Elon Musk, the businessman leading the "Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)," also attended the meeting. Musk stated, "At this rate, the United States will go bankrupt," and expressed the goal of reducing the fiscal deficit by $1 trillion (approximately 149 trillion yen). Despite resistance from various government departments, he asked the cabinet members for their cooperation. According to U.S. media, the administration instructed each department to formulate an organizational restructuring plan for budget and personnel reductions by March 13. They requested significant cuts through the abolition of unnecessary positions and the sale of assets.
Regarding the reduction of federal government personnel, approximately 75,000 people have already responded to early retirement programs, and over 200,000 probationary public servants are being dismissed. The new directive reportedly includes the dismissal of permanent civil servants with strong legal protections, marking the official commencement of the government downsizing efforts.

On the 11th, President Trump signed an executive order aimed at reducing government agency personnel and scaling down government agencies by strengthening the powers of the "Department of Government Efficiency," led by businessman Elon Musk. Musk, who was present at the signing, argued that by eliminating inefficiencies in administration, "we will halve a fiscal deficit of around $2 trillion (approximately 306 trillion yen)."
The executive order requested the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to submit a hiring plan that limits replacements to one for every four departures. The OMB director, a strong advocate of spending cuts, is expected to make full use of this authority. If departments decide to hire new personnel in areas of high necessity, they are also required to consult with the Department of Government Efficiency.
President Trump remarked, "We intend to find billions and hundreds of billions of dollars in fraud and misuse. Voters elected me for this purpose."
Within three weeks of taking office, Trump issued several executive orders aimed at reducing federal spending. The administration has targeted government projects that Trump believes should be ended or scaled back, although no broad evidence of illegal activities or fraud has been presented.
Musk has already taken unprecedented measures to close the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which oversees foreign humanitarian aid, laying off thousands of employees.
In an interview, Trump stated that he would instruct Musk to target the Department of Education within the next two or three days. He added, "Next, we will focus on the military," setting a goal to review the expenditures of the Department of Defense, which has a budget of around $850 billion (approximately 132 trillion yen).

Musk, a key supporter and ally of Trump, has come under criticism due to his companies securing multi-billion-dollar contracts with the U.S. government. According to Democratic Representative Mark Pocan, these contracts exceed $20 billion (approximately 3 trillion yen).
In response, Trump denied that Musk was gaining any financial benefit from his work at DOGE, stating that "he is not making any money through this."
Senator Chris Murphy of the Democratic Party criticized Trump’s series of reforms, warning on ABC News' talk show on the 9th that these efforts were "an attack on the Constitution" and accusing Trump of "a government takeover by the wealthy." Murphy claimed, "The president wants to give political rewards to his allies and freely determine the use of funds to punish his political opponents. This is nothing less than the destruction of democracy."
However, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson dismissed concerns that Trump was overstepping his authority or rushing government agency reforms. On a Sunday Fox News program, Johnson stated, "I don't have concerns about the way it's being carried out." He referred to Musk as an "external auditor" and pointed out that Musk's team was exposing "astounding abuses of public funds."