UJ
—
After gaining significant governmental influence over the last month, tech mogul Elon Musk received a notable advantage this week when President Donald Trump enacted an executive order granting him extensive powers over the employment of federal personnel.
Musk approaches the weekend not only as the richest individual globally but also, as one critic put it, the “most influential bureaucrat in American history.”
Within the span of three weeks, Musk’s responsibilities leading the so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” have expanded far beyond expectations, raising concerns about a potential constitutional crisis and provoking numerous lawsuits. Often, there are fresh headlines about DOGE staff implementing new rules in governmental agencies, sidelining and dismissing career officials, and slashing budgets for disfavored programs.
The new executive order signed by Trump on Tuesday facilitates widespread layoffs throughout the federal workforce by placing a “DOGE Team Lead” in every agency and instructing cabinet secretaries along with all agency heads to collaborate with Musk’s organization on staffing decisions.
It also empowers DOGE to prevent agencies from filling job vacancies with new hires, unless the agency’s top official personally overrides that recommendation. Moreover, a stringent new rule mandates that for every four federal employees that leave as part of the DOGE reductions, only one new hire can be made, with some exceptions for law enforcement and immigration.
During the Oval Office signing event, Musk addressed criticisms suggesting he had transformed into the very entity he claims to oppose — an unaccountable bureaucrat wielding vast authority — by referencing the 2024 electoral outcomes: “You couldn’t ask for a stronger mandate from the public.”
He falsely asserted that “a majority of the public voted for President Trump” in November. (While Trump did achieve a plurality with 49.8% of the national vote, he fell just short of a majority.)
“The public demonstrated a desire for substantial government reform, there should be no confusion about that,” Musk stated. “That was a campaign promise. The president emphasized that at every rally. The public voted for significant governmental overhaul, and that’s what they will receive.”
However, even some liberals who anticipated the negative from Trump’s resurgence are astonished by the rapid concentration of largely unchecked authority in Musk’s hands, as he aggressively navigates through federal agencies.
Several congressional Democrats have begun referring to him as “President Elon Musk.” Recently, Time Magazine showcased a provocative, digitally altered cover image of Musk seated alone behind the presidential Resolute Desk. This marked a significant shift from their previous “Citizen Musk” depiction, which highlighted his influence as a private individual post-election.
“He’s the most powerful bureaucrat in America’s history, wielding far greater authority than any cabinet member without Senate confirmation,” stated Robert Weissman, co-president of Public Citizen, a progressive advocacy organization. “He operates with an unprecedented level of autonomy. It’s hard to imagine anyone foreseeing this.”
“We refer to him as the co-president,” Weissman added.
Donald Sherman, chief counsel of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a liberal-oriented watchdog organization, remarked that “Musk has been granted more authority than any other individual who was part of the campaign, including Trump’s own running mate.”
“If the bureaucrat holds rule — if the bureaucracy is dominant, what purpose does democracy serve?” Musk posed during his 30-minute discussion with Trump, countering claims that he himself undermines democratic institutions.
The rapid pace and extensive nature of Musk’s efforts have resulted in a shockwave across Washington.
Initially targeting the Treasury Department, a long-serving career official unexpectedly retired after refusing access to DOGE for a highly sensitive payment processing system. Following this, Musk’s associates gained control and attempted to restrict foreign aid, until a judge intervened.
Trump and the DOGE team focused on agencies historically criticized by the GOP, such as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which oversees credit cards, mortgages, student loans, and more. A loyalist of Trump was appointed as acting head, effectively stalling operations — and Musk jubilantly tweeted “CFPB RIP” accompanied by a tombstone emoji last week.
Furthermore, Musk directed criticism towards federal spending that was based on tenuous or completely discredited claims propagating from right-wing conspiracy theorists on his X platform, formerly Twitter.
This was glaringly evident with DOGE’s dismantling of the US Agency for International Development, or USAID, primarily based on the absurd and false assertion that it allocated $50 million for condoms to Hamas in Gaza. Musk acknowledged on Tuesday that this figure was incorrect.
UJ reported that some Republicans are increasingly uneasy with Musk encroaching upon Congress’ financial authority, including at USAID. Certain GOP lawmakers convened with the largest federal employee union and are strategizing on how to leverage upcoming budget battles to reclaim Congress’ influence in determining funding cuts and allocations.
Some Republicans informed UJ that they’ve received feedback from federal workers in their districts who are deeply concerned about DOGE’s aggressive tactics aimed at reducing personnel through mass dismissals.
“Members of Congress are inundated with calls urging action against Elon Musk, and this level of public outrage will eventually have an impact,” asserted Weissman of Public Citizen, who characterized the situation as a “five-alarm fire” that is “unprecedented and perilous.”
However, the private apprehensions of some Republicans were not evident during the first House DOGE subcommittee hearing on Wednesday, where chair Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene praised Musk’s mission to challenge “massive” spending that leads Americans “to debt slavery.”
The leading Democrat on the panel, New Mexico Rep. Melanie Stansbury, expressed it differently, stating that Trump and Musk “are recklessly and illegally dismantling the federal government.” While Stansbury noted “ample opportunity for bipartisan work” on government reform, she insisted, “we can’t just pretend that everything is normal today.”
Liberal advocacy groups, including Public Citizen, hastily moved to challenge Musk in court, arguably the most effective remaining defense against potential abuses. They have achieved some early successes, halting DOGE’s access to the Treasury’s payment system and reinstating funding for medical research.
“It’s hard to fathom that judges would prevent us from pursuing inquiries into corruption,” Trump commented on Tuesday during his meeting with Musk, critical of recent judicial rulings.
Good-government organizations are highlighting concerns regarding Musk’s potential conflicts of interest.
As a business magnate with connections to Tesla, Starlink, SpaceX, the X social media platform, and other enterprises, Musk holds substantial government contracts and his companies are under investigation by some of the very agencies his DOGE initiative is dismantling or restructuring.
“The administration has been very deliberate in attempting to utilize every available tool to shield DOGE and Mr. Musk from public transparency and the existing accountability regulations for government employees,” stated Sherman from the government watchdog group CREW.
A lawsuit filed on Tuesday will challenge the administration’s determination to categorize DOGE’s internal communications as “presidential records,” thus keeping them confidential until at least 2034. The lawsuit, launched by American Oversight, a government oversight group, contends that DOGE should instead be subjected to the Freedom of Information Act, ensuring quicker access to disclosures.
The White House has recently released information indicating that Musk is acting as a special government employee, and consequently, his financial disclosure documents will not need to be made public.
Furthermore, it will be Musk — rather than an independent entity — who decides if he should recuse himself from any decisions or discussions due to potential conflicts with his business interests, as announced by the White House last week. While sitting beside Musk in the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump stated he would ensure Musk avoids any conflicts while overseeing DOGE.
“Were we concerned about this, we would not permit him to engage in that segment or explore that area,” Trump stated. “If we were aware of any lack of transparency or a conflict of interest, we would address it.”
“The Democrats continue to drift further from reality in their panic over DOGE,” commented White House spokesperson Harrison Fields in a statement addressing transparency concerns.
