President Trump offered praise today for Elon Musk and his team at the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, who have led the administration’s effort to purge federal workers. He said he had directed them to search across the government for costs to eliminate. He mentioned in particular that Musk would scrutinize spending at the Pentagon, from which Musk has received at least $3.6 billion in contracts over the past decade.

The president also singled out the Education Department, which the White House has discussed possibly shutting down. Trump’s critics argue that the efforts violate the Constitution, which grants Congress the authority to dictate federal spending.

But in just the past week, Musk and his team have descended on Education, Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human Services, and Veterans Affairs Departments, among other agencies. The Treasury Department installed an ally of Musk to oversee the nation’s payment system, replacing a career civil servant.

Musk’s effort is largely being carried out by a group of male engineers, including some recent college graduates and at least one as young as 19. Some are former interns at his companies; others are executives who have worked for Musk for as long as two decades. They all appear to have channeled his shoot-first, aim-later approach. Here’s what we know about Musk’s team of young aides.

This morning, Vice President JD Vance called for one of Musk’s workers — who had resigned after being linked to racist social media posts — to be reinstated. Musk said that he would be rehired.

In related news, constituents outraged about Trump’s unilateral moves and how he has allowed Musk to upend the government have jammed Congressional phone lines to the point of failure.