Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk brushed off concerns over his increasing influence within the administration as US President Donald Trump signed a new executive order handing him more power. The executive order, as per reports, instructs federal agencies to cooperate with DOGE's directives on cutting their workforces and limiting hiring while giving the Musk-led agency veto power over new hiring. 

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Trump hands Musk more power with sweeping executive order

Musk's authority is set to expand further following Trump's signing of a new executive order that forces federal agencies to comply with DOGE's directives. 

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As per a Guardian report, the White House order said that it "commences a critical transformation of the Federal bureaucracy. By eliminating waste, bloat, and insularity, my Administration will empower American families, workers, taxpayers, and our system of Government itself."

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What new powers does DOGE have?

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The order states that agency heads "will undertake plans for large-scale reductions in force and determine which agency components (or agencies themselves) may be eliminated or combined because their functions aren't required by law".

Under the directive, agencies are required to "initiate large-scale reductions", potentially eliminating entire divisions deemed non-essential and can hire only one new employee for every four who leave. Furthermore, Musk's team has been granted oversight and veto in fresh hiring decisions. 

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The order stipulates that agencies "shall not fill any vacancies for career appointments that the DOGE Team Lead assesses should not be filled unless the Agency Head determines the positions should be filled."

Moreover, each agency will have a DOGE Team Lead, that "shall provide the United States DOGE Service (USDS) Administrator with a monthly hiring report for the agency".

(With inputs from agencies)