Amid a firestorm over Elon Musk's DOGE taking it to USAID, President Donald Trump noted Musk is assigned to cutting waste, fraud, and abuse in government and nothing more.
Trump's comments came during wide-ranging remarks at the signing of an executive order creating a sovereign wealth fund.
Trump's remarks also came after a White House official said Musk is authorized under Trump as a "special government employee," solidifying his role in the administration but sidestepping some disclosure rules typical of federal workers.
The official, speaking Monday on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters, said Musk has a government email address and office space in the White House complex.
Musk, the world's richest man, has been granted broad latitude by Trump to reduce the size of the federal government. On Monday morning, the headquarters of the U.S. Agency for International Development was shut down. Musk's team, known as the Department of Government Efficiency, also has received access to sensitive payment systems at the Treasury Department.
Democrats fear that Musk is consolidating power within the federal government, acting without accountability and potentially against the law.
Special government employees are usually appointed to their position for up to 130 days. It's unclear how standard rules on ethics agreements and financial disclosures will apply to Musk, who has billions of dollars in federal contracts with SpaceX, his rocket company.
Musk doesn't receive a paycheck for his work, the White House official said. Under federal guidelines, it's unlikely he will need to file a public financial disclosure report. The official didn't provide additional details apart from saying that Musk is following the law.
Trump signaled his approval of Musk's work after returning Sunday to Washington from his weekend in Florida.
"I think Elon is doing a good job. He’s a big cost-cutter," Trump told reporters. "Sometimes we won't agree with it and we'll not go where he wants to go.
"But I think he's doing a great job."
Information from Reuters was used to compile this report.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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