POLITICS

Pentagon on Notice: Trump and Musk Team Up for Government Overhaul

Washington D.C., USAMon Feb 10 2025
Recently, President Trump made big news by ordering a deep dive into certain government departments. According to the president, Elon Musk and his elite team, known as DOGE, will lead this operation. This move comes after Trump's administration criticized some agencies for spending big bucks on what they call "fluff projects" around the world. The Department of Defense, better known as the Pentagon, is up next. Now, let's talk about DOGE. They have already made waves by auditing some big agencies and shaking things up. The Trump White House says the group will likely shrink the international development team within the State Department, letting go of about 97% of its employees. That's a massive cut. During a recent press conference. Trump made it clear that Musk and his team are in charge. He said, "I tell him where to go, and he makes it happen. ” Trump didn't go into detail on whether Musk has any off-limit areas, but he hinted that almost everything is fair game. This includes the military and education sectors. In a surprising statement, the President revealed that DOGE can easily access sensitive taxpayer information, including social security numbers. When questioned about it, Trump replied that while DOGE doesn't need this data, the information was easily accessible anyway, hinting at broader security concerns. This is interesting because you don't want a company who is auditing finances to have access to personal information. You want to make sure they are keeping the data of people safe. So, it's kind like buying a used car and the dealer refuses to tell you the history of the car and where its been. If you are buying a car, you are going to want it to be in good shape. Trump did suggest that his team would try to keep doing things the right way. A bit of controversy arose earlier with Marko Elez, one of Musk's young "engineers, " who resigned from DOGE. The reason? His past social media posts. But, Vice President JD Vance voiced support for Elez’s return to the team, and Trump agreed to back Vance. There's a lot of talk about this. But, DOGE isn't new. It is a big part of what makes the world go round. On a different note, the outgoing Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, mentioned that some projects and programs at the Pentagon might be cut in the future. He said he’s mindful of wasteful spending. He also said, "There are a lot of programs around here that we spend a lot of money on that, when you actually war game it, don’t have the impact you want them to, ”. This is a bit of a big deal, as people are noticing this.

questions

    What safeguards are in place to ensure that DOGE's audits are conducted fairly and without bias?
    Is the push to reduce USAID employees part of a broader plan to redirect funds towards other government operations?
    Will DOGE's audits include a review of the Pentagon's coffee budget?

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