Trump affirms how much power Musk and DOGE have

Amid the second Trump administration’s efforts to reshape the U.S. government, billionaire Elon Musk has been targeting federal agencies to dismantle as a "special government employee” and head of the Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE.

So far, Musk and his team have gained access to numerous agencies and their systems, including the U.S. Department of International Development, the Treasury, the Department of Education, the FAA and NOAA. A federal judge on Saturday temporarily blocked DOGE from accessing sensitive Treasury records and ordered all prohibited downloaded copies to be destroyed.

Recalling a press conference Friday with President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Politico White House correspondent Eugene Daniels said Trump was asked if there was anything he was telling Musk not to do or any line not to cross.

“He said, ‘I’m telling him to go’,” said Daniels.

“He is allowing a long leash for Elon Musk and all of the — seemingly all of the young people who are working for him to be able to do that,” added Daniels. “That is something that is extremely abnormal and I think a lot of people in this country never thought would happen, even when Trump talked about DOGE.”

Watch the latest Washington Week with The Atlantic here: https://pbs.org/washingtonweek
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2ZEPJNs
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/washingtonweek
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/washingtonweek

Author: Washington Week PBS
Go to Source

News post in at: February 10, 2025, 6:00 am.

Visit Our Sponsor’s:
News.Science – News Science