US President-elect Donald Trump has appointed Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy as co-leaders of a new government efficiency commission. The goal is to reduce government spending by cutting agencies, potentially affecting millions of Americans employed by the federal government.
The commission aims to eliminate certain agencies, with Vivek Ramaswamy stating that “we expect mass reductions in force” in areas of the federal government considered “bloated”. Trump has previously targeted the Department of Education, while Musk suggests giving impacted workers “very long severances”.
Millions of Americans rely on federal agencies for employment. The commission’s priorities include reducing spending, with Ramaswamy stating that certain agencies may be deleted outright. However, major changes to federal agencies require congressional approval.
The US government is the largest employer in the country, with over 2 million employees collecting paychecks from the federal government. Average salaries range from six-figure amounts, with some departments having higher averages. The commission’s spending cuts will focus on areas such as education and health programs, but may not directly impact mandatory spending like Social Security and Medicare.
As the commission begins to outline its priorities, it remains unclear how exactly it will function and whether Congress will approve Musk and Ramaswamy’s spending cuts.
Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/how-many-federal-government-jobs-pay-salaries-elon-musk-doge-2024-11