Elon Musk, the richest particular person on the planet, has shared his need to be a “Volunteer IT Guide” within the new Trump administration’s Division of Authorities Effectivity (DOGE).
Musk believes this title to be becoming as a result of dire state of the US authorities computer systems and software program.
Sharing his issues on Monday, Musk wrote a publish on social media platform X to deal with the urgent points throughout the federal authorities’s IT infrastructure, calling for an overhaul to enhance effectivity and accountability.
In his publish, Musk identified that federal methods are so outdated that they typically fail to confirm whether or not funds are free from fraud, waste, or abuse. He additional acknowledged, “That’s why the federal government can’t move primary audits. They typically actually don’t know the place your tax {dollars} went. It’s insane.”
The Tesla CEO additionally referenced a 2019 authorities watchdog report revealing that a number of federal IT methods are in important situation, costing the federal government round $337 million to keep up yearly.
These outdated methods, the report notes, pose safety dangers as a consequence of identified vulnerabilities.
Musk goals to spotlight the inefficiency of the present system, which he believes undermines authorities operations and hinders progress in addressing nationwide deficits. Alongside him on this mission is billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy, who briefly ran for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
The duo is co-leading the DOGE, a physique devoted to discovering methods to enhance the administration of taxpayers’ cash by decreasing waste, fraud, and abuse in authorities packages.
Whereas the precise authority of DOGE stays unsure, Musk and Ramaswamy have already begun to concentrate on areas the place they consider quick enhancements could be made. One among their priorities consists of addressing inefficiencies in entitlement packages.
As per the Washington Instances, Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene, who heads a DOGE subcommittee within the Home, has talked about that Musk and Ramaswamy could compile “naughty” and “good” lists based mostly on lawmakers’ spending data, additional scrutinising authorities expenditures.