Will Elon Musk’s DOGE Hit Aviation?

Elon Musk, as one of the co-heads of President-elect Donald Trump’s “Department of Government Efficiency,” has sworn to slash government spending. 

It’s unclear what cuts DOGE will recommend and travel costs haven’t gotten much of the attention. But the richest man in the world could have an impact on the Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration. 

Transportation has historically been one of the more bipartisan issues in Congress. For example, Congress overwhelmingly voted in favor of this past year’s FAA Reauthorization Bill, which included provisions for major consumer protections like automatic refunds and free family seating. And both Republicans and Democrats get the need for safety. 

Each year, Congress approves the budget for the DOT, which also includes the FAA. The DOT has nearly 57,000 employees and the FAA has around 45,000. One issue that has bipartisan and industry support is modernizing the FAA’s infrastructure, which came under scrutiny when the agency had to issue a ground stop due to a computer outage in 2023. 

But there could be conflict between Musk and the FAA, whether it’s related to government spending or the agency’s many regulations.  

It is unclear how much authority DOGE would have since it is not an official cabinet department. 

The House is creating a new subcommittee called Delivering on Government Efficiency — helmed by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene — that would work with Musk and co-chair Vivek Ramaswamy on identifying regu