Donald Trump, the former president, has been discussing plans to establish a commission led by prominent business executives to identify government programs for potential cuts, according to sources familiar with the matter who spoke with the New York Times. One name that has emerged as a potential candidate for this commission is Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX.
The Times reports that Musk has expressed interest in being part of a "government efficiency commission" aimed at eliminating wasteful regulations and spending. He has made his intentions clear on X, the social media platform he owns, even posting an AI-generated image of himself behind a lectern labeled "Department of Government Efficiency."
However, Musk's potential involvement has raised concerns among ethics experts who point to potential conflicts of interest between such a post and his business empire, as noted in the Times article. Despite these concerns, Trump advisers are reportedly eager to bring in prominent corporate leaders to compile a high-profile list of federal excess.
In a recent interview on the Shawn Ryan Show, as cited by The New York Times, Trump downplayed the idea of Musk joining his Cabinet but suggested he might serve as a consultant to the federal government. "He wants to be involved, but look, he's running big businesses and all that ... so he can't really" be in the Cabinet, Trump said. "He can sort of, as the expression goes, consult with the country and give you some very good ideas."
The potential collaboration between Trump and Musk comes as the two billionaires have moved into a closer political alliance, according to The Times. Musk has increasingly used X as a platform to support Trump and criticize Vice President Kamala Harris. He has also helped create a SuperPAC, America PAC, in support of the Republican candidate, which has raised at least $87 million from wealthy donors as of June 30.
While Musk's companies have benefited from Biden administration policies, such as electric vehicle subsidies, they have also faced increased regulatory scrutiny, The Times reports. The Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission have advanced investigations into Tesla's marketing of its driver-assistance technologies, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced a recall of almost every Tesla after a widespread investigation.
Trump's interest in the commission is partly a response to concerns about his campaign's plans potentially inflating the national debt, according to the Times article. He has proposed several trillions of dollars in additional tax cuts for his second term without proposing a corresponding amount of new revenue.
Steve Moore, who pitched the idea of the commission to Trump, told The New York Times that it was modeled after the Grace Commission, a Reagan-era panel that recommended billions of dollars in spending cuts. "It should be a high priority. We have a lot of spending and waste to cut if we're going to extend the Trump tax cuts or do these other things he wants to do," Moore said.
However, critics argue that this effort could amount to a mostly symbolic attempt to address government spending, The Times notes. Increased costs for Social Security and Medicare are the primary drivers of the nation's long-term fiscal imbalance, and many budget experts are skeptical that such a commission could translate into meaningful deficit reduction.
