US President Donald Trump on Sunday said that Elon Musk will assist in uncovering "hundreds of billions of dollars of fraud" within federal agencies.
The Republican in a Fox News interview scheduled before the Super Bowl football championship expressed that the American public desires him to identify wasteful spending. He admitted that Musk, the head of the administration's cost-reduction initiatives, has provided significant assistance in identifying unnecessary expenditure.
"We're going to find billions, hundreds of billions of dollars of fraud and abuse. And, you know, the people elected me on that," Trump said in interview excerpts released by Fox.
In his third week since returning to the White House, the president has issued numerous executive orders targeting federal spending reductions. He has designated SpaceX and Tesla chief Musk to spearhead his federal cost-reduction initiatives under the newly established Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.
Musk has initiated the closure of the US Agency for International Development, resulting in substantial staff reductions. However, federal judges have issued temporary injunctions to stop these dismissals.
In his interview, Trump indicated his plans to direct Musk to scrutinise the Department of Education within the next day.
"Then I'm going to go to the military," Trump said, highlighting his intention to examine Pentagon expenditure, which amounts to approximately $850 billion for 2025.
Musk's involvement has drawn scrutiny because his firms hold substantial federal government contracts exceeding $20 billion, according to House Democrat Mark Pocan.
When questioned about his confidence in Musk's ability to identify wasteful expenditure impartially, Trump suggested that the affluent businessman and his companies are not receiving financial advantages through Musk's involvement with DOGE. "He's not gaining anything," Trump said.
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