Elon Musk’s budget-cutting ideas are catching on in Kazakhstan

Serik Zhumangarin, Kazakhstan’s deputy prime minister and minister of national economy, has expressed interest in optimizing the national budget by following the example of Elon Musk and the newly established U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). He suggested that budget-cutting strategies used by President Donald Trump’s administration could serve as a model for reducing government spending, particularly in social services.

Zhumangarin noted that the Ministry of National Economy is currently reviewing social programs, which account for 37.5% of Kazakhstan’s state budget.

«Recently, someone approached me with the idea of implementing the same cost-cutting measures Elon Musk is currently overseeing in President Trump’s administration. He mentioned an optimization department and offered his expertise. I invited him to collaborate with us and create a task force. We’ll see if there are areas where downsizing is possible. However, reducing the social services budget is extremely challenging,» Zhumangarin said, emphasizing that Kazakhstan defines itself as a welfare state.

«The social services budget supports everyone — mothers of large families, children, the elderly and retirees. I suggested looking at other budget areas. We are not opposed to cuts, as long as they are reasonable and do not negatively impact ordinary citizens,» he added.

Recent media reports also highlighted comments from Maulen Ashimbayev, chair of the Senate, Kazakhstan’s upper house of parliament, who urged the Ministry of National Economy to focus on eliminating inefficient spending rather than simply increasing the value-added tax. He also pointed to Musk’s DOGE initiative as a model to follow.