President-elect Donald Trump has named Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead the newly-established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), with the mission to streamline the government, reduce bureaucracy, and cut down on unnecessary spending.
In a statement, Trump emphasized that Musk and Ramaswamy would help dismantle government red tape, eliminate excess regulations, reduce wasteful expenditures, and overhaul federal agencies.
Musk, who had floated the idea of such a department while supporting Trump’s presidential campaign, stated that their efforts would send shockwaves through the system, targeting the many entrenched in government waste. Ramaswamy, a strong proponent of reducing government spending, had championed the need for a more agile and innovative government during his own presidential run, calling for the elimination of bureaucratic barriers to stimulate growth.
Trump outlined that the department’s work would be completed by July 4, 2026, marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. He called the department potentially “the Manhattan Project of our time,” comparing it to the U.S. effort behind the atomic bomb. The statement further explained that DOGE would offer guidance from outside the government, collaborating with the White House and the Office of Management and Budget to drive large-scale structural reforms and introduce a more entrepreneurial approach to government.
In response, Ramaswamy took to Musk’s platform X, announcing that DOGE would soon begin crowdsourcing examples of government waste, fraud, and abuse, emphasizing that Americans deserve to be involved in the reform process.
