➤ Elon Musk has taken control of many parts of the US government and is making huge changes that may be against the law.
Elon Musk – the world’s richest person, and the leader of several large companies – has taken control of many parts of the US government. He has placed people who work for him in control of several important US government agencies. Mr. Musk says he is focused on cutting costs. But the moves have shocked many and raised questions about whether it’s legal.
Mr. Musk leads several companies, including SpaceX, Tesla, and X (which used to be called Twitter). Last year, Mr. Musk donated roughly $290 million to help get Donald Trump elected as president.
Mr. Trump has now created a government group called “DOGE” (Department of Government Efficiency), and made Mr. Musk a “special government employee [worker]” in charge of it.
Mr. Musk has quickly placed many people close to him in charge of important government areas. Many of these people are young and have little or no experience in government.
Mr. Musk’s team worked quickly to gain control over computer systems in many important parts of the US government. They have access to information on government workers. Mr. Musk’s group also got access to the computer system used to pay the government’s bills. These systems control trillions of dollars.
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Last year, Elon Musk gave $290 million to help get Donald Trump elected president. Mr. Trump has put Mr. Musk in charge of a government group called DOGE. Mr. Musk has taken control of many parts of the US government, making huge changes that may be illegal. Above, both men in the White House on February 11.
Mr. Musk claims he is trying to cut waste and make government smaller. But it is not at all clear that he has the legal power to do many of the things he has been doing.
By law, the US Congress makes decisions about government spending. Congress is also in charge of creating (or ending) government departments and agencies.
Mr. Musk and Mr. Trump have shocked many people by working to shut down the USAID agency. The agency has thousands of workers and for over 60 years, it has provided help in countries around the world.
Many people are worried about Mr. Musk’s moves. They believe it’s illegal for a private citizen to have this much power over the US government. A number of groups, including 19 states, have now gone to court over Mr. Musk’s actions.
Did You Know…?
Mr. Musk’s companies all have important connections to the US government. SpaceX, for example, has earned billions of dollars from its work with NASA. Many people say that because of this, Mr. Musk has a “conflict of interest”. That means it would be hard for him to be fair working for the government, since he might be tempted to make decisions that would help his companies.