slashing

The department was announced by Trump as a cost-cutting bureau focused on slashing "wasteful expenditures," with few details about how his administration intends to make the department an official government body.

His plan, he freely said, was radical: slashing the federal work force by 75 percent, 50 percent in Year 1, and eliminating large swaths of the federal government.

There were reports of abuse from candidates including slashing tyres, throwing milkshakes and targeting candidates' families.

When they arrived, officers and "members of a self-defence group" attacked the vehicle, slashing its tyres and forcing occupants out through tear-gas.

He adds that though Musk's primary role will be "slashing through the thicket of red tape that is the US federal government", his position will also give him influence in the new administration.