As head of the Department of Government Efficiency, Elon Musk’s efforts to streamline and downsize the government have received support from the White House. But opponents are pushing back

In an effort to slash government spending, President Trump has asked the world’s richest man, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, to lead his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). In turn, Musk and his team have spent the first few weeks of Trump’s second term waging a largely unchecked war on the federal bureaucracy.

Granting tech leaders direct control over government functions fundamentally alters the relationship between private power and public governance.