Musk creates new power base in Washington: DOGE creation faces lawsuits

Elon Musk’s rapid takeover of two U.S. government agencies has given the South African billionaire unprecedented control over America’s 2.2 million federal workforce and set in motion a sweeping overhaul of government. The world’s richest man and a close ally of President Donald Trump, Musk, 53, has created a new center of power in Washington in two weeks, implementing Trump’s spending-cutting initiative to shrink the size of the U.S. government, reported by Reuters.

Tesla CEO and SpaceX founder Musk moved quickly after Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, enlisting teams of current and former employees from his companies as his agents. Musk’s actions have sparked panic among government officials and public protests in Washington, and at times threatened to overshadow Trump’s own plan.

Musk Acts at Trump’s Behaviour

Trump’s trade war with neighbours Canada and Mexico has competed for headlines this week with Musk’s efforts to close down USAID, the US Agency for International Development, the world’s top humanitarian aid agency. Musk’s efforts are part of a sweeping restructuring by the Trump administration, which has laid off and removed hundreds of civil servants in its first steps to downsize the bureaucracy and install more loyalists.

Americans are witnessing an extraordinary centralisation of power in those with no senior clearance or Senate confirmation process. Musk has unprecedented and centralised control over key government systems. Yet Musk is acting at Trump’s behaviour. The president has told reporters that the billionaire must get White House approval for any action he takes.

Creation of DOGE

Trump has appointed Musk to head what they both call the Department of Government Efficiency. Despite its name, it is not a department, Musk does not receive a government salary, and the creation of DOGE immediately sparked lawsuits from state unions, watchdogs, and public interest groups. Exactly who is part of DOGE is unclear. The Trump administration has not released a list of DOGE employees.

It also does not say how they are paid, how many are in each agency, or whether they are government employees. This raises questions about whether they answer to Musk or Trump as chief executive. Musk and his DOGE aides have taken over the human resources and general services administration, along with their computer systems. OPM is the U.S. government’s human resources department, which oversees 2.2 million federal employees.

At least four current and former Musk aides are part of the team that took over OPM, cutting off some senior managers from its own computer systems. Musk’s team has gained access to the U.S. Treasury Department’s payroll system. It sends more than $6 trillion a year on behalf of federal agencies and contains the personal information of millions of Americans who receive Social Security payments, tax refunds and other funds from the government.