WASHINGTON (AP) – An agency employee recently noticed something odd on the rooftop terrace of the General Services Administration headquarters: a rectangular gadget connected to a wire that extended across the roof, over the ledge, and into the administrator’s window one floor below.

The employee, an IT professional, quickly deduced that the gadget was a transmitter that connects to Elon Musk’s extensive and confidential Starlink satellite network. Staff members informed bosses and the agency’s internal watchdog about the equipment’s violation of federal laws intended to secure public data.

What Musk and his efficiency czars are doing at GSA, a little-known organisation that is heavily involved in the Trump administration’s efforts to cut expenses and subjugate the federal government, is one of the many issues raised by the Starlink equipment.

Key positions at GSA are held by individuals with connections to the entrepreneur or his businesses, which is one indication that the agency is a crucial component in Musk’s claimed attempts to save billions of dollars in federal expenditure. Its acting administrator is a Silicon Valley tech businessman whose wife used to work for Musk at his social media startup, X, and who has experience using artificial intelligence capabilities.

The GSA’s technology branch is overseen by an engineer who works for the billionaire’s electric vehicle startup, Tesla. Additionally, one of Musk’s most trusted lieutenants is leading the effort to reduce the amount of real estate owned by the government.

GSA collects and pays rent for practically all federal agencies, and it is in charge of many of Uncle Sam’s real estate operations. It assists in overseeing federal contracts worth billions. Additionally, it helps other organisations create better digital tools and websites for citizens.

According to Steven Schooner, a professor of law at George Washington University who focusses on federal procurement, it is crucial because it is “a choke point for all agencies.” They have the power to effectively prevent any civilian agency from making purchases. That is all.

GSA aimed to eliminate “non-core assets” and welcomed “creative solutions, including sale-lease backs, ground leases, and other forms of public/private partnerships,” according to a statement released in early March.

The entire 12,000-person agency has been consumed by the hunt for such cuts. Stephen Ehikian, the acting administrator of the GSA and the IT businessman whose wife was employed at X, is leading that effort.

In a meeting last month, Ehikian told staff members, “GSA was built for this moment.” The Associated Press watched a video of the meeting.

According to Ehikian, “this agency is the backbone of federal government operations.” He is working to increase the automation of numerous GSA duties by utilising artificial intelligence. “At this moment, we literally have an impact on the administration’s mandate, which is efficiency.”

Real estate unloading

Nicole Hollander, another close advisor to Musk, is spearheading the effort to sell off government property. The de facto head of the Department of Government Efficiency, which Musk inspired, is her husband, Steve Davis.

According to LinkedIn, Hollander is a certified property manager in Washington who attended George Washington University to study business and real estate. She has been working at X since 2023, according to her profile.

A list of hundreds of government-owned or leased properties that the GSA real estate division was eager to sell was made public in early March.

Because the list contained at least one undisclosed Central Intelligence Agency building and suggested selling the Justice Department headquarters, it was heavily criticised by Democrats and civil society organisations. The list was swiftly removed by GSA.

The DOGE fire sale was not halted by that. According to Ehikian’s presentation, which the AP saw, the agency has terminated over 680 leases, marketed or sold at least 32 buildings valued at $185 million, and reduced contracts totalling over $50 billion.

For the most part, Hollander has worked in the background. According to staff, she doesn’t often show up for Zoom meetings. The spreadsheets she creates are devoid of her name and substituted with the more general phrase “GSA leadership,” according to documents the AP was able to get.