US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order requiring federal agencies to develop plans for large-scale civil service cuts. The document also gives billionaire Elon Musk and his team the authority to approve future career appointments in the federal government.
Written by UNN with reference to The New York Times.
According to the decree, the specially created Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE) is given broad powers to shape the structure of the civil service, with the exception of law enforcement and immigration agencies.
From now on, executive branch departments will have to coordinate new personnel appointments with a representative of the Musk team. In addition, the order provides for a rule that each federal agency will be able to hire only one new employee for every four vacancies that open up after the hiring freeze is lifted.
At the same time, agencies are prohibited from filling positions that Musk's team deems unnecessary, unless the head of the relevant agency decides otherwise.
The signing of the Workforce Optimization Initiative took place shortly before Trump and Musk's joint speech in the Oval Office, where they spent 30 minutes justifying the need for a radical reorganization of the state apparatus.
Elon Musk, the world's richest man, is actively promoting changes in the federal government, saying they will benefit the public. In the first three weeks of Donald Trump's new administration, his team has already intervened in the work of at least 19 agencies, starting to cut programs, The New York Times reports.
Trump's new executive order requires federal agencies to develop plans for large-scale staff reductions. Some heads of agencies have already warned of impending layoffs and called on civil servants to resign voluntarily, taking advantage of the administration's offer to go on paid administrative leave until the end of September.
The resignation program, which was set to expire last week, has been suspended pending a decision by a federal court in Massachusetts on its legality.
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This executive order is another step in consolidating Musk's influence on government reforms. On the day of his inauguration, Trump signed an executive order establishing the Department of Government Effectiveness (DOGE), which was given the authority to appoint employees to federal agencies.
Another decree authorized Musk's team to develop a plan to reduce the civil service by optimizing staff and increasing efficiency.
Russell T. Vaught, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, whom Musk supported for this position, said that the new decree is a logical continuation of civil service reform.
The president can act unilaterally, using existing laws to implement cuts
Recall
Donald Trump is considering closing a number of US consulates and diplomatic missions around the worldto cut costs at the State Department.