Tech billionaire Elon Musk has claimed that his anti-corruption efforts as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have made him a target. In an interview with Fox News, Musk said those benefiting from fraudulent government schemes are furious over his actions and want to harm him.
When you remove fraud from people the money they’re getting fraudulently they get really angry and essentially want to kill me because I’m preventing their fraud,” Musk said. He also claimed that his efforts to end government waste have caused some to attack Tesla.
Musk, who was deployed by former President Donald Trump as the head of DOGE, has presided over large-scale firings and probes into federal agencies. Musk contended that rampant fraud contributes to the nation’s $2 trillion yearly shortfall, cautioning that the United States is close to bankruptcy based on mismanagement. “A country is just like a human being,” Musk said. “If it overspends and doesn’t practice money management skills, it goes bankrupt.”.
Since January, DOGE has been scrutinizing various federal agencies, such as the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the US Institute of Peace. The probes resulted in thousands of employees being dismissed and congressionally appropriated money being suspended. Yet, DOGE’s hawkish strategy encountered pushback from congressional Democrats as well as courts.
A recent federal court decision determined that DOGE potentially broke the Constitution by closing down USAID. US District Judge Theodore Chuang reinstated fired employees and instructed the Trump administration to reinstate their email privileges. The decision is a legal blow to Musk’s department as critics continue to fight his reforms.
In spite of the criticism, Musk is resolute in his intention to rid the government of wastage, asserting, “Bad people do bad things.”
