US President-elect Donald Trump has chosen billionaire Elon Musk to lead a new Department of Government Efficiency, alongside biotech entrepreneur and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.
Musk and Ramaswamy will be tasked with paving the way for the Trump administration “to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies,” Trump said in a statement.
Musk said the department would “send shockwaves” through the government system and anyone involved “in government waste”.
Threat to democracy?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 13, 2024
Nope, threat to BUREAUCRACY!!!
It comes after Musk gave millions of dollars in support of Trump’s presidential campaign, also appearing at rallies with him. During the campaign, Musk pledged daily $1 million payouts to registered voters in battleground states, raising legal concerns.
It is not yet clear how the Department of Government Efficiency will operate. Although, Trump has said it will “provide advice and guidance from outside of Government”, working with the White House to “drive large scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach” to government.
Trump said their work would conclude by July 4, 2026. The acronym of the department, DOGE, coincides with the name of the cryptocurrency dogecoin that is promoted by Musk.
Musk and Ramaswamy’s roles as the leaders of the department also raise questions about potential conflicts of interest. Both men own companies that hold lucrative contracts with the US government.
Ramaswamy has been a big advocate for the elimination of federal agencies including the Department of Education, the FBI and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Trump has also announced a number of cabinet appointments, including asking South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem to lead the Department of Homeland Security. Florida Senator Marco Rubio is expected to be named Secretary of State, while army veteran and Fox News host Pete Hegseth has been nominated to become Secretary of Defence.