Donald Trump has signed an executive order that gives the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) more authority to cut federal agencies and reduce government spending.
On Wednesday night, Newsweek sent an email to the White House seeking comment.
Why It Matters
On the first day of his second term, Trump established DOGE via executive order and appointed Elon Musk, the world’s richest man and the person who first proposed the department, to lead the cost-cutting efforts.
DOGE has been aggressively targeting federal agencies and initiating mass firings in recent weeks, prompting strong criticism from those who argue that the savings claims are exaggerated and that DOGE is abusing its power.
What To Know
On Wednesday evening, the White House issued an executive order titled “Implementing the President’s ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ Cost Efficiency Initiative” via its website. The order directs federal agency heads to collaborate with “DOGE Team Leads” who monitor each agency and must justify spending on government contracts and grants within 30 days.
“Each Agency Head, in consultation with the agency’s DOGE Team Lead, shall review all existing covered contracts and grants and, where appropriate and consistent with applicable law, terminate or modify (including through renegotiation) such covered contracts and grants to reduce overall Federal spending or reallocate spending to promote efficiency and advance the policies of my Administration,” according to the decree.
“This process shall commence immediately and shall prioritize the review of funds disbursed under covered contracts and grants to educational institutions and foreign entities for waste, fraud, and abuse,” as it continues. “Each Agency Head shall complete this review within 30 days of the date of this order.”
The order also requires agency heads to provide “written justification for each payment,” explain “federally funded travel for conferences and other non-essential purposes,” and identify any federal properties that are no longer required.
The order also imposes a 30-day freeze on all agency credit cards, with the exception of charges for “disaster relief or natural disaster response benefits, operations, or other critical services.”
The order comes after Musk controversially threatened federal employees with “resignation” if they did not respond to a DOGE-inspired email demanding that they justify their employment.
While several agency heads have since said that responses to the email are voluntary and will not affect employment, Trump has backed Musk. During a Cabinet meeting that Musk attended at the White House on Wednesday, the president insisted that workers who did not respond to the email were “on the bubble” and may soon “be gone.”
What People Are Saying
Musk, commenting on Trump signing the executive order in a post to X, formerly Twitter: “No more wasting your hard-earned money!”
No more wasting your hard-earned money! https://t.co/VlMVM20paG
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 26, 2025
Writer Justin Glawe, commenting on Trump’s order on X: “Trump just signed an executive order that requires virtually all government contracts, spending, and some travel reimbursements to be approved by DOGE ‘team leads’ within every federal agency. So, uh, who the hell are these ‘teams leads?’ No one really knows.”
Trump just signed an executive order that requires virtually all government contracts, spending, and some travel reimbursements to be approved by DOGE "team leads" within every federal agency. So, uh, who the hell are these "teams leads?" No one really knows. pic.twitter.com/WrrqfmiKI2
— Justin Glawe (@JustinGlawe) February 26, 2025
A group of 21 government workers who resigned from DOGE in protest on Tuesday, in a letter obtained by the Associated Press: “We will not use our skills as technologists to compromise core government systems, jeopardize Americans’ sensitive data, or dismantle critical public services. We will not lend our expertise to carry out or legitimize DOGE’s actions.”
What Happens Next
The full impact of Trump’s executive order is yet to be seen. Several lawsuits have already been filed against DOGE and Musk for their efforts to reduce the federal workforce, slash agency spending, and gain access to government databases containing personal information.
