Tesla boss Elon Musk, the billionaire who heads the US Department of Government Efficiency, has no authority to make government-level decisions.
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| Billionaire Elon Musk is not the head of DOGE as US President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed. (Source: X) |
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an agency created by US President Donald Trump with the goal of cutting government spending, is expanding its influence across the federal government, but one important question remains: who is really in charge of it?
President Trump has repeatedly claimed that Elon Musk is the one running DOGE, but official documents, filed in federal court on February 17, shed light on the tech billionaire's true position.
The real role of billionaire Musk
According to the filing signed by White House Chief of Staff Joshua Fisher, Mr Musk is a special government employee but not an official one, but a "senior advisor to the president".
Reuters cited information in the document stating that, like other senior White House advisers, Mr. Musk has no actual or formal authority to make government-level decisions on his own. The billionaire can only advise and convey President Trump's instructions.
Mr. Fisher confirmed that billionaire Musk is not an employee of DOGE nor is he the official manager of this agency. However, Mr. Fisher did not inform who is currently leading DOGE.
Created with the goal of cutting federal spending, DOGE employees have been going around government agencies for the past three weeks, tapping into computer systems, digging into budgets and looking for what they believe is waste, fraud and abuse. The result has been mass layoffs and massive cuts to US foreign aid programs.
Questions about DOGE's authority
The uncertainty surrounding DOGE's leadership is now turning into a "legal battle".
The attorneys general of 14 states have filed a lawsuit against the department, alleging that President Trump illegally appointed Mr. Musk to the position and gave the agency powers not authorized by Congress.
The judicial officials stressed that no other agency besides the US President has such executive power as DOGE. This is completely contrary to the Constitutional structure. These officials asked the court to prohibit Mr. Musk from taking any further executive action.
During a recent court hearing, Judge Tanya Chutkan expressed concerns about the department's unstructured and erratic operations.
ABC News quoted Ms. Chutkan as saying: "DOGE appears to be operating in an unpredictable manner. It is essentially a citizen directing a non-federal entity to gain access to the entire operations of the federal government."
Recently, Federal District Court Judge John Bates ruled that DOGE should be classified as a federal agency, but he said that the Trump administration appears to be deliberately avoiding that “label.”
Who Really Runs DOGE?
The mystery surrounding DOGE's leadership is not only a public concern, but has government lawyers searching for answers.
During a recent hearing on DOGE's access to sensitive payment systems at the US Treasury Department , senior advisor Christopher Healy of the department was asked who actually runs DOGE and his answer was: "I don't know."
According to The New York Times , those who could act as “administrators” of DOGE include Mr. Steve Davis – billionaire Musk’s right-hand man for two decades, the character who oversaw the Tesla CEO’s daily work in Washington, and Brad Smith – an official in the “Trump 1.0” administration, closely involved in DOGE’s moves.
Regardless, until the White House publicly identifies DOGE's manager, public attention will continue to be focused on the agency's mystery, as well as the ongoing "legal battle."
Source: https://baoquocte.vn/bi-an-chua-co-loi-giai-cua-doge-nguoi-thuc-su-dung-sau-la-ai-khi-nha-trang-bat-ngo-noi-ty-phu-elon-musk-chang-la-sep-lon-khong-co-quyen-luc-304807.html
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