 "Elon Musk appears on stage at Donald Trump's victory rally at the Capital One Arena on January 19, the eve of Inauguration Day in Washington, DC. AFP")
US President Donald Trump Saturday (February 22) urged his billionaire ally Elon Musk to be “more aggressive” in his efforts to rein in federal spending and cut the size of the government.
“Elon is doing a great job, but I would like to see him get more aggressive,” Trump posted all in uppercase letters on his Truth Social platform.
“Remember, we have a country to save, but ultimately, to make greater than ever before. MAGA!” the US president added.
Musk has already sent shockwaves across federal agencies, with his Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, firing several thousands of workers, scientists and park rangers.
US Defense Department to cut 5% workforce
In the latest bid to cut federal spending, the Pentagon Friday announced it will fire five to eight per cent of the military’s approximately 950,000 civilian employees.
According to reports, about 5,400 probationary workers with no “mission-critical” roles may be asked to go home next week.
“We anticipate reducing the Department’s civilian workforce by 5-8% to produce efficiencies and refocus the Department on the President’s priorities and restoring readiness in the force,” said acting Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Darin Selnick.
The Trump administration has already started firing many other probationary workers from different agencies.
However, these cost-cutting measures have also faced some form of resistance and pushback on several fronts.
Doge faces setback from judiciary
An American judge Friday extended a ban on Doge from accessing Treasury Department systems responsible for trillions of dollars in government payments.
US District Judge Jeannette Vargas in Manhattan acted upon the request of 19 Democratic state attorneys general. The officials argued that Doge had no legal authority to access the sensitive information.
Impact Shorts
View All“While it appears that the career staff at (Treasury) did their best to develop what mitigation strategies they could, the inexplicable urgency and time constraints under which they operated all but ensured that the launch of the Treasury DOGE Team was chaotic and haphazard,” Vargas wrote in the judgment.
New York Attorney General Letitia James later hailed the ruling, saying it would prevent “DOGE and unauthorized, unelected, and unvetted individuals like Elon Musk from accessing people’s private data and blocking federal funds.”
(With inputs from agencies)