Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has criticized Elon Musk’s approach to leading the Department of Government Efficiency, also known as DOGE. Lutnick believes that Musk prioritized firing workers over cutting waste, fraud, and abuse, which undermines the initiative’s original mission.
A Wrong Lesson from Twitter
Lutnick expressed his thoughts on the premiere of The Axios Show, stating that Musk applied his Twitter-style playbook to the federal government. This involved cutting jobs aggressively but achieving little in terms of meaningful savings. Lutnick thinks that Musk “got caught up in other people’s objectives” and that the focus should have been on cutting waste, fraud, and abuse.
A Different Approach to Government Efficiency
Lutnick suggests that the government could be trimmed by 10% to 15% through careful evaluation by cabinet secretaries, rather than through sweeping layoffs. He believes that this approach would be more effective in achieving meaningful savings.
The Brief and Controversial Tenure of Elon Musk
Musk’s four-month tenure as the leader of DOGE was marked by controversy, including sweeping layoffs across federal agencies and the shutdown of USAID. His approach was criticized for mirroring his moves at Twitter, where headcount was cut dramatically after his takeover.
DOGE’s Savings Fall Short of Lofty Goals
Despite Musk’s efforts, DOGE’s savings have fallen short of the initially stated goals. The program has documented savings of $206 billion, largely from contract cancellations, fraud detection, asset sales, and workforce reductions. However, this is far short of the $1 trillion to $2 trillion in annual federal spending that Musk had pledged to eliminate.
The Future of DOGE
Although Musk is no longer involved with DOGE, the program continues to operate with a focus on spending cuts over layoffs. Lutnick believes that DOGE will still be effective in pursuing waste, fraud, and abuse, although it may be less effective than he had hoped.
Key Takeaways
- Howard Lutnick criticizes Elon Musk’s approach to cutting government waste
- Musk’s approach prioritized firing workers over cutting waste, fraud, and abuse
- A different approach, focusing on careful evaluation by cabinet secretaries, may be more effective
- DOGE’s savings have fallen short of lofty goals
- The program continues to operate with a focus on spending cuts over layoffs