(Ken Silva, Headline USA) The New York Times reported Monday that billionaire Trump backer Elon Musk is going to have an office at the White House complex for his nascent Department of Government Efficiency, which seeks to cut up to $2 trillion in federal spending.
According to the Times, Musk is expected to use the Eisenhower Executive Office Building adjacent to the White House.
“Musk has had discussions with transition officials about what his level of access to the West Wing will be, but that was left unclear,” the Times reported, citing two people briefed on the matter. “Staff members and others who are able to come and go freely in the West Wing typically require a special pass.”
The newspaper added that it’s unclear whether failed GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who’s involved with DOGE, will also have office space. Ramaswamy has fallen out of favor with the MAGA crowd in recent weeks after he revealed himself to be a second-generation American ingrate.
DOGE has already begun its work, with agents having visited the Treasury Department, the Internal Revenue Service and the departments of Homeland Security, Veterans Affairs, and Health and Human Services, the Washington Post reported last week, citing four people familiar with the matter.
Federal bureaucrats apparently aren’t taking the DOGE visits well.
“Two government employees said remarks Musk and Ramaswamy have made about the civil service have made them wary of the entire DOGE effort. Longtime civil servants — some who have built their careers learning the intricacies of the federal bureaucracy — are an awkward fit with Silicon Valley’s fast-moving and disruptive culture,” the Post reported.
“Many in Washington regard the tech entrepreneurs as arrogant or naive about the complexity of reining in government.”
The Post added that DOGE is also encountering a reluctance among congressional Republicans to approve deep budget cuts.
It’s not clear what impact DOGE will have, as it holds no constitutional or legal authority. As the Post noted, it’s unclear who is paying the salaries of DOGE staffers or exactly how they work with Trump’s formal transition team.
Musk reportedly remains optimistic.
“I think we’ll try for $2 trillion. I think that’s like the best-case outcome,” he reportedly said Wednesday. “But I do think that you kind of have to have some overage. I think if we try for $2 trillion, we’ve got a good shot at getting $1 [trillion].”
Ken Silva is a staff writer at Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/jd_cashless.
