Elon Musk, the owner of the car manufacturing company Tesla, the space company SpaceX and the technology company X Corporation, is the richest man in the world. Donald Trump has become the most active character in American politics in the past three weeks since he took office as the President of the United States.

As Trump began his second term, billionaire businessman Musk was appointed head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DoG). Dodge was established by executive order on the day Trump entered the White House. And, this department's main job is to cut government spending. Along with Musk, Trump also announced the appointment of Indian-origin Republican leader Vivek Ramaswamy to Dodge. But Ramaswamy has left Dodge. He is expected to run for governor of the state of Ohio. 

Last August, in a conversation on the social network "X", Musk suggested that Trump form a "Government Efficiency Commission" and appoint himself to it. Trump said at the time that he was "ready to do that." Trump said during the election campaign that he would cut billions of dollars in government spending and establish a government efficiency commission for that. 

During last November's election rally, Musk said that he would cut 2 trillion US dollars from the national budget. According to the US Department of the Treasury, the federal government spent $6.8 trillion in fiscal year 2024. Musk, who initially supported Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in the presidential primary, attended Trump's campaign rally for the first time in October. According to CNN, Musk contributed more than $290 million to Trump's campaign. Because of this, he has become the most beloved character of President Trump. Within three weeks of its establishment, Dodge has created a kind of terror not only in American bureaucracy, but also in politics. 

Dodge has put hundreds of federal officials on leave. Gained access to sensitive federal payment systems under the Ministry of Finance. Dodge gained access to sensitive information including Social Security, Medicare customer payments, and bank accounts of millions of Americans. In a subsequent lawsuit, New York-based District Court judge Paul A. Engelmeyer granted an interim injunction barring Dodge from accessing the Treasury Department's systems. Nearly two dozen US state governments have filed lawsuits seeking to block Dodge's access to the federal payment system.

The lawsuit filed in court alleges that the Trump administration gave Musk's team access to the Treasury Department's central payment system in violation of federal law. Judge Engelmeyer also ordered the immediate destruction of all copies downloaded from the ministry's system. The next hearing on the case is scheduled for February 14. 

Republicans, including Vice President JD Vance, criticized Judge Engelmeier's decision. Accusing the judge that the order was illegal, Vance wrote on the social network X, "Judges are not allowed to control the legitimate power of the executive." 

Similarly, Dodge imposed a cap on federal agencies' fees and shut down the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Musk said last Monday through his social network "X" that President Trump agreed to close USAID. Musk has called USAID a "criminal organization." USAID is a criminal organization. It's time to die," Musk said. He says that USAID has reached a point where it cannot be improved, so the process of closure has started.

Dodge officials gained access to classified USAID information last week. According to CNN, Dodge employees entered sensitive USAID locations without permission and collected classified information on citizens. But Kate Miller, a member of Dodge's advisory committee, refuted that. 

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that USAID is now under the State Department and that he is acting administrator. The Trump administration has said that USAID's workforce will be drastically cut and it will remain a humanitarian aid agency. In a letter to lawmakers, Rubio gave Pete Marocco the authority to act as acting administrator. 

After Trump and Musk's agreement, 2700 USAID employees were put on leave. But the court has already issued an interim order against it. The order was issued by District of Columbia Judge Carl J. Nichols, who was appointed by the previous Trump administration. BBC reports that two-thirds of USAID's 10,000 employees are working abroad. President Trump has set up a dodge for Musk with the goal of laying off federal workers, cutting various programs and reducing federal regulations. But Musk's recent activities have heated up American politics. Also, questions have been raised about its budget and legal status. It has also challenged the constitutional right of Parliament to decide where and how to use the budget. Musk has not mentioned anything about the legal right to close federal agencies without parliamentary approval. 

Dodge employees have recently appeared at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), which was formed during the 2007/2008 financial crisis, the BBC reported. CFPB employees in Washington have been asked to work from home for at least a week. Leaders of the opposition Democratic Party have strongly criticized Musk's work style and Trump's support.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Sumner has criticized Musk's actions and claimed that Dodge is pretexting to cut important programs. “The unelected shadow government is hostilely occupying the federal government. Dawn is not a real government agency. It does not have the authority to make expenditure decisions. "Dodge has no right to shut down the program or ignore federal law," Sumer said. 

Democratic Senator Chris Murphy says that Musk will make personal gains by closing USAID. "It makes America much less secure around the world, but it helps China," he said, "Elon Musk has a lot of business interests in China."

Murphy called the actions of the Trump administration the "gravest constitutional crisis" since the Watergate scandal. "The President is trying to seize power and for corrupt purposes," he said. 

The Trump administration has not officially said anything about Dodge's activities, funding or the number of officials it employs. The President's Office, the White House, said Musk was a "special government employee." According to a decade-old government classification, employees who work for 130 days or less in a year with or without government benefits are 'special government employees'. 

For such appointments, it is stipulated that financial interests should not conflict, financial transparency should be maintained and code of conduct should be followed. According to the New York Times, Musk's Space X, Tesla and other companies have received at least 15 billion 40 million US dollars in contracts in the past decade. But President Trump said Musk was "doing a great job." "Musk has gained nothing. In fact, I'm wondering how they are spending so much time,' said Trump.