The White House has confirmed that Elon Musk does not have the authority to make decisions for the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
A filing by Joshua Fisher, the Director of the Office of Administration, stated that Musk is employed as a non-career Special Government Employee and serves as a Senior Advisor to the President.
Fisher explained that Musk’s role is advisory and that he cannot independently make government decisions.
Musk, widely perceived as a leader within DOGE, is not officially a part of the department and holds no formal decision-making power within it.
“Like other senior White House advisors, Mr. Musk has no actual or formal authority to make government decisions himself. Mr. Musk can only advise the President and communicate the President’s directives,” Fisher said.
“The U.S. DOGE Service is a component of the Executive Office of the President. The U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization is within the U.S. DOGE Service. Both are separate from the White House Office,” he said in the filing.
“Mr. Musk is an employee of the White House Office. He is not an employee of the U.S. DOGE Service or U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization. Mr. Musk is not the Temporary.”
This filing was submitted in response to a lawsuit filed against Musk by 14 U.S. states.