Musk isn’t introducing a novel idea. For years, people have advocated eliminating the penny, as pennies are rarely spent as change. And since the Covid-19 pandemic, more consumers are shopping online or avoiding physical currency altogether .

A former USDS employee called the repurposing of the Digital Service into DOGE an “A+ bureaucratic jiujitsu move.” It will give Musk and his associates access to unclassified data in every government agency.

Elon Musk’s cost-cutting unit hasn’t yet made any announcements about what sort of suggestions it will make. That’s not to say there hasn’t already been plenty of drama surrounding the department. Co-chair Vivek Ramaswamy left DOGE before its official launch amid reports of tension with Musk,