As a special government employee, Elon Musk leads the “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) established by the Trump administration, tasked with identifying and eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse in federal spending. In a Cabinet meeting held at the White House, Musk revealed that members of DOGE “receive death threats daily.”
At the start of the meeting, officials from the Trump administration praised Musk for uncovering wasteful spending within various agencies. Towards the end of the meeting, Musk disclosed the immense pressure faced by the DOGE team.
“DOGE team members receive death threats every day,” Musk said. “They just want to do the right thing for American taxpayers and the American people.”
Musk had previously emphasized the need for bold cuts in federal spending due to the increasing national debt and interest expenses. He warned that failing to address the deficit and reduce debt could impact programs like Medicare and Social Security.
“If we don’t tackle the deficit problem, all we’ll be doing in the future is paying off debt,” Musk stated in an interview with Fox News in late February. “This problem needs to be addressed, or we won’t have healthcare anymore, we won’t have a social security system, we won’t have any services – this issue must be resolved.”
During the meeting on Monday, Musk expressed gratitude towards the DOGE team, noting that many members were talented young individuals who could have earned millions in the private sector but chose to “serve here, receive meager pay, and face death threats.”
President Trump established DOGE on his first day in office, directing it to find ways to reduce government waste and streamline the federal government.
DOGE has acted swiftly, conducting audits and reforms across various federal agencies. According to the latest report, DOGE has saved the government $115 billion through subsidy cancellations, asset sales, workforce reductions, contract terminations, and lease terminations.
However, DOGE’s actions have also drawn criticism. Critics argue that DOGE’s actions raise security and regulatory concerns, leading to multiple lawsuits attempting to restrict DOGE from accessing government data or declaring its actions unconstitutional.
At the beginning of the meeting, President Trump announced that, with the government’s encouragement policies, manufacturing is beginning to return to the United States, signaling a clear trend.
“I believe these companies are coming back because of the election results on November 5th last year and also our tariff policies forcing them back,” Trump said. “Remember, as long as you produce in the United States, you don’t pay tariffs.”
Trump then shifted the focus to federal spending and agency layoffs, pointing out that many of the employees laid off as part of the actions pushed by DOGE were either underperforming, not showing up for work, or just “ghost employees” on the government roster.
“There are people on the government payroll who don’t actually exist,” Trump said. “Even those who do exist, as many of you know, aren’t actually coming into work; some are working elsewhere and getting paid. There are too many problems in this, but they are being addressed now.”
So far, DOGE’s efforts have led to over 100,000 job cuts among the 2.3 million federal civilian employees.
Trump acknowledged that layoffs “may not be a very popular thing,” but he added, “I think the American public understands that we are working to save our country and make our country great again.”
A reader poll conducted by Epoch Times in mid-February showed strong support for DOGE and its cost-cutting efforts. Additionally, the majority of respondents hoped for more transparency in DOGE’s findings and sought accountability for those misusing taxpayer funds.