President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday aimed at significantly downsizing the federal government by mandating “large-scale reductions in force” across departments and agencies.
The order directs agency heads to implement a “workforce optimization initiative” led by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has been aggressively cutting spending and dismantling programs across multiple federal agencies.
“It’s not optional to reduce federal expenses, it’s essential,” Musk said, standing next to Trump while wearing a black MAGA hat. Joined by his son, X, the billionaire entrepreneur called the federal bureaucracy an “unelected, fourth, unconstitutional branch of government” that must be held accountable.
“The people voted for major government reform, and that’s what the people are going to get,” Musk added, dismissing criticism that DOGE’s role amounts to a hostile takeover. “That’s what democracy is all about.”
Under the order, federal agencies are instructed to “coordinate and consult with DOGE” to reduce workforce size and limit hiring to essential positions. It explicitly calls for prioritizing cuts in offices that perform functions not mandated by law.
Though Trump did not sign the order in front of the press, the White House confirmed that he did so shortly after reporters were escorted out of the Oval Office.
“We’ve already found billions of dollars of abuse, incompetence, and corruption,” Trump said, defending DOGE’s efforts to root out wasteful spending, which he and Musk repeatedly described as “fraud” during a lengthy exchange with reporters.
