Washington: U.S. President-elect Donald Trump announced Thursday that a government efficiency panel, headed by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, will soon start releasing a series of reports aimed at streamlining government operations. The panel, formed to bring an outside perspective on reducing federal costs and increasing efficiency, was introduced earlier this week.
“They will be coming out with individual reports and a big one at the end,” Trump said during a speech at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. This statement provided the first substantial detail on the panel’s planned outputs.
Trump stated on Tuesday that the panel’s mission is to “provide advice and guidance from outside of government” on initiatives to downsize federal structures, cut regulations, reduce spending, and restructure federal agencies. Trump has pointed specifically to reducing the influence of what he calls the “deep state” — career federal employees who, he claims, pursue agendas contrary to his administration’s goals.
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Both Trump and Musk have signaled that the panel’s findings may lead to substantial cuts, although final decisions rest with Congress, which holds the constitutional authority over the federal budget and can choose to implement or disregard recommendations from external advisory panels.
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In a commitment to transparency, Musk mentioned that the panel would publish its “actions” for public comment, allowing citizens to review and provide feedback on proposed reforms.