While delivering remarks before the World Governments Summit in Dubai on Thursday, tech billionaire and head of DOGE, Elon Musk, said the U.S. needs to “delete” several government agencies.
“I think we do need to delete entire agencies, as opposed to leave part of them behind, because if you leave part of them behind … it’s kind of like leaving a weed,” Musk said while appearing virtually at the summit. “If you don’t remove the roots of the weed, then it’s easy for the weed to grow back. But if you remove the roots of the weed, it doesn’t stop weeds from ever growing back, but it makes it harder.”
Musk, who has been tasked with cutting waste and increasing the federal government’s efficiency, said that in order to reach his goals, he may “really delete entire agencies, many of them.”
The effort to “delete” agencies has already begun, as Musk recommended that the government shut the doors to the humanitarian agency, the United States Agency for International Development.
Upon the suggestion from DOGE, Trump moved to close down the department, firing thousands of workers while the remaining staff has been absorbed by the State Department. However, a lawsuit has been filed, and a temporary restraining order has paused the efforts.
Musk’s actions have also sparked other lawsuits, as Judge Jeannette Vargas, a Biden appointee, issued a temporary restraining order to restrict DOGE’s access to the Treasury Department’s payment system and data.
Vargas argued that allowing Musk and his team access carried the risk of “irreparable harm.
In his remarks on Thursday, Musk criticized the federal government, saying it was too bureaucratic and overregulated, something he wants to change in his role and “restore rule of the people.”
He says to do this, they will have to shrink the government.
“And so, what that means is reducing the size of the federal government, basically reducing regulation,” Musk said. “You know, there’s a tremendous amount of overregulation that’s happened over time.”