Musk assumes control of US federal agencies and centralizes power under Trump government

The recent control of two US federal agencies by Elon Musk, a prominent entrepreneur and ally near Donald Trump, is generating concerns in the federal public service and promoting an unprecedented centralization of power.

The information, revealed by Reuters, details the restructuring promoted by Musk, under the pretext of cutting costs and eliminating what Trump considers as “bureaucratic swelling” in the government.

Musk, CEO of Tesla and Spacex, was appointed by the Trump administration to lead government restructuring government initiatives and, with the permission of the White House, has installed former employees of their companies in government command positions.

The measure generated restlessness amid a growing centralization of power in Washington, with critics pointing that the billionaire has dominated key areas of public administration, which has altered the functioning of the government considerably.

One of Musk’s leading measures includes USAID’s restructuring, the United States Agency for International Development, responsible for humanitarian assistance projects around the world. The agency, considered the main humanitarian front of the United States, is being dismantled in a movement that directly affects American foreign policy.

In addition, the centralization of power extends to federal servants. Government officials have reported a series of forced layoffs, with emails sent to servers by offering early resignation packages.

Those who do not accept the voluntary departure fear reprisals, with the risk of monitoring through electronic messages manipulated to track possible information leaks for the media.

The Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), led by Musk, has assumed control of entities such as General Services Administration (GSA) and the Personnel Management Office (OPM), being responsible for the management of federal workforce.

These changes made it possible to access the musk team to critical payment systems from the Treasury Department, affecting the distribution of benefits, retirement and other government payments.

Experts warn that this grants Musk “extraordinary power” on public finances, capable of directly influencing which payments the government makes.

Recently, government sources have confirmed that members linked to Musk have obtained access to sensitive bank information from millions of citizens, increasing concerns about possible conflicts of interest, as musk companies maintain millionaire contracts with the government itself now directly influences.

In addition, USAID members reported clashes with Doge agents and government security experts, who try to prevent Musk’s access to confidential information.

The aggressive approach of the entrepreneur also extends to lawsuits filed by unions of federal servants, who seek to block the advancement of the billionaire on the public administration.

Attempts to dismantle the state, it seems, are not limited to internal restructuring, but also reflect an authoritarian behavior standard, as reported by former musk collaborators.

Civil servants received emails directly from Musk, offering financial incentives to those who accepted themselves until February 6, with salary guarantees until September. Unions warn that this strategy may be illegal, without clear explanations about the origin of the funds used for these dismissal packages.

The situation has generated a climate of uncertainty among the servers, which fear reprisals or even the loss of their jobs, with the threat of being labeled as “unfair” if they do not accept the conditions imposed.

Thomas Moline, a former Spacex-engineer, described Musk’s management as chaotic and relentless, similar to his approach to private companies. This conduct has been reflected in the public administration, with various allegations of abuse of power and lack of planning, which has generated negative reactions between employees and unions.

Protests in Washington and other cities in the United States increase as Musk’s actions gain strength. Democratic deputy Jamie Raskin criticized the creation of a government fourth power under the leadership of Musk, emphasizing that the entrepreneur did not go through any confirmation process in the Senate and does not have the security credentials necessary to assume such control.

The increase in musk interference in public administration and the centralization of power have been supported by the Trump administration, which commensu to measures as an “explicit authorization” for the entrepreneur to follow his agenda.

For many, the issue is not only the impact of Musk on federal agencies, but the strengthening of parallel power that threatens the foundations of US democracy and civil service.

Musk’s performance continues to generate protests and concerns about the future of public administration and working conditions in the government.

With the resistance of servers and inspection entities, Musk’s advance in controlling public institutions should intensify, making the situation increasingly tense in the American political scenario.

With information from CNN Brasil