Elon Musk leaves a meeting with House Republicans in the basement of the US Capitol building in Washington. (AFP)
President Donald Trump responded yesterday to growing criticism over unprecedented cuts to the US government overseen by his billionaire adviser Elon Musk, saying they should be carefully targeted. “We say the ‘scalpel’ rather than the ‘hatchet,’” Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social. The president’s message represents the first significant move to rein in the power accorded to Musk, as his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) works toward gutting federal staffing and spending. DOGE’s cost-cutting campaign has faced increasing resistance on multiple fronts, including court rulings and some pressure from lawmakers. “DOGE has been an incredible success, and now that we have my Cabinet in place, I have instructed the Secretaries and Leadership to work with DOGE on Cost Cutting measures and Staffing,” Trump posted. “As the Secretaries learn about, and understand, the people working for the various Departments, they can be very precise as to who will remain, and who will go.” Trump confirmed reports in the US media that he had convened his cabinet in person yesterday to deliver the message that they, not Musk, were in charge of their departments. Trump told his team, with Musk in the room, that the tech billionaire was authorised to recommend firings and other cuts but not to enforce them, according to Politico. “It’s very important that we cut levels down to where they should be, but it’s also important to keep the best and most productive people,” the president said, adding that follow-up cabinet meetings on DOGE would come every two weeks.
