Trump: Musk Will Lead Commission on 'Drastic Reforms'

He says he's backing Musk's call for a 'government efficiency commission'
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 6, 2024 9:42 AM CDT
Trump: Musk Will Lead 'Efficiency Commission'
Donald Trump waves as he departs a campaign event at the Economic Club of New York, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in New York.   (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

If Donald Trump wins the election, he will have a big job for Elon Musk. In a speech at the Economic Club of New York on Thursday, Trump said Musk will lead a commission that will save "trillions of dollars" in government spending. "I will create a government efficiency commission tasked with conducting a complete financial and performance audit of the entire federal government and making recommendations for drastic reforms," Trump said, per CNN. He said it was the "suggestion of Elon Musk, who has given me his complete and total endorsement."

Musk floated the idea during a talk with Trump weeks ago, in which Trump praised him as the "greatest cutter" of employees. "I look forward to serving America if the opportunity arises," Musk said in a post on X Thursday. "No pay, no title, no recognition is needed." Asked by the BBC if the role had been formally agreed on, campaign adviser Brian Hughes said, "It is premature to discuss any prospective personnel in the next administration, but we welcome the enthusiasm and support of Elon Musk."

  • Conflicts of interest. The Wall Street Journal notes that while it's not unusual for business leaders to serve on advisory groups, the proposed role will raise many conflict-of-interest issues. Musk's companies are regulated by numerous federal agencies and SpaceX's biggest customers include NASA and the Pentagon. "Musk's business interests are so broad and so intermingled with the federal government, it's hard to imagine guardrails that could address his conflicts," says Washington University law professor Kathleen Clark, who specializes in government ethics.

  • Corporate tax rate cut. In his speech Thursday, Trump also pledged to raise tariffs and cut the corporate tax rate from 21% to 15%, but only if companies make their products in America, CNN reports. "If you outsource, offshore, or replace American workers, you are not eligible for any of these benefits," he said. "In fact, you will pay a very substantial tariff when a product comes in from another country."
  • "Economic renaissance." Trump said he would lead a "national economic renaissance" with moves including a "national emergency declaration" to boost the energy supply, the AP reports. "My plan will rapidly defeat inflation, quickly bring down prices, and reignite explosive economic growth," he said.
  • Child care. In what the New York Times calls a "jumbled and meandering answer," Trump cited his tariff plans when asked if he had legislation in mind to bring down child care costs. "It's a very important issue," he said, but "when you talk about those numbers compared to the kind of numbers that I'm talking about, by taxing foreign nations at levels that they're not used to, but they'll get used to it very quickly. And it's not going to stop them from doing business with us, but they'll have a very substantial tax when they send product into our country. Those numbers are so much bigger than any numbers that we're talking about, including child care."
(More Elon Musk stories.)

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