Rewritten Article:
President-elect Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that tech billionaire Elon Musk and conservative activist Vivek Ramaswamy will lead a new initiative called the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), fulfilling Trump’s campaign promise to overhaul government spending. The agency’s acronym, DOGE, hints at a popular meme and cryptocurrency linked to Musk.
Trump stated on social media that this new agency will focus on “dismantling government bureaucracy” and cutting excessive regulations. Musk, in a statement from Trump’s transition team, commented, “This will send shockwaves through the system and target anyone involved in government waste.”
On the social platform X, Musk further remarked, “Threat to democracy? Nope, threat to BUREAUCRACY!” He acknowledged, however, that these cuts may cause “temporary hardship” for some individuals.
Ramaswamy, a vocal critic of federal agencies, has pushed for extensive layoffs, which could potentially sidestep protections currently shielding federal civil servants from politically driven terminations. During his Republican primary campaign, Ramaswamy had suggested dismantling several federal agencies, including the FBI, ATF, Department of Education, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and parts of the Agriculture Department.
According to Trump, the Department of Government Efficiency will function outside traditional government oversight, providing guidance to the White House on agency reform. This setup would also allow Musk and Ramaswamy to keep their private-sector roles without Senate confirmation.
Trump set an ambitious goal, likening the project’s scope to the WWII Manhattan Project, with a completion target of July 4, 2026. “Republican leaders have envisioned something like ‘DOGE’ for years,” Trump stated.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO), the federal watchdog agency, expressed willingness to support the department’s information needs. Gene L. Dodaro, U.S. Comptroller General, stated that the GAO will “work cooperatively” with any newly established commissions to help improve government spending and efficiency.
Trump’s selection of Musk and Ramaswamy brings together two prominent figures from the tech world with contrasting career backgrounds. Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, is one of the world’s wealthiest people, with his company SpaceX holding over $3.6 billion in government contracts this year. Ramaswamy, a former biotech CEO, entered the Republican primary in 2024 but dropped out after the Iowa caucuses.
No immediate details were provided about the department’s funding or how Musk and Ramaswamy will divide responsibilities in this new role.
