Trump Says Elon Musk Will Find Billions in Government Waste

President Donald Trump has declared the next targets in his administration’s sweeping effort to eliminate government waste: the Department of Education and the Department of Defense. In a pre-Super Bowl interview with Fox News anchor Bret Baier, Trump revealed that he has enlisted tech mogul Elon Musk to lead the charge through the newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

“We’re going to find hundreds of billions—maybe more,” Trump told Baier. “It’s fraud. It’s abuse. And it’s been going on for decades. The people elected me to stop it.”

Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur known for Tesla and SpaceX, has already begun scrutinizing federal agencies. Trump described him as an “honest broker” who has no personal financial stake in the initiative. “He’s not making a dime off this,” Trump noted. “In fact, I don’t even know how he finds the time. But he’s doing it because he believes in making this country great again.”

DOGE’s Impact and Controversy

Since its creation on January 20, DOGE has been auditing federal agencies, looking for inefficiencies and unnecessary spending. Early reports indicate the agency has already uncovered billions in questionable expenditures, with Musk personally overseeing investigations into programs that have ballooned under previous administrations.

The Department of Education has been a particular focus of conservative lawmakers who argue that education should be managed at the state level. Trump reiterated this stance, suggesting that Education Secretary nominee Linda McMahon should work toward “putting herself out of a job.”

Democrats Push Back

Not everyone is on board with the cuts. A group of 30 House Democrats attempted to enter the Department of Education last week to meet with acting Secretary Denise L. Carter, protesting anticipated budget slashes. They were turned away by security.

“This is an attack on public education,” Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) said in a press statement. “The president wants to dismantle a system that millions of American children rely on.”

Defense spending is another area under review. While Trump has consistently supported a strong military, he argues that “waste, not warriors” should be eliminated. “Our troops deserve the best, but they don’t deserve overpriced contracts and bureaucratic nonsense,” he told Baier.

Musk’s Expanding Role

DOGE has already drawn criticism from some corners of Washington, but Musk remains committed to the task. “It’s super obvious where the problems are,” he remarked at a congressional hearing last week. “We need efficiency, not redundancy.”

Additional portions of Trump’s interview will air during Monday’s edition of Special Report with Bret Baier.