Musk: ‘We do need to delete entire agencies’

By Robin Bravender | 02/13/2025 01:29 PM EST

“It’s kind of like leaving a weed,” DOGE’s Elon Musk said. “If you don’t remove the roots of the weed, then it’s easy for the weed to grow back.”

Elon Musk speaks during an event in the Oval Office.

Elon Musk speaks during an event Tuesday in the Oval Office with President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington. Alex Brandon/AP

Elon Musk wants to “delete entire agencies” in his push to downsize the federal government, he said Thursday.

Musk’s comments that he hopes to eliminate “many” existing federal agencies echo statements the billionaire tech executive has made in the past. But they carry increased significance after President Donald Trump moved this week to expand Musk’s power to downsize the federal government.

“I think we do need to delete entire agencies, as opposed to leave part of them behind,” Musk said Thursday morning as he appeared via video at the World Government Summit held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Asked how to prevent a reversal of the Trump administration’s moves to downsize the government, Musk called for agencies’ complete demolition.

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