Golden Finance reported that Musk admitted in an interview with former Clinton administration adviser and political strategist Mark Penn that the proposed U.S. Department of Government Effectiveness (DOGE) would be difficult to achieve the previously promised $2 trillion federal spending reduction target. This is in sharp contrast to his statement at a Trump campaign rally last October that he would “cut at least $2 trillion.” Musk explained that setting a higher goal is to ensure practical results, "If we try to cut $2 trillion, we can achieve $1 trillion in results." According to the U.S. Treasury Department, spending in fiscal year 2024 will be $6.75 trillion, while the government’s discretionary budget is only $1.7 trillion. Musk said that if the budget deficit can be reduced from US$2 trillion to US$1 trillion and the economic potential is released so that the output of goods and services keeps pace with the growth of the money supply, inflation control can be achieved. Experts predict that Musk and Ramaswamy may focus their cuts on social welfare programs such as Medicaid.