The Blubber

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, is expected to secure office space at the White House as he prepares to head the newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), according to recent reports.

Musk may set up operations in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, located adjacent to the West Wing, where most White House staffers work, the New York Times reports. Discussions between Musk, his team, and transition officials are ongoing to determine his access to President-elect Trump following the inauguration. Final plans have yet to be confirmed, as typically special passes are required for unrestricted access to the West Wing.

Musk, along with tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, is spearheading DOGE with the mission of reducing government waste, streamlining operations, and improving efficiency. However, it remains unclear whether Ramaswamy will also work out of White House office space.

About DOGE’s Mission

The Department of Government Efficiency is not a formal part of the federal government but rather a blue-ribbon advisory panel tasked with identifying ways to cut government spending and optimize operations. It will work closely with the Office of Management and Budget to implement reforms and propose executive orders.

DOGE aims to slash $2 trillion from the federal budget through reductions in spending, elimination of unnecessary programs, and downsizing of the federal workforce. However, Musk recently tempered expectations, suggesting that while the team will target $2 trillion in savings, achieving $1 trillion is a more realistic goal.

“We’ll aim for $2 trillion, but I think $1 trillion is a solid outcome,” Musk said last week during the CES tech trade show in Las Vegas.

Building the DOGE Team

According to The Washington Post, Musk and Ramaswamy’s aides have already begun recruiting staff from federal agencies such as the Treasury Department, the IRS, the Departments of Veterans Affairs, Homeland Security, and Health and Human Services. Around 50 people are currently part of DOGE’s team, with plans to expand to 100 staff members by the inauguration. The team is operating out of SpaceX’s Washington, D.C., offices for the time being.

Potential Challenges

Musk, who contributed millions to Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, has yet to decide whether he will officially lead DOGE as a special government employee, which would require filing financial disclosure forms. If Musk opts out of this status, certain restrictions may apply, including requirements for public meetings and increased transparency around DOGE’s documents and activities, the New York Times reports.

As the initiative takes shape, it is positioned as a cornerstone of the Trump administration’s early efforts to reshape federal operations and fulfill campaign promises to reduce government inefficiency.