President Donald Trump has tasked SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk with scrutinizing wasteful spending on the Division of Training and the Pentagon via the Division of Authorities Effectivity (DOGE) Musk is main.
DOGE is tasked with eliminating authorities spending and waste and streamlining operations and is anticipated to affect White Home coverage on finances issues.
“I’ve instructed him to go try Training, to take a look at the Pentagon … and, sadly, you’ll discover some issues which can be fairly unhealthy. However I don’t assume, proportionally, you’re going to see something like we simply noticed,” Trump instructed reporters Friday about his plans for Musk throughout a press convention whereas internet hosting Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
USAID STAFFERS STUNNED, ANGERED BY TRUMP ADMIN’S DOGE SHUTDOWN OF $40B AGENCY
![Elon Musk at Congress](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/01/1200/675/elon-musk-photo-1.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Elon Musk, pictured right here, is main the Division of Authorities Effectivity. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Photos)
On Monday, Trump and DOGE launched an effort to shutter the U.S. Company for Worldwide Improvement, a gaggle that works to ship support to impoverished nations and improvement help.
The group has come underneath scrutiny from DOGE, and, in an X audio message, Musk mentioned Sunday he was “within the course of” of “shutting down USAID” for corrupt spending and that Trump reportedly agreed.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, now appearing director of the unbiased company, mentioned Monday that USAID was not “functioning” and that the group isn’t a “world charity.”
“It must be aligned with the nationwide curiosity of the U.S.,” Rubio mentioned. “They don’t seem to be a world charity. These are taxpayer {dollars}. Individuals are asking easy questions. What are they doing with the cash?
“We’re spending taxpayers’ cash,” he mentioned. “We owe the taxpayers assurances that it furthers our nationwide curiosity.”
WHAT IS USAID AND WHY IS IT IN TRUMP’S CROSSHAIRS?
![Marco Rubio in Dominican Republic](https://static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/02/marco-rubio.gif)
Secretary of State Marco Rubio mentioned USAID was not “functioning” and that the group isn’t a “world charity.” (Mark Schiefelbein/The Related Press)
DOGE has been tasked with slicing $2 trillion from the federal authorities’s finances via efforts to slash spending, authorities applications and the federal workforce.
Musk has confronted some backlash for his interference in governmental affairs to this point. For instance, Senate Democrats have accused DOGE of conducting a “hostile takeover” after reviews emerged Musk had entry to the Treasury Division’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service’s central cost techniques.
The Division of Training and the Division of Protection have a number of the largest budgets of presidency companies. For fiscal 12 months 2024, the Division of Training acquired a finances of $79.1 billion, whereas the Division of Protection acquired a finances of $841.4 billion, based on authorities paperwork.
In the meantime, Trump has signaled he’s searching for to eradicate the Division of Training via an govt order.
Even so, Congress would want to cross laws to utterly disband an company underneath Article II of the Structure.
MUSK’S DOGE TAKES AIM AT ‘VIPER’S NEST’ FEDERAL AGENCY WITH GLOBAL FOOTPRINT
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President Donald Trump has tapped Linda McMahon, former administrator of the Small Enterprise Administration, to guide the Division of Training. (Mike Segar/Reuters )
Trump instructed reporters Tuesday that whereas he has tapped Linda McMahon, former CEO of World Wrestling Leisure (WWE), to guide the Division of Training, he needs her to ultimately lose her job.
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“What I wish to do is let the states run colleges,” Trump mentioned. “I imagine strongly in class alternative. However along with that, I need the states to run colleges, and I need Linda to place herself out of a job.”
Fox Information’ Stephen Sorace and Emma Colton contributed to this report.