In a striking interview that may go down as one of the most consequential policy moments of the year, Elon Musk and his team at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) laid out a bold, methodical campaign to upend Washington’s notorious culture of waste.
Sitting down with Special Report, Musk didn’t mince words: “We want to reduce spending by eliminating waste and fraud… a 15% reduction is really quite achievable.”
If the numbers are to be believed—and the DOGE team claims they are—Americans have already saved $130 billion thanks to this new, high-tech blitz on bureaucratic bloat. That’s $807.45 per taxpayer. Not a rounding error. A revolution.
And Musk is treating it like one. “This might be the biggest revolution in government since the original revolution,” he said, invoking the founding spirit with a calculated, almost surgical confidence. That’s the tone that’s defined DOGE since its inception under President Donald Trump’s directive: cut the fat, fast.
NEW: Elon Musk says the federal government spent $1 Billion on a survey that would have cost $10,000 on SurveyMonkey.
Bret Baier: What’s the most astonishing thing you’ve found out in this process?
Musk: There was literally a 10-question survey that you could do with… pic.twitter.com/Z2YVkjAkI0
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) March 27, 2025
The team—seven top-tier technocrats and private sector veterans—has been working across federal departments, from Social Security to the IRS, identifying redundancies and financial sinkholes. Steve Davis illustrated just how absurd the system has become, revealing that the federal government holds 4.6 million credit cards for a workforce half that size.
“Clearly, there should not be more credit cards than there are people,” Musk quipped.
And this isn’t just about paper clips and travel budgets. DOGE has axed dozens of DEI initiatives, slashed unnecessary leases, and identified whole programs for consolidation or elimination. The results? Tangible, measurable, and immediate.
Still, not everyone’s thrilled. Critics argue the department has too much autonomy, too much access. But Musk isn’t dodging those punches—he’s countering with precision. “Measure twice, if not thrice, and cut once,” he said, defending DOGE’s careful yet ambitious strategy. Mistakes, he admits, are inevitable. But inaction? Unacceptable.
And when opponents cry foul, Musk pushes back hard: “They never attack any of the specifics.” That line might prove central in the battle for public opinion—because the specifics, by Musk’s account, are where DOGE wins.
The stakes are enormous, and the mission is clear: reshape the federal government not through grandstanding or gridlock, but with data, efficiency, and accountability. If Musk and DOGE succeed, this could mark the beginning of a very different kind of Washington. One leaner, sharper—and finally, perhaps—under budget.
You can watch the full interview below:
If you have thirty minutes, you can watch Bret Baier’s full interview with Elon Musk right here on 𝕏. pic.twitter.com/bLO2LcDeop
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) March 27, 2025
