Elon Musk to kill Elmo? A look at DOGE's plans as Tesla CEO aims for ‘drastic’ cuts after becoming efficiency tsar

Several beloved shows characters like Elmo are at the risk of being killed amidst plans of billionaire Elon Musk and tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy to reduce government waste out of the federal government.

After his presidential win, Trump appointed Musk and Ramaswamy to co-lead the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The duo promised to conduct a thorough audit of the federal government and identify areas where taxpayer dollars might be saved.

According to the New York Times, executives of the largest National Public Radio (NPR) radio stations released an analysis alerting the public broadcasting giants against potential future risks to their government financing.

“While it's impossible to know what precisely will happen, it would be unwise to assume that events will play out as they have in the past,” the report stated, as per Daily Mail.

In 2024, Congress allocated $535 million for public broadcasting. However, its finances would soon be depleted with DOGE taking over in January.

According to both Ramaswamy and Musk, public media spending is one of the federal expenses that needs to be slashed.

Critics, as per Daily Mail, would accuse anyone who tried to stop public broadcasting of trying to kill or terminate beloved characters like Sesame Street's Elmo.

Also Read: Elon Musk's DOGE bombarded with insider tips on government waste. Here's what they revealed

Here's what Musk and Ramaswamy have said

Democrats were outraged when Mitt Romney, a former unsuccessful presidential candidate, announced during a debate that he would cut public television.

In a 2012 debate with PBS moderator Jim Lehrer, Romney declared that he is going to cease giving PBS subsidies. “I like PBS, I like Big Bird, I actually like you too.”

Musk has already made it clear that he opposes federal support for public media, especially for NPR, which has come under increasing fire for its left-leaning viewpoint.

“Should your tax dollars really be paying for an organization run by people who think the truth is a ‘distraction’?” Musk posted on X.

In a comparable manner, Ramaswamy condemned NPR for “functioning as state-funded media.” He released a video in August alleging that the group ignored journalists who tried to attain political equilibrium. “Let's turn off the spigot & see what happens. No one will be harmed,” he tweeted.