Elon Musk's 'hostile takeover' of Washington
The Story
The Times
3.9 • 1.6K Ratings
🗓️ 17 February 2025
⏱️ 37 minutes
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Summary
When Donald Trump took office, he appointed Elon Musk as head of the Department of Government Efficiency - or DOGE - a new agency designed to radically slash federal costs. Since inauguration day Musk has done just that, laying off thousands of staff, freezing America's entire international aid programme and gaining access to the $6 trillion Treasury payments system. So what will the fallout be? And with an unelected official wielding such unprecedented power - and the courts fighting back - are we seeing the beginnings of a major constitutional crisis?
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