logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2025
11m 26s

Swamp Notes: How far can Doge go?

Financial Times
About this episode

Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, or Doge, dominated the headlines this week as agency members gained access to sensitive data at the Treasury department. FT Washington reporters Joe Miller and Alex Rogers help us make sense of Doge and why the courts are getting involved.


Mentioned in this podcast:


Can anyone stop Elon Musk’s hostile takeover of the US government? 

Elon Musk barred from accessing US Treasury payments data

Sign up for the FT’s Swamp Notes newsletter here


Swamp Notes is produced by Marc Filippino, Ethan Plotkin, Sonja Hutson and Katya Kumkova. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. Special thanks to Pierre Nicholson. 


Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com




Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Today
BCG tries to limit Gaza work fallout
EU negotiators are closing in on a trade deal with Donald Trump that would cement higher tariffs than those granted to the UK, and Boston Consulting Group’s chief executive said the group’s involvement with a postwar plan for Gaza had been “reputationally very damaging”. Plus, Eu ... Show More
10m 31s
Yesterday
Liechtenstein's zombie-trust apocalypse
US President Donald Trump extended tariff deadlines, and Liechtenstein’s trust industry is in a crisis spurred by American sanctions against Russia. Plus, Shein filed for an initial public offering in Hong Kong, and Elon Musk is trying to save Tesla from Trump. Mentioned in this ... Show More
11m 18s
Jul 7
US stocks: rally or overcorrection?
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits Washington DC today to discuss a Gaza ceasefire proposal with US President Donald Trump, and US stocks are booming again despite uncertainty about the wider economy. Plus, Hong Kong’s stock exchange is attracting lots of companies, ... Show More
10m 9s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2025
Elon Musk's DOGE Takes Control Of Federal Spending
Elon Musk is keeping his campaign promise of trying to cut $2 trillion of federal spending through his unit, DOGE. After some questions about his role, the White House announced that he is now a "special government employee." What has Musk been able to accomplish thus far? This e ... Show More
15m 3s
Apr 28
Elon Musk a-t-il réussi sa mission à la tête du DOGE ?
Aux Etats-Unis, trois mois seulement après sa création, le département de l’efficacité gouvernementale (Department of Government Efficiency, DOGE) accumule les critiques et les revers. A telle enseigne que son dirigeant semble s’en détacher. « Mon temps alloué au DOGE va diminuer ... Show More
24m 42s
Apr 4
Is Elon Musk leaving the White House?
There was a bright spot for Democrats this week after a liberal judge beat her conservative rival in the most expensive judicial election in US history. Susan Crawford beat Brad Schimel despite being backed by President Donald Trump's billionaire adviser Elon Musk. The results ca ... Show More
32m 56s
Feb 2025
Elon Musk Runs DOGE With His CEO Playbook
It’s been roughly four weeks since Elon Musk took the helm of the newly established Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, which was tasked with slashing government spending. And a lot has happened since. WSJ columnist Tim Higgins joins host Julie Chang to discuss the late ... Show More
13m 59s
Feb 2025
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on DOGE, Taxes and the Fed
Nine days after his swearing in, Scott Bessent sat down with Big Take DC host Saleha Mohsin at the US Treasury Department. They discussed topics in his purview dominating the headlines — Elon Musk’s DOGE efforts, tariffs — and his plans for taxes, trade, the Fed and more.See omny ... Show More
22m 28s
Feb 2025
Elon Musk's 'hostile takeover' of Washington
When Donald Trump took office, he appointed Elon Musk as head of the Department of Government Efficiency - or DOGE - a new agency designed to radically slash federal costs. Since inauguration day Musk has done just that, laying off thousands of staff, freezing America's entire in ... Show More
34m 9s
Jul 3
Trump v Musk round 2: One Big Beautiful Bill
Donald Trump and Elon Musk are trading blows again after Musk criticised the President’s ‘big, beautiful’ tax and spending bill. Trump has threatened to deport the world’s richest man and set his Doge 'monster' on him. So why does Musk hate the bill, and could this push him to se ... Show More
25m 38s
Feb 2025
How DOGE Cuts Are Impacting Federal Workers
Proposals from DOGE, Elon Musk's entity tasked with making the federal government more "efficient," have resulted in lawsuits, pushback from other federal agencies, and a lot of uncertainty for the millions of people who work for the federal government. We look at what's happened ... Show More
16m 37s
Jun 11
Elon and Trump need space
Vox’s Joshua Keating explains why the US government can’t have a big, beautiful breakup with Elon Musk. And now that he’s left DOGE, Elaine Kamarck from Brookings explains what happens to it. This episode was produced by Avishay Artsy with help from Denise Guerra, edited by Amina ... Show More
29m 32s
Feb 2025
Meet Elon Musk’s Right-Hand Man Cutting Costs at DOGE
P.M. Edition for Feb. 10. After Elon Musk took over Twitter, one of his deputies, Steve Davis, adopted a move-fast-and-break-things approach to make the company more efficient. WSJ White House economics reporter Brian Schwartz tells us how Davis, now working at Musk’s Department ... Show More
13 m