Musk's next target? Trump says DOGE will look at Department of Education, Pentagon funding

President Donald Trump has tasked SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk to measure wasteful spending astatine the Department of Education and the Pentagon, nether the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Musk is leading.

DOGE is tasked with eliminating authorities spending, discarded and streamlining ratio and operations, and is expected to power White House argumentation connected fund matters.

"I’ve instructed him to spell cheque retired Education, to cheque retired the Pentagon … and sadly, you’ll find immoderate things that are beauteous bad, but I don’t deliberation proportionally, you’re going to spot thing similar we conscionable saw," Trump told reporters astir his plans for Musk Friday during a property league portion hosting Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. 

USAID STAFFERS STUNNED, ANGERED BY TRUMP ADMIN'S DOGE SHUTDOWN OF $40B AGENCY

Elon Musk, pictured here, is starring the Department of Government Efficiency. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

On Monday, Trump and DOGE launched an effort to shutter the U.S. Agency for International Development, a radical that works to present assistance to impoverished countries and improvement assistance. 

The radical has travel nether scrutiny from DOGE, and successful an X audio connection Musk said Sunday helium was "in the process" of "shutting down USAID," for corrupt spending, and that Trump reportedly agreed. 

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, present acting manager of the autarkic agency, said Monday that USAID was not "functioning" and that the enactment isn’t a "global charity." 

"It needs to beryllium aligned with the nationalist involvement of the U.S," Rubio said. "They're not a planetary charity, these are payer dollars. People are asking elemental questions. What are they doing with the money? 

"We are spending taxpayers’ money," helium said. "We beryllium the taxpayers assurances that it furthers our nationalist interest."

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio that USAID was not "functioning" and that the enactment isn’t a "global charity."  (Mark Schiefelbein/The Associated Press)

DOGE has been tasked with cutting $2 trillion from the national authorities fund done efforts to slash spending, authorities programs and the national workforce.

Musk has faced immoderate backlash for his interference successful governmental affairs frankincense far. For example, Senate Democrats person accused DOGE of conducting a "hostile takeover" aft reports emerged Musk had entree to the Treasury Department’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service’s cardinal outgo systems. 

The Department of Education and the Department of Defense person immoderate of the largest budgets of authorities agencies. For fiscal twelvemonth 2024, the Department of Education received a fund of $79.1 billion, portion the Department of Defense received a fund of $841.4 billion, according to authorities documents. 

Meanwhile, Trump has signaled he’s seeking to wholly nix the Department of Education done an enforcement order. 

Even so, Congress would request to walk authorities to wholly disband an agency, nether Article II of the Constitution. 

MUSK'S DOGE TAKES AIM AT ‘VIPER’S NEST' FEDERAL AGENCY WITH GLOBAL FOOTPRINT

President Donald Trump has tapped Linda McMahon, erstwhile Administrator of Small Business Administration, to pb the Department of Education. (Mike Segar/Reuters )

Trump told reporters connected Tuesday that portion helium has tapped Linda McMahon, erstwhile CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), to pb the Department of Education, helium wants her to yet suffer her job. 

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"What I privation to bash is fto the states tally schools," Trump said. "I judge powerfully successful schoolhouse choice. But successful summation to that, I privation the states to tally schools, and I privation Linda to enactment herself retired of a job."

Fox News' Stephen Sorace and Emma Colton contributed to this report.