The space that Musk is projected to use is the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, adjacent to the White House.
Musk and fellow co-chairman Vivek Ramaswamy have been tasked to lead DOGE in a mission to reduce waste, abolish redundant agencies, and sharpen the efficiency of the federal government as a whole.
The location would allow Musk prime access to President-elect Donald Trump after he donated hundreds of millions of dollars and months of his time to the Republican’s successful election victory. He also guides SpaceX, which has millions of dollars in government contracts.
The New York Times reported that Musk has had discussions with transition officials about what his level of access to the West Wing will be, but the matter has been left unclear. It’s also unclear whether Ramaswamy will also be afforded office space himself.
DOGE workers have been operating out of Musk’s SpaceX offices in Washington, D.C. It is not an official government agency or department and operates “outside of government” in an advisory role.
There are ethics concerns with Musk’s potential role in a Trump White House, and there are question marks about whether he and his team will be labeled as “special government employees,” positions that can be paid or unpaid and would have more flexible financial disclosure rules.
One goal for DOGE would be to cut $2 trillion from the federal budget, but he said the real figure may end up being half that.
“I think we’ll try for $2 trillion, I think that’s like the best case outcome,” Musk told Stagwell CEO Mark Penn, who was once an adviser to former President Bill Clinton, during a livestream conversation on X. “But I do think that you kind of have to have some overage. If you try for $2 trillion, you have a good shot at getting one.”
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Musk believes the government is a “target-rich” environment for cuts. “It’s like being in a room full of targets; you can close your eyes and you can’t miss,” Musk said.
The Washington Examiner reached out to the Trump transition team for comment but did not receive a response.
