US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order expanding the powers of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), headed by Elon Musk, designed to reduce the spending of the country's federal agencies.
Points of attention
- US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order expanding the powers of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), helmed by Elon Musk, to oversee the spending of federal agencies.
- The executive order grants Musk's department more authority to change and reduce contracts and grants from federal agencies, emphasizing the need for justification of expenses.
- Federal agencies are required to collaborate with Musk's team to review contracts and grants and establish systems for recording payments and approval for federally funded travel or conferences.
Musk's department has received even more powers
The White House explained that this order requires agencies to work with the DOGE team to review contracts and grants, and reduce or modify them “where appropriate.”
The order also calls on federal agencies to establish a system to “record each payment” spent on agency contracts and grants and to provide “a brief written justification for each payment.”
Additionally, the executive order asks agency heads to work with their DOGE team leader to create a system to record approval for federally funded travel or conferences and provide written justification for attending these conferences or non-essential trips.
Trump's executive order also requires federal agencies to identify federal property that is no longer needed and can be disposed of.
It is noted that since the inception of DOGE, Musk has taken radical steps to try to reduce the workforce of US federal agencies, sometimes causing confusion among employees and the agencies themselves.
Earlier, on February 26, the White House sent an email to federal agencies warning them to prepare for mass layoffs.
And on the evening of February 22, the administration of US President Donald Trump sent emails to federal government employees demanding that they provide detailed information about their work achievements a week before Monday evening, otherwise they risk losing their jobs.
