Elon Musk denied leading a “hostile takeover” of the US government and defended his cost-cutting plans as he made a surprise first appearance at the White House on Tuesday.
The world’s richest man took questions from reporters in the Oval Office as he stood next to President Donald Trump, who has tasked him with slashing the size and spending of the federal government.
Trump then signed an order giving Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) more authority to cut the federal workforce. It instructed the heads of government agencies to comply with Doge.
The agency has been criticised by Democrats who have accused it of a lack of transparency, and its efforts have also been hampered by legal challenges.
Doge has, for example, been blocked by a federal judge from accessing treasury records – in a case that seeks to ensure the agency does not interfere with funding signed off by Congress, which is outside Doge’s scope.
But Musk, who was questioned by reporters for the first time since Trump took office last month, described sweeping government cuts as “common sense” measures that are “not draconian or radical”.
“The people voted for major government reform and that’s what the people are going to get,” he said. “That’s what democracy is all about.”
“I fully expect to be scrutinised,” he added. “It’s not like I think I can get away with something.”
In the first weeks of Trump’s term, Musk has spearheaded the effort to rapidly shrink the federal government. Doge representatives have entered various departments to monitor spending, offered millions of workers an exit route and moved to freeze federal funding as well as the work of agencies such as the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
Credit: bbc.com
The post Elon Musk denies ‘hostile takeover’ of government in surprise White House appearance appeared first on The Ghanaian Chronicle.
Read Full Story
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Instagram
Google+
YouTube
LinkedIn
RSS