Elon Musk

When US President Trump appointed Elon Musk as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), everyone assumed that Musk would be a mere advisor tasked to provide recommendations relating to bureaucratic efficiencies. To everyone’s surprise, Musk insinuated himself in the center of the administration with unprecedented powers. So powerful is he that the billionaire ventured to shut down entire government agencies, among many other radical initiatives.

No other non-elected official in history wields the power Musk does. Although on a low profile these past few weeks, Musk continues to move quietly in an unbelievable scale and pace to upend the structure of the American government while President Trump watches with approval.

Note that DOGE is not even a federal department. It is a repurposed agency formerly called the US Digital Service, created in 2014. Through an executive order, Trump made DOGE the super-agency it is today.

Neither is Musk a Senate-confirmed department secretary. The White House classifies him as an “Unpaid Special Government Employee” who is exempt from filing financial disclosures. While Special Government Employees are prohibited from participating in matters where financial conflicts of interest may arise, Musk’s companies continue to hold multi-billion contracts with the government. The Trump administration turns a blind eye on the impropriety.

What has Musk done so far?

Musk announced his self-imposed target to reduce the federal workforce by 20 percent. Hence, on the first day of the administration, Musk commandeered the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which functions as government’s human resource center. A week later, Musk ordered the OPM to issue an email to two million federal employees offering a resignation/retirement package with pay until September 2025. Musk’s memo hinted of mass terminations for those who refuse.

Days later, Musk gained access to the Treasury Department’s payment system – a system that metes-out $6 trillion a year to government agencies. Tucked inside the system is the personal information of millions of Americans who receive social security, medicare and tax refunds. Musk gained access to all the data.

Treasury Secretary David Labryk tried to resist Musk’s access to classified information. Mysteriously, Labryk was retired and replaced by Scott Bessent. Bessent immediately granted Musk full access.

Trump imposed a worldwide freeze on USAID activities upon Musk’s recommendation. As we all know, USAID plays a critical role in global humanitarian efforts. It has a budget of $42.8 billion dedicated to relief and development assistance worldwide. Hundreds of USAID workers were placed on unpaid leave and scores were terminated.

Musk publicly labeled USAID as a “criminal organization,” advocating its dissolution. Musk’s characterization of USAID is based on unfounded conspiracy theories. His theories have since been debunked.

Recently, Musk made incursions on the General Services Administration (GSA). The GSA is a federal agency responsible for state-owned properties, asset management, procurement and contracting, cybersecurity services, transportation management as well as emergency and disaster response.

What is Musk’s agenda?

Musk’s access to government’s IT infrastructure, the Treasury’s payment system and personal data of millions of Americans gives him unprecedented power. The breadth of access raises red flags of potential theft and financial identity fraud, espionage, data leaks and other national security threats. In addition, it gives Musk the ability to control the movement of financial markets or even destabilize it.

There is also an ideological slant to all that Musk is doing.

He was quoted as having proposed the wholesale removal of regulations in America. Musk’s worldview reflects that of his grandfather, Joshua N. Haldeman. Haldeman is a proponent of technocracy – a system advocating governance by technological experts rather than elected representatives. He believes in the obsolescence of traditional democracy and capitalism, favoring a society managed by engineers and technocrats. This technocratic perspective seems to influence Musk’s approach to governance, emphasizing efficiency and technical solutions over democratic processes.

Musk’s consolidation of power within DOGE, coupled with his influence over the bureaucracy, suggests a motive to centralize authority.

His moves belie his belief in the superiority of expert-led governance at the expense of traditional democratic institutions.

Could this be the end of American democracy?

Not yet, it seems. There is pushback from members of the Democratic party, civil society and the justice system. An avalanche of lawsuits have already been filed to question DOGE’s legality and existence.

A lawsuit accuses the treasury department of violating privacy laws by granting DOGE access to confidential information. To this, District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer issued a preliminary injunction blocking DOGE from accessing sensitive treasury department records containing personal data. This legal action prompted the Trump administration to agree to “read-only” access.

Subsequently, US District Judge Deborah Boardman issued a temporary restraining order that prevented DOGE from accessing sensitive data from the US Education Department and the Office of Personnel Management. This ruling came after labor unions filed a case.

Also, District Judge George A. O’Toole of Massachusetts delayed the deadline for federal employees to accept Musk’s resignation ultimatum. This decision came after labor unions, including the American Federation of Government Employees, filed a lawsuit seeking a temporary restraining order to halt the Feb. 6 deadline.

And then there is pushback from Congress. Congress says that neither Musk nor Trump have the power to shut down USAID as only Congress can do so. Congress also said that Musk has no authority to veto federal spending as this undermines Congress’ power of the purse. Musk is headed towards a collision course with the US Congress and experts expect political conditions to be even more tumultuous than it already is.

It will be interesting to see if Trump will stand by his golden boy or distance himself once Musk’s radical actions cause his popularity ratings to tank.

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Email: [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @aj_masigan