Duffy says no ‘beef’ with Musk and DOGE despite ‘bumpy’ start – Washington Examiner
In an exclusive interview with the *Washington Examiner*,Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy acknowledged the early challenges of working with elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) but noted improvements in their collaboration with other federal departments. Following a tense closed-door Cabinet meeting, where frustrations regarding employee cuts were expressed, Duffy emphasized that there is no personal conflict between himself and Musk. He recognized the necessity of seeking efficiencies to address the nation’s $36 trillion debt, stating that while the integration process had its difficulties, it has become more harmonious over time.
Duffy highlighted the contributions of DOGE in tracking productivity within the Transportation Department and developing a new air traffic control system in partnership with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). He expressed confidence that the innovative approaches offered by Musk and his team woudl help enhance governmental efficiency and optimize taxpayer resources. The relationship, according to Duffy, is evolving positively, focusing on long-term solutions for governmental challenges.
Duffy says no ‘beef’ with Musk and DOGE despite ‘bumpy’ start
EXCLUSIVE — Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy concedes that the early days of working with the Department of Government Efficiency were “bumpy,” but told the Washington Examiner in an interview that the Elon Musk-led task force has improved its relations with other federal departments following an explosive, closed-door Cabinet meeting earlier in March.
Musk has been present for each of President Donald Trump‘s Cabinet meetings in his second term, all of which have placed a concerted focus on Trump, Musk, and DOGE’s efforts to shrink the federal budget and bureaucracy.
But at the second meeting — a closed-door affair — Duffy, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins, and other members of the Cabinet unleashed their frustrations with DOGE onto Musk. According to The New York Times, Duffy took particular umbrage with DOGE’s efforts to cut DoT employees in the wake of January’s deadly plane crash in Washington, D.C.
Still, Duffy told the Washington Examiner that, despite that meeting, there’s no “beef” between the president’s new axe man and the Cabinet.
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“I don’t have a beef with Elon, so take a step back. We’re $36 trillion in debt. It’s a problem. And so the president, he sees this as a long-term issue for growth and prosperity in the country, as do I, and we have to get our hands around it,” he said.
“This is the first time a president said, ‘We are going to have really smart people help us think through how we make government more efficient,’ and that road can be bumpy when it starts,” Duffy continued. “And our road was bumpy with Elon coming in and in DOGE and saying, ‘Where can we find these efficiencies?’”
The Transportation Secretary specifically stated that, over the past three weeks, DOGE has “gotten into a way, way better rhythm” in terms of working with other federal departments.
“You’re marrying up these two organizations, and you’re going to have some problems when it starts, but what I’ve seen is it has smoothed out, and it’s, again, we get really good insight and assistance and ideas from DOGE that can make us, or help us, make this department more efficient, and again, use the tax dollar more effectively,” he said.
Beyond identifying opportunities to cut the federal workforce, Duffy told the Washington Examiner that Musk and DOGE are helping Transportation track “productivity” of certain department contracts and come up with ways to build out a new Federal Aviation Administration “system” for air traffic control.
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“Some might say, ‘Well, Elon has, has SpaceX and Starlink has he seen how the FAA works?’” he explained. “We’ve had them come in and look at go, how does the system of air traffic control itself work, and what upgrades need to be done if you want to rebuild the whole system, make it brand new?”
“People that launch a Tesla into space or catch rockets with chopsticks are pretty good to help us think through, ‘how can we do this brand new system, all the while keeping the old one running and airplanes in the air?” Duffy concluded. “They’ve been helpful there.”
You can read the Washington Examiner‘s exclusive interview with Duffy in full on Monday.
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