Elon Musk, the head of President Donald Trump‘s Department of Government Efficiency, was at the White House for Trump’s signing of an executive order directing federal employees to comply with DOGE as it seeks to cut the size of the government’s workforce.
The executive order, signed on Tuesday, implements DOGE’s so-called “workforce optimization initiative” and underscores Trump and Musk’s plans to drastically reduce the $300 billion the federal government spends on its 2.4 million employees, excluding active-duty military, United States Postal Service personnel, and money for pension programs, after the expiration of the president’s Day One hiring freeze.
In an extended back and forth with reporters, both Trump and Musk defended DOGE as it and the CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, and X comes under increasing scrutiny from critics over his strategy, tactics, and potential conflicts of interests.
“I campaigned on this,” Trump said Tuesday. “I campaigned on the fact that I said government is corrupt. And it is very corrupt. It’s also foolish.”
“The people voted for major government reform and that’s what the people are going to get,” Musk, who was accompanied by his son X, added. “That’s what democracy is all about.”
Musk also defended himself from allegations he is using his access to federal government information to enrich himself, considering his own contracts for the likes of StarLink Services, his satellite internet company. The entrepreneur described the scrutiny as a “daily proctology exam” and how he and Trump speak almost every day as he seeks “common sense controls” to government.
“Transparency is what builds trust,” he said, continuing, “We post our actions to the DOGE handle on X.”
Tuesday’s executive order directs agency heads to coordinate and consult with DOGE to “shrink the size of the federal workforce and limit hiring to essential positions,” with the Office of Personnel Management initiating a rule to ensure employees are held to the highest standards of conduct. The order exempts personnel and functions critical to national security, public safety, law enforcement, and immigration enforcement.
“Upon expiration of the Day 1 hiring freeze and implementation of the hiring plan, agencies will be able to hire no more than one employee for every four employees that depart from federal service,” the order states. “Agencies will undertake plans for large-scale reductions in force and determine which agency components (or agencies themselves) may be eliminated or combined because their functions aren’t required by law.”
Trump did not know if DOGE requires support from Congress, but expressed confidence that he would have the votes if he needs them and that his administration is abiding by the law as his actions are challenged in court.
“I’ll have to appeal it,” he said. “But then what’s done is he slowed down the momentum, and it gives crooked people more time to cover up the books.”
Earlier, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt shared a photo of the signing ceremony on social media.
“HAPPENING NOW IN THE OVAL: President Trump and @elonmusk give the TRUTH about DOGE!” Leavitt wrote.
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Musk’s son also stole his father’s and the internet’s attention, putting his fingers in his nose and his dad’s ears.
“Gravitas can be difficult sometimes,” he said.
