President Donald Trump publicly backed efforts by Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to slash government spending and cut the federal workforce on Wednesday, with the president downplaying potential conflicts between Musk and members of his Cabinet.
Trump opened his first Cabinet meeting shortly before noon at the White House, with Secretary of State, Marco Rubio and Defence Secretary, Pete Hegseth seated beside him.
For more than an hour, Trump weighed in a wide range of topics, fielding questions from reporters on Ukraine, Russia, Taiwan, the House Republicans’ budget plan and more.
But first, the president allowed Musk, who is not a member of the Cabinet, to address the group and discuss his work to cancel contracts and fire workers across the executive branch. Musk is not formally leading the DOGE task force, but has been tasked with overseeing its work by the president.
“They have a lot of respect for Elon and that he’s doing this, and some disagree a little bit, but I will tell you for the most part I think everyone’s not only happy, they’re thrilled,” Trump said.
President Trump speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 26, 2025. JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images
Over the weekend, Musk sent an email to the entire federal workforce asking them to document five things they accomplished over the past week.
On X, he said those who failed to respond would risk losing their jobs. The message sparked confusion from workers and multiple Senate-confirmed Cabinet members told their employees that they could ignore the demand, the first public sign of a split between Musk and other top officials.
Musk said Wednesday that the email was meant to identify employees who may be getting paid without showing up to work, and that Trump signed off on sending the message. As of Tuesday, the White House said more than one million federal employees had responded. The president claimed that the assembled Cabinet members were “very much behind” the effort.
“And if they aren’t, I want them to speak up,” Trump said during the Cabinet meeting, adding that, “in many cases, we haven’t gotten responses.”
When a reporter asked Musk if he’s heard of any Cabinet members who are unhappy with him, the president asked if those in the room had anything to say. None spoke up.
Elon Musk wears a “Tech Support” shirt as he speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 26, 2025.
Wearing a shirt that said “tech support,” Musk said DOGE’s main goal is to help federal agencies address wasteful spending.
“DOGE is a support function for the president and for the agencies and departments, to help achieve those savings and to effectively find 15% in reduction in fraud and waste,” Musk said. While he said that DOGE has tried to be transparent by posting all of its savings online, a CBS News analysis found many discrepancies in its so-called “wall of receipts.”
Musk also admitted DOGE will make mistakes, revealing that it briefly canceled funding for Ebola prevention efforts distributed by the U.S. Agency for International Development before reinstating them.
On Feb. 11, Musk made a similar claim that the administration had “turned on funding for Ebola prevention and for HIV prevention,” an apparent reference to waivers that the government approved, but the New York Times reported the next day that the aid remained frozen. On Feb. 13, a federal judge ordered the administration to reinstate foreign aid contracts and other assistance that had been paused.
During the Cabinet meeting, a journalist asked Trump if it’s his view of his executive authority that he has the power to call up any Cabinet official at the table and issues orders that the official is required to follow.
“Oh, yeah, they’ll follow the orders, yes,” the president said, adding, “of course, no exceptions.”
Later in the meeting, Trump revealed that the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, Lee Zeldin, told him that he believes he can cut 65% of the EPA’s workforce.
Trump also reiterated his plans to begin selling citizenship “gold cards,” which would allow foreigners to immigrate to the U.S. in exchange for $5 million, in about two weeks. Mr. Trump said prospective immigrants will be vetted, but he doesn’t expect to restrict immigration from specific countries. The president suggested the $5 million payments would go toward paying down the national debt.
On the foreign policy front, Trump said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is coming to the White House on Friday to sign a critical minerals deal framework reached between the U.S. and Ukraine. The two countries reached an agreement on a framework for a broad economic deal that entails access to Ukraine’s mineral resources.
Most, but not all, of Trump’s top nominees have now been confirmed by the Senate. A full Senate vote has yet to be scheduled for Rep. Elise Stefanik, his pick to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, as House Republicans cannot afford to lose a vote given their razor-thin majority.
Linda McMahon, Trump’s pick to run the Department of Education, also has yet to be confirmed by the Senate. Trump has pledged to overhaul that department.
The president’s nomination of Lori Chavez-DeRemer for secretary of labor is still in limbo, with no vote scheduled yet. And the Senate has yet to confirm Jamieson Greer as U.S. trade representative, although the Senate advanced his nomination this week, as the president imposes hefty new tariffs on allies and adversaries alike.
