called for the immediate dismissal of Inspectors General he had clashed with, when they scrutinized his companies, triggering the criticism that he was in a conflict of interest.[5][6]
The New York Times reported that other high-profile Trump appointees, like Kash Patel, director of the FBI, and Tulsi Gabbard, Director of National Intelligence, had explicitly counter-manded Musk's requirement.[7] The New York Times characterized their response as a challenge to the "broad authority" Trump seemed to have given Musk to reshape government.
References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1
Michael C. Bender; Madeleine Ngo; Theodore Schleifer (2025-01-24). "Musk Plan for Retooling Government Takes Shape, but Big Questions Loom". The New York Times. Washington DC. p. A1. Archived from the original on 2025-01-24. Retrieved 2025-02-16.
The initial plan for retooling the federal government under President Trump started with three loyal billionaires: the banker Howard Lutnick, the tech leader Elon Musk and the entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
- ↑
Katelyn Caralle (2025-01-21). "Trump unveils massive $500 billion AI project to jumpstart America's 'Golden Age': Recap". Daily Mail Online. Archived from the original on 2025-02-10. Retrieved 2025-02-16.
The landing page – and only page so far – features an image of the doge internet meme, which is a Shiba Inu dog with a concerned-looking face that grew popular online in 2013.
- ↑
"Department Of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Price Today, News & Live Chart". Forbes magazine. Retrieved 2025-02-16.
This concept has been notably supported by Elon Musk, who has expressed his backing for Trump and is rumoured to be considered for a significant role within this proposed department if Trump secures office again. The D.O.G.E acronym caught the public’s attention when Elon Musk, the legend behind Dogecoin’s rise to the top of the memecoin world, used the phrase « Department of Government Efficiency (D.O.G.E). » Who could have predicted that this simple acronym would give birth to what might become one of the most iconic memes in existence?
- ↑ Eric Lipton; Kirsten Grind (2025-02-11). "Elon Musk's Business Empire Scores Benefits Under Trump Shake-Up". The New York Times. Retrieved 2025-02-16.
- ↑
Rachael Levy (2025-01-29). "Exclusive: USDA inspector general escorted out of her office after defying White House". Reuters. Washington DC. Archived from the original on 2025-01-29. Retrieved 2025-02-16.
Security agents escorted the inspector general of the U.S. Department of Agriculture out of her office on Monday after she refused to comply with her firing by the Trump administration, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
- ↑ Charlie Savage (2025-02-12). "8 Inspectors General Fired by Trump File Lawsuit Seeking Reinstatement". The New York Times. Retrieved 2025-02-16.
- ↑
Chris Cameron; Maggie Haberman (2025-02-23). "Some Agencies Urge Staff Not to Comply With Elon Musk's Performance Email". The New York Times. Retrieved 2025-02-24.
Their instructions in effect countermanded the order of Mr. Musk across much of the government, challenging the broad authority President Trump has given the world’s richest man to make drastic changes to the federal bureaucracy. The standoff serves as one of the first significant tests of how far Mr. Musk’s power will extend.