WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Confirmation from the White House has come to light regarding the involvement of billionaire Elon Musk in the Trump administration. Musk serves as a White House staff member and senior advisor to the president, distinct from being an employee of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) with no authority in decision-making roles, as per a court filing on Monday.
Joshua Fisher, the Director of the Office of Administration at the White House, affirmed in the filing that Musk’s position is limited to offering advice to the president and conveying the president’s instructions. “Similar to other senior advisors at the White House, Mr. Musk does not possess concrete or official powers to independently make governmental decisions,” the filing stated.
Fisher’s submission, submitted in response to a lawsuit filed against Musk by the State of New Mexico, clarified that Musk does not hold an official title within the U.S. DOGE Service or the U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization. It added, “Mr. Musk does not hold the position of U.S. DOGE Service Administrator.”
Since the commencement of Donald Trump’s second term as president last month, the concept of DOGE has permeated various federal agencies. Musk, as the CEO of Tesla, has been tasked with overseeing the elimination of wasteful expenditures as part of a sweeping governmental reform that has entailed significant workforce reductions.
(Reporting by David Brunnstrom; Editing by Michael Perry)
