Trump says he wants Musk to be ‘more aggressive’ in federal cuts
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With billionaire Elon Musk in charge of the Department of Government Efficiency, the Trump administration has culled numerous departments and slashed public spending.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump said on Feb 22 he would like his billionaire advisor Elon Musk to get “more aggressive” in implementing his reform agenda cutting back the federal government.
“Elon is doing a great job, but I would like to see him get more aggressive,” Mr Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “Remember, we have a country to save.”
Mr Trump has put the tech entrepreneur in charge of the Department of Government Efficiency
Mr Musk – the world’s richest person and Trump’s biggest donor – has led the effort to fire swaths of the federal workforce.
In the latest cuts announced on Feb 21, the US Defence Department will cut its civilian workforce by at least 5 per cent starting next week.
Mr Trump’s administration has already begun firing many other federal workers who are on probationary status
A judge on Feb 20 denied a union bid to temporarily halt the firing of thousands of people.
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is a free-ranging entity run by Mr Musk, though the cost-cutting spree has been met with pushback on several fronts and a mixed bag of court rulings. AFP
