With Elon Musk watching, Trump says he's giving DOGE even more power

President Donald Trump said Tuesday he was signing an executive order to give tech billionaire Elon Musk more power over the federal workforce, adding to Musk's swift and sweeping consolidation of political influence.

President Donald Trump said Tuesday he was signing an executive order to give tech billionaire Elon Musk more power over the federal workforce, adding to Musk's swift and sweeping consolidation of political influence.

With Musk standing to his right in the Oval Office, Trump praised the work of his office, known as the Department of Government Efficiency Service (DOGE). And Trump said he wanted Musk to now do more, even as DOGE faces multiple lawsuits from labor unions and Democratic state attorneys general over whether it is acting within the law.

The new executive order directs federal agencies to "coordinate and consult" with DOGE to cut jobs and limit hiring, according to a summary provided by the White House. Each agency will be ordered to "undertake plans for large-scale reductions in force" and limit hiring to only "essential positions," the summary says.

Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX and the wealthiest person in the world, is wielding federal authority without giving up his private-sector jobs while also serving as a "special government employee." It is a temporary position that bypasses some of the disclosure obligations required of full-time government employees. 

He wore an all-black "Make America Great Again" hat and had one of his 11 children underfoot for the briefing.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/doge/elon-musk-trump-doge-executive-order-rcna191751

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