Elon Musk could have office space in the White House complex for DOGE

Tycoon Elon Musk could have office space available in the White House complex when he launches the well-known Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has a clear goal to greatly reduce government spending in the Trump administration.

The New York Times, citing two people familiar with the plan, reported that the offices could be located in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, located right next door to the White House. It's still unclear whether Vivek Ramaswamy, who will accompany Musk in leading the project, will have a space next to the owner of Tesla, X and other big companies.

Among other issues, the offices would allow Musk privileged access to the president-elect, whom he accompanied during the campaign as a major donor and adviser and in the post-election triumph by staying for a long time at Trump's residence at Mar-a-Lago, Florida.

In addition to donating hundreds of millions of dollars to Trump's campaign, Musk has been actively involved in the transition of power, attending official meetings and taking a role in staff and cabinet picks.

Trump will take office next January 20 and has publicly praised Musk on different occasions, especially after the tycoon began to show more conservative political views in public.

According to the NYT, Musk has raised questions with transition officials about what his level of access to the West Wing will be, but that has not been defined.

Typically, staff members and others who can freely enter and exit the West Wing need a special pass. It's unclear how that will be the case for Musk, who, in theory, will manage a project independent of the White House.

It is also unclear what DOGE's legal status is. It is not a department like the Department of Justice, which is an official part of the government authorized by Congress or an agency of the federal government.