Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) sets its sights on the Pentagon’s $850 billion budget, aiming to eliminate waste and boost innovation.
This is going to make a lot of people angry…in government.
At a Glance
- President Trump directs Elon Musk’s DOGE to review Pentagon spending
- DOGE targets wasteful spending and inefficiencies in the $850 billion defense budget
- Initiative aims to consolidate innovation efforts and improve project management
- Shift from cost-plus to fixed-price contracts proposed to increase accountability
- Concerns raised about potential conflicts of interest due to Musk’s defense contracts
DOGE Takes on the Pentagon
In an effort to streamline government spending even more, President Donald Trump has tasked Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) with reviewing the Pentagon’s massive $850 billion budget.
Has any President ever done this before?
The initiative, announced shortly after Trump’s inauguration, aims to modernize federal technology and improve governmental efficiency across the board.
Elon Musk, serving as a “special government employee,” leads the DOGE team in this ambitious undertaking and has confirmed that he will begin the process soon. The Department of Defense (DOD), being the largest U.S. government department, presents a significant opportunity for cost savings and efficiency improvements.
#DOGE at #Pentagon for Audit and Efficiency Drive
The Department of Defense has allowed representatives from DOGE, Elon Musk's project aimed at government efficiency, to enter the Pentagon. This move is part of an initiative to audit and reduce inefficiencies within the largest…
— Markets Today (@marketsday) February 19, 2025
The Pentagon’s accounting system has long been a source of concern, having never passed an audit.
This lack of financial transparency has led to ongoing issues of price gouging by defense contractors and difficulties in tracking wasteful spending.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth expressed readiness to address these issues, too, stating, “There’s a lot of programs around here that we spend a lot of money on that, when you actually war game it, don’t have the impact you want them to.”
“We are going to focus heavily to ensure that, at a bare minimum, by the end of four years [of the second Trump administration], the Pentagon passes a clean audit. The American taxpayers deserve that. They deserve to know where their $850 billion go, how it’s spent, and make sure it’s spent wisely,” Hegseth added.
The scale of potential savings is significant. Since 9/11, the Pentagon has spent over $14 trillion, with up to 50% going to defense contractors, often through complex subcontracting layers. The Pentagon’s Inspector General’s office has already recovered $46.3 billion through investigations, highlighting the need for increased oversight.
Imagine how much money we can save – and how much safer we can be with an agency that functions properly.
