Elon Musk and the DOGE Government Efficiency Department are actively 'supervising' US government agencies, scholars are concerned about shadow governance

Although Musk did not enter politics through elections, he has entered the political power core of the White House. Since Musk became an ally of President Trump, he quickly reduced the personnel and costs of the US government agencies. 2.2 million federal government employees are trembling in fear of being shut down and losing their jobs, and Musk has established a new power center in Washington, D.C.

Since January 20th, Musk has been very active since Trump took office. He appointed a team of former and current employees to join Trump's Agent camp. The collective collapse of US federal government officials and employees has caused panic, leading to protests in Washington, and even affecting Trump's established agenda.

The trade war between Trump and the 'brotherly countries' of the United States, Canada and Mexico, is raging. On the other hand, Musk is trying to shut down USAID (the United States Agency for International Development), the humanitarian aid organization. The reports of these two madmen dominate the news pages of the United States.

Elon Musk actively assisted Trump in restructuring the US federal government. Under his obligation advisor, Trump has dismissed hundreds of civil servants, greatly reducing personnel and expenditure. He also installed loyal allies and camps to work in the government. Scholars are deeply concerned about atypical national policy advisers entering the power core of Washington.

DOGE Shadow Government Takes Over Federal Government Work

Since Trump allowed Musk to establish the DOGE Government Efficiency Department, it has triggered collective lawsuits from government agencies and public interest groups. The Trump administration has not yet released the employee list for DOGE, nor has it disclosed their salaries and benefits, but Musk has taken over the work of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and allowed the team to use their computer system.

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management, also known as OPM(, is the human resources and general affairs department of the US government. It is responsible for overseeing government projects and federal public property, as well as managing 2.2 million federal government employees and employees working for the US government. The DOGE team sent an email to federal employees last week, encouraging them to pursue a "resignation incentive," which is equivalent to indirectly threatening them to quit.

At least four current and former Musk assistants have joined the team taking over the US Bureau of Personnel and Administrative Management. The team has excluded senior executives of the Bureau from the system they have built, leading to internal and external disputes.

Last Friday, the Musk team was granted access to the US Treasury's payment system, which distributes over 6 trillion US dollars annually on behalf of federal agencies and includes personal information of millions of US citizens who receive social security benefits, tax refunds, and other government subsidies.

Has Musk crossed the line?

Trump's authority over DOGE seems to have exceeded its limits. DOGE commands the U.S. International Development Agency to maximize government efficiency to the fullest extent, not just making suggestions. Conflicts have arisen between DOGE's teammates assigned by Musk and the security officials at the Washington headquarters of the U.S. International Development Agency due to the access to sensitive information. DOGE also deeply involved in the downsizing plan of the U.S. International Development Agency.

Many government officials are fearful, and they use Reddit, Signal, and Facebook to discuss what is happening within the organization and how to deal with it. It is alleged that the DOGE team adds watermarks or other identifiers in emails to trace suspected leakers.

Democratic lawmakers accuse Musk of 'maliciously acquiring the US government'. Federal union files lawsuit to block Musk's access to sensitive computer systems.

US Maryland Democratic Representative Jamie Raskin, during a protest outside the headquarters of the US Agency for International Development, told reporters, 'We don't have a fourth government department called Musk.'

Aestheticians are concerned about the high concentration of power in private teams.

Don Moynihan, a professor at the University of Michigan's Ford School of Public Policy, said Americans are witnessing a high concentration of power in the hands of a person who lacks the highest level of security clearance and has not gone through the Senate confirmation process.

He said that Musk has unprecedented centralized control within the federal government. However, despite the strong criticism from scholars, in reality, Musk's governance proposals still need Trump's approval. President Trump and the media have stated that Musk's actions must be approved by the White House.

Trump has repeatedly criticized the bureaucratic style of the federal government, as well as its inefficiency, and called for streamlining and downsizing. He also accused many federal employees of being liberal leftists who hinder his plans.

Nick Bednar, Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota Law School, expressed deep concerns that Musk and his team have such great power over federal government personnel and budgets without seeming to be held accountable. Musk's company has signed multiple contracts with the U.S. government, causing multiple conflicts of interest, which is highly unusual.

Many Americans who did not support Trump believed that he was a dictator. Although Trump denied it, he established a shadow government called DOGE with the help of Musk and delved deep into the power core of the White House. This is unprecedented in American history and the first obvious example of plutocracy. Musk, a South African citizen, cannot run for the next US president, but he has established an alternative political and military power in the United States. Even if he doesn't enter politics, he will be the businessman with the most political power in American history. By uprooting the previous bureaucratic system and completely rebuilding the federal government, it may bring a new atmosphere to the United States. Those who thought that holding a civil servant job was a secure job may need to reconsider their career plans.

In an article by Musk and DOGE that the Department of Government Efficiency actively "hosts" U.S. government agencies, scholars worry that shadow regimes first appeared in Chain News ABMedia.