President-elect Donald Trump said Tuesday that Elon Musk and former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy will lead the new “Department of Government Efficiency” — which, despite the name, is not a government agency.
The acronym “DOGE” is a nod to Musk’s favorite cryptocurrency, dogecoin.
Trump said in a statement that Musk and Ramaswamy will work outside the government to offer “advice and guidance” to the White House and will partner with the Office of Management and Budget to “drive large-scale structural reform and create an entrepreneurial approach to government like no other before.” seen.”
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He added that the move will shock government systems.
It is not clear how the organization will operate.
It could fall under the Federal Advisory Committee Act, which dictates how outside groups that advise the government must operate and be accountable to the public.
Federal employees are generally required to disclose their assets and involvements to prevent any potential conflict of interest and to divest themselves of significant holdings related to their work. Because Musk and Ramaswamy would not be formal federal employees, they would not face these requirements or ethical restrictions.
Musk posted on X: “Ministry of Government Efficiency. Merchandise will be (fire emoji).”
He later added: “A threat to democracy? No, a threat to BUREAUCRACY!!!”
Musk has been a constant presence at Mar-a-Lago since Trump won the presidential election.
The president-elect has often said he would give Musk a formal role overseeing a blue-ribbon commission-like group that would recommend ways to cut spending and make the federal government more efficient. Musk suggested at one point that he could find more than $2 trillion in savings — nearly a third of total annual government spending.
Trump has made it clear that Musk is unlikely to have any kind of permanent position, given his other commitments.
“I don’t think I can get him full-time because he’s a little busy sending missiles and all that stuff he’s doing,” Trump said at a rally in Michigan in September. “He said that waste in this country is crazy. And we’re going to get Elon Musk to be our cost-cutter.”
Ramaswamy suspended his campaign in January and endorsed Trump.
In his statement, Trump said the two would “pave the way for my administration to dismantle government bureaucracy, reduce redundant regulations, reduce wasteful spending and restructure federal agencies.”